Why Is the Simplest Drum Also the Oldest? A Skin Over a Hoop

The construction requires a hoop of bent wood and a skin, which is within reach of any society that has either, and it produces an instrument that is light, portable, loud enough to lead a group and quiet enough to accompany a voice. Those properties explain the distribution, since the design appears across the Middle East, North Africa, Ireland, Scandinavia, Central Asia, India, China and the Americas, in forms that are recognisably related in construction while being played entirely differently. Depictions in Mesopotamian and Egyptian art establish it as among the oldest instruments with a continuous record, and the versions in use now are not much changed in principle.

Regional forms differ in ways that transform how the instrument sounds:

• •A plain hoop and skin, played with the hands
• •Metal jingles set into the frame, which adds a continuous shimmer
• •Snares of gut or wire stretched across the skin, adding a rattle
• •A crossbar inside the frame, used as a handle and to press the skin
• •A beater, from a plain stick to the double-ended type used in Irish playing
• •Skins of goat, deer, fish or synthetic material, each with a different tone

The instrument has one skin and no mechanism, so everything expressive has to come from how the player touches it, which makes the technique subtler than on a drum with more components. Striking near the rim gives a high sharp sound and striking in the centre gives a low open one, with a continuous range between. The non-striking hand presses against the back of the skin, changing the tension and therefore the pitch continuously, which allows melodic figures on a single drum. Fingers can be used individually for rapid rolls that a whole hand cannot produce. Damping with the hand or the forearm shortens the sound. Accomplished players in several traditions produce an extraordinary range from one skin.

The instrument sits at the centre of several musical cultures rather than at the edge of them. The Irish version was adopted into traditional music comparatively recently, becoming standard only from the mid twentieth century, and it is played with a double-ended stick held in a way that lets the wrist produce very fast alternation. Middle Eastern and North African traditions use several sizes and a repertoire of named strokes and finger techniques, with the largest instruments producing a bass note that underpins an ensemble. Central Asian shamanic practice uses large single-headed drums in ritual rather than performance. Italian and Spanish forms accompany dance. Arctic traditions use a drum with the beater striking the frame rather than the skin.

A natural skin responds to humidity continuously, which is the practical difficulty of owning one. Damp air relaxes the skin, dropping the pitch and producing a dull slack sound, while dry air tightens it and raises the pitch until the skin risks splitting. Players warm the instrument at a fire or with a lamp to tighten it, which is a visible part of performance in several traditions, and moisten it slightly to loosen it. Tuning systems fitted to modern instruments use screws around the rim to adjust the tension mechanically, which removes the problem and is rejected by some players as changing the sound. Synthetic skins are stable in any conditions and are widely regarded as sounding inferior.

A hoop and a skin need only materials any society has, which is why the design appears across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas with a continuous record reaching back to Mesopotamian and Egyptian depictions. Jingles, snares, crossbars and beaters distinguish the regional forms. With one skin and no mechanism, everything comes from touch, including pressing the back of the skin to change the pitch while playing.