How the hourglass drum makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the hourglass 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
Hourglass drums are a sub-category of membranophone, or drum, characterized by an hourglass shape. They are also known as waisted drums. Drumheads are attached by laces, which may be squeezed during a performance to alter the pitch.
The category also includes pellet drums such as the damaru, although not all pellet drums are hourglass shaped (such as the Korean do, nodo, noedo, and yeongdo, which are barrel shaped).
Other struck drums
Frequently asked questions
What does a hourglass drum sound like?
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 hourglass drum?
It is classified as struck drums (Hornbostel–Sachs 211.24).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q5913432 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Hourglass drum – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Visviva – Public domain