Listen to the Ngoma drums
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the Ngoma drums makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Ngoma drums 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.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
Ngoma (also called engoma or ng'oma or ingoma) are musical instruments used by certain Bantu-speaking populations of Central, East and Southern Africa. Ngoma is derived from the Kikongo word for "drum". Different Bantu-inhabited regions have their own traditions of percussion, with different names for their instruments. In Kikongo, "ngoma" is used by extension to signify specific dances, social occasions, and rhythms. In Swahili, Ngoma music is used to describe music, dance, instruments including the drums, and events together as a joint cultural practice.
Other struck drums
Frequently asked questions
What does the Ngoma drums sound like?
Listen to 4 recordings 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 Ngoma drums?
It is classified as struck drums (Hornbostel–Sachs 211).
Sources & credits
- Ngoma Traditional Dance Song- Tanzania by Agness Abubakar Saidi – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- PDP-CH - Dominique Manzadi - Bajolokobanda - African music in Zande language -… – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- PDP-CH - Dominique Manzadi - Muatubaba Kungbekinga - African music in Azande language -… – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- PDP-CH - Boele wa Lokele - Bolimoa Nyango Assoolimbami - African music in Kele language… – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q7022514 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Ngoma drums – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Walther Dobbertin – CC BY-SA 3.0