Editing Membranophone

[[File:Civic Orchestra of Chicago Timpani.jpg|thumb|Membranophone]]{{Short description|Class of musical instruments}}
A '''membranophone'''  is any [[musical instrument]] which produces sound primarily by way of a [[acoustic membrane|vibrating stretched membrane]]. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original [[Hornbostel-Sachs]] scheme of [[musical instrument classification]].

According to [[Curt Sachs|Sachs]],
{{quote|The sound is produced by a membrane ["skin" or "head"] stretched over an opening. Most, but not all, membranophones are generally called drums. They are classified according to material,  if it's single or double headed, shape, skin(s), skin fastening, playing positions, and manner of playing.<ref>Sachs, Curt (1940). ''The History of Musical Instruments'', p.459. W. W. Nortan & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|0-393-02068-1}}</ref>}}

==Hornbostel-Sachs==
The [[Hornbostel-Sachs]] scheme of [[musical instrument classification]] divides membranophones in a numeric taxonomy based on how the sound is produced:

*'''21''': by hitting the drumskin with a hand or object (most common form, including the [[timpani]] and [[snare drum]])
*'''22''': by pulling a knotted string attached to the drumskin (common in Indian drums, and can be considered an example of a [[chordophone]] as well)
*'''23''': by rubbing the drumskin with a hand or object (common in Irish traditional music, an example is the [[bodhran]])
*'''24''': by modifying sounds through a vibrating membrane (unusual form, including the [[kazoo]]) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/glossary/m.html|access-date=January 22, 2007|work=Essentials of Music|title=Glossary#Membranophone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070119001240/http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/glossary/m.html|archive-date=January 19, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Length and breadth==
Membranophones can also be divided into small divisions based on length and breadth of sound production:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cnx.org/content/m11896/latest/|work=Connexions|author=Catherine Schmidt-Jones|title=Classifying Musical Instruments: Membranophones|access-date=January 22, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723081750/http://cnx.org/content/m11896/latest/|archive-date=July 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[Image:Kazoo.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Mirlitons, as the kazoo in the picture, are a special class of membranophone, and is the only class that does not consist of true drums]]
*<span class="anchor" id="Tubular drums"></span>'''Tubular drums''' include a wide range of drum shapes all conforming to a "tube" shape, or generally, having a depth greater than the radius of the membrane. The Hornbostel-Sachs Classification defines 8 subcategories of tubular drums: ''Cylindrical'', ''Barrel-Shaped'', ''Double-Conical'', ''Hourglass-Shaped'', ''Conical'', ''Goblet-Shaped'', ''Cylindro-Conical'', and ''Vase-Shaped'' drums.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mimo-international.com/documents/hornbostel%20sachs.pdf |title=Revision of the Hornbostel-Sachs Classification of Musical Instruments by the MIMO Consortium |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=July 8, 2011 |pages=8-10}}</ref>
*[[Eunuch flute|Mirlitons]], [[Kazoo]]s and [[Swazzle]]s vibrate in sympathy with sounds travelling across a membrane. These are the only membranophones that are not truly drums.

[[SIL International]] maintains a classification system based largely on shape:<ref name="SIL">{{cite web|url=http://www.sil.org/LinguaLinks/Anthropology/ExpnddEthnmsclgyCtgrCltrlMtrls/mMembranophones.htm |title=534m Membranophones |work=SIL |access-date=January 4, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060710200629/http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/anthropology/ExpnddEthnmsclgyCtgrCltrlMtrls/mMembranophones.htm |archive-date=July 10, 2006 }}</ref>

*'''[[Cylindrical drum]]s''' are straight-sided, and generally two-headed. A buzzing, percussive string is sometimes used. Examples include the [[bass drum]] and the Iranian ''dohol''.
*'''[[Conical drum]]s''' are sloped on the sides, and are usually one-headed. Examples include the Indian ''[[tabla]]'' and the Venezuelan ''chimbangueles''.
[[Image:USAFE Band timpanist.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A ''timpani'' is a kind of ''kettle drum'']][[Image:Cuica ArM.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A ''cuica'' is a kind of ''friction drum'']]
*'''[[Barrel drum]]s''' are normally one-headed, and may be open at the bottom. They bulge in the middle. Examples include the ''Dhak'' from eastern parts of India, ''bendre'', made by the [[Mossi people|Mossi]] of Burkina Faso out of a large [[calabash]], and the ''trong chau'' of Vietnam.
*'''[[Hourglass drum]]s''' (or '''''waisted drums''''') are [[hourglass]]-shaped and generally two-headed. The drumheads are laced onto the body, and the laces may be squeezed during performance to alter the drum's pitch. Examples include folk drums in India (like the ''[[damaru]]'') and much of Africa, as well as some [[talking drum]]s.
*'''[[Goblet drum]]s''' (or '''''chalice drums''''') are one-headed and [[goblet]] shaped, and are usually open at the bottom. Examples include the Egyptian [[Goblet drum|darbuka]], West-African ''[[djembe]]'', and the Arab ''darabukka''.
*'''[[Footed drum]]s''' are single-headed and are held above the ground by feet. The space between the drum and the ground provides extra resonance. Examples include a range of East African and Polynesian drums.
*'''[[Long drum]]s''' are a diverse category, characterized by extreme length. Examples include the single-headed hollow tree trunk drums of Africa and the ornately carved and dyed ''gufalo'' of the Nuna in Burkina Faso.
*'''[[Kettle drum]]s''' (or '''''pot drums''''' or '''''vessel drums''''') are frequently played in pairs, and have a vessel or pot body, are one-headed and usually tuned to a specific note. Examples include the [[timpani]] and the [[tabla|Indian tabla]].
*'''[[Frame drum]]s''' are composed of one or more membranes stretched across a frame. Examples include the [[tambourine]] and [[bodhrán]].
*'''[[Friction drum]]s''' produce sound through [[friction]], such as by rubbing a hand or object against the drumskin. Examples include the Brazilian ''[[cuica]]'' and the Spanish ''zambomba''.
*[[Eunuch flute|Mirlitons]], [[Kazoo]]s and [[Swazzle]]s produce sound by blowing air across a membrane.

==Traditional classifications==

The traditional classification of Indian instruments include two categories of percussion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/instruments.html|access-date=February 4, 2007|author=David Courtney|year=2006|title=Indian Musical Instruments|work=Chandra and David's Indian Musical Instruments}}</ref>

*''Ghan'': Percussion without membranes, such as chimes, bells and gongs
*''Avanaddh'': Percussion with membranes, such as drums with skin heads

==Other categories==
{{See also|List of Caribbean membranophones}}
The '''''predrum''''' category consists of simple drum-like percussion instruments. These include the ''ground drum'', which, in its most common §—Form, consists of an animal skin stretched over a hole in the ground, and the ''pot drum'', made from a simple [[Pottery|pot]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/instruments/Modinstrumentmain.html|title=Modern Instruments and their Families: Symphonic Classifications in Western Music|work=Music Dictionary|author=Virginia Tech Department of Music|access-date=January 22, 2007}}</ref>

''[[Water drum]]s'' are also sometimes treated as a distinct category of membranophone. Common in [[Native American music]] and the [[music of Africa]], water drums are characterized by a unique sound caused by filling the drum with some amount of water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tolerance.org/teach/printar.jsp?p=0&ar=197&pi=ttm |access-date=January 22, 2007 |title=Tuning the Water Drum |work=From Cradleboard to Motherboard |author=Claire King |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928022831/http://www.tolerance.org/teach/printar.jsp?p=0&ar=197&pi=ttm |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The ''[[talking drum]]'' is an important category of West African membranophone, characterized by the use of varying tones to "talk". Talking drums are used to communicate across distances.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773609,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930044547/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773609,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 30, 2007|title=Drum Telegraphy|date=21 September 1942|magazine=TIME|access-date=7 November 2006}}</ref>

[[Military drums]] or ''war drums'' are drums in various forms that have been used in the military.

== See also ==
* [[Semispherical drum]]
* [[Vibrations of a circular membrane]]
* [[Bongo drum]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

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{{Membranophones}}
{{Elemental organology}}
{{Hornbostel-Sachs}}
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[[Category:Membranophones| ]]
[[Category:Musical instruments by material]]
[[Category:Percussion instruments by means of sound production]]
[[Category:Musical instruments]]