THE TALKING DRUM - ATUMPAN DRUM

           The drum is said to be man's oldest musical percussion instrument. It comes in all shapes and sizes. The concept of drums are as old as mankind. A drum is called a membranophone, or an nstrument that creates sound by striking a stretched membrane with some type of object, usually a rounded stick. Drums consist of a hollowed-out piece (the body), a membrane stretched over the drum, and tuning pegs or keys to tighten or loosen the membrane to achieve different tones. While most people may think that the body of a drum produces the sound, it is in actual fact the membrane and its vibration that creates sound when struck.

The Atumpan drum is the main talking drum of the Akan people. It is the most favoured instrument to play the bass part to accompany dancing. The atumpan is played in pairs by the master drummer using two angular sticks. The atumpan is an open goblet drum on a base. The membrane is stretched across the head of the drum inside a metal ring, which is anchored to 7 or 8  conical pegs. The atumpan measures approximately 1m n height and has a diameter of 45cm at the top. Because of its weight it is placed in a wooden stand at an angle during play. Alternatively two long wooden sticks are inserted in two holes where conical pegs go.

Among some people, like the Sissala people, a stick is hammered into the ground and the two drums are secured with ropes. The atumpan is made from one single piece of wood. It is open at the bottom and the base is much narrower than the main body of the drum. During parades, one person carries the atumpan on their head whilst the second person walks behind and plays it.

The two atumpan drums are tuned to each other . The lowest tone is identified with the mother and symbolizes woman. The highest tone is identified with man. These two sounds are needed to send signals from one village to another. The Akan is a biotonal language with a middle tone. The atumpan is therefore ideally suited to send messages. The sound of the drum is determined by the size of the drum; the larger the drum, the larger the membrane and the lower the sound. The atumpan is played with two wooden sticks and the membrane can be damped  with the palm of the hand or struck with the fingers.

Traditionally, the drums are adorned with decorative elements derived from the Adinkra symbolism for example Gye Nyame, Afenan, Adwo, Wawa aba and Sankofa. Some drums are covered with fabric with geometric figures such as diamonds and rectangles. It can be painted with blue or grey paint. In some instances, the natural colour of the wood is preserved. The atumpan drum is made from the hard durable wood of the Tweneboa tree. The membrane can be made from goat skin, deer skin, antelope skin and cow skin. The atumpan is considered sacred by the Ashanti, who attach no blood, skulls or jawbones to it.

A pair of Atumpan drums