Otsuzumi

Category
MUSIC

Language
JAPANESE

The ?tsuzumi , is an hourglass-shaped Japanese drum.[1][2] It is a larger version of the tsuzumi, or kotsuzumi, and is used in traditional Japanese theater and folk music.[3] Its appearance is slightly different from that of the tsuzumi, and the sound produced is vastly different from any of the four sounds the kotsuzumi produces.[4] Whereas the kotsuzumi is smaller and has a more ornate drum head, the ?kawa is larger, and its head takes on a more plain, leathery appearance. The sound is also higher and sharper in pitch, resembling more of a dry, almost metallic "crack" than the tsuzumi's softer "pon" sound. The hourglass structure is slightly bigger, and has a prominent protruding "knob" at the middle, unlike that of the kotsuzumi, which has a smoothened-out middle section. The heads of the drum are taut very tightly, leaving no room for further tension, and acoustic, adjustments. The ?kawa is played on the left thigh of the player, possibly due to its larger, heavy size, whereas the tsuzumi is played upon the right shoulder. <

Wikipedia contributors, "Otsuzumi," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,