VII 



DRUMS 



No account of a visit to East Africa, and particularly 

 Uganda, would be complete without some reference to 

 drums. In Uganda a musical band sometimes consists 

 entirely of drums. They take the place of church bells 

 in European cities, and, like bells, they are used for 

 ceremonial purposes on such occasions as weddings, 

 funerals, and religious services ; at times of national 

 rejoicing, as well as to sound alarms. In the Sesse 

 Archipelago they are used for signalling purposes 

 between the islands : a special drum is beaten on Koine 

 to announce the birth of twins, and a select drum is 

 used on the appearance of the new moon. Drums were 

 introduced into the British army in the sixteenth 

 century, and used for giving signals in times of peace 

 and war. 



The principle underlying the construction of a drum 

 is the same in all countries, and in all ages. A drum is 

 composed of a cylinder which may be of wood, bamboo, 

 or metal, covered at each end with vellum, parchment, 

 or prepared skin, the tension of which is regulated by 

 strings. The sound is produced by percussion, usually 

 by beating on the parchment or skin-covered ends with 

 appropriate drum-sticks, or by means of the fingers 

 or the palm. Much ingenuity is shown in making 

 drums, and great skill is often displayed in percussing 

 them. 



There is great variety in the shape and size of drums. 

 The Uganda drum consists of a hollow truncated cone 



G 2 



