Gan Gan Drum

One of the students (send me your name if you can) who attended the Africa stand gave an impromptu Gan Gan Drum.

"Talking drums are part of a family of hourglass-shaped pressure drums. The drum heads at either end of the drum's wooden body are made from hide, fish-skin or other membranes which are wrapped around a wooden hoop. Leather cords or thongs run the length of the drum's body and are wrapped around both hoops; when these cords are squeezed under the drummers arm, the drum heads tighten, changing the instrument's pitch. While this type of instrument can be modulated quite closely, its range is limited to a gathering or market-place, and it is primarily used in ceremonial settings. Ceremonial functions could include dance, rituals, story-telling and communication of points of order.

Some of the variations of the talking drum among West African ethnic groups:

• Tama (Wolof of Senegal)
• Gan gan, Dun Dun (Yoruba of Nigeria)
• Dondo (Ashanti of central Ghana)
• Lunna (Dagomba of northern Ghana)
• Kalangu (Hausa of northern Nigeria and Niger) "

Wikipedia