What It Is
An Udu is a clay pot drum based on those created by the Ibo and Hausa tribes in Nigeria.
The production of this drum was accidental, when a hole was struck in the side of a normal clay water vessel. They then, noticed the beautiful sound it made, and presented it as an instrument.
How the Udu is Played
The Udu is played in various ways, such as:
- playing with the palm of the hand on the side hole while opening and closing the top hole in varying degrees with the other hand
- vice versa
By varying the type of stroke and the way in which you release your hand, you can coax many different tonal variations from the instrument
The African Udu
Other Facts About The Udu
- Udu drums are not only beautiful to look at (they've been on display in several prominent museums), but from them you will hear deep bass tones, tabla-like qualities, the tonal variations of the African talking drum, and many other sounds. This makes the Udu well-suited to melodic as well as rhythmic articulations.
- Was played by women for ceremonial uses
- Made of clay
- Widely used by percussionists in today's world.