Listen to the frame drum
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the frame drum makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the frame drum belongs to the struck drums: a stretched membrane (drumhead) is struck with hands or beaters.
More broadly it is one of the membranophones (drums), where sound comes from a vibrating stretched membrane.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its shallow depth. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments. It has a single drumhead that is usually made of rawhide, but man-made materials may also be used. Some frame drums have mechanical tuning, while on many others the drumhead is tacked in place.
The drumhead is stretched over a round, wooden frame called a shell. The shell is traditionally constructed of rosewood, oak, ash etc. that has been bent and then scarf jointed together; though some are also made of plywood or man-made materials. Metal rings or jingles may also be attached to the frame.
Other struck drums
Frequently asked questions
What does a frame drum sound like?
Listen to 1 recording on this page. As one of the struck drums, its sound comes from the way a stretched membrane (drumhead) is struck with hands or beaters.
What type of instrument is the frame drum?
It is classified as struck drums (Hornbostel–Sachs 211.3).
Sources & credits
- Bodhran-improvisation hinnerk-ruemenapf by Hinnerk R Hinnerk Rümenapf – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q1283177 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Frame drum – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Ratomir Wilkowski, www.RKP.org.pl – CC BY 3.0