Recreate the captivating tones of traditional West African talking drums with modern flair.
The Toca Freestyle Talking Drum allows you to produce a wide range of tones by squeezing its tension cords. Perfect for percussionists looking to add a unique voice to their setup, this hand drum retains the traditional West African talking drum shape with an updated design. The hourglass frame has an extremely lightweight and durable synthetic shell and topped with two drumheads connected by adjustable cords. By manipulating these cords between your arm and torso, you can change the drum's pitch and mimic the inflections of speech, creating shimmering highs and resonating lows.
Age-Old Design Meets Modern Playability
The Freestyle Talking Drum honors a centuries-old instrument with a reimagined build. The drum produces a range of pitches as you squeeze and release its cords, allowing you to create layered rhythms and explore unique sounds.
Find Your Voice
Like the human voice, the Freestyle Talking Drum is capable of a diverse array of tonal colors. Produce mellow bass tones by loosening the cords and rapid, melodic high tones by tightening them. With practice, you can develop a personalized "vocabulary" of tones and integrate speech-like inflections into your playing. The drum responds intuitively to the subtle movements of your arms, rewarding experimentation.
Specifications
- Type: Traditional design with two drumheads connected by tension cords
- Purpose: Allows regulation of pitch to mimic the tone of human speech
- Collaboration: Developed with master percussionist, Jamal Mohamed
- Material: Synthetic
- Properties: Extremely lightweight and durable
- Size: 7" heads, 16 " tall drum shell
- Design: Iconic African Mask design
- Tension Cord System: Updated system offers a significantly broader range of sounds and tones
- Beater: Includes beater with a handle wrap matching shell design
Features
- Lightweight, durable synthetic shell with traditional hourglass shape
- Two connected drumheads with adjustable tension cords for pitch control
- Mimics inflections of speech, producing a range of high and low tones
- Designed for versatility in tone, suitable for layered rhythms and unique sounds