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African drumming workshops for schools in Devon, Cornwall, somerset, Dorset, South West England. How African drums are made, how to play African drums, how to make African drums, turn your school into an African drum orchestra in a day
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Different types of African drums 
There are various types of drums common to different regions and countries in Africa, but the way they are made and used is almost the same.
The most common type of African drum is the djembe drum(jem-bay) which was first made in West Africa in countries like Mali,Guinea and Senegal. It is a goblet shaped drum played in a group with other West African instruments
Engoma drums of East Africa
(pronounced en-go-mah)
The Engoma of the Baganda people of Uganda are made of wood, which is covered with cow skin on both ends, although you'll.
Typically, they are played in groups of 7 each drum having its own voice and function within the ensemble.
The Ngoma is used for communication and celebration and is also a symbol of authority.
YAKA, DRUMS, Dem. Rep. of Congo
Slit drums, with hollow chambers and long narrow openings that resonate when struck, when they are made they take a human or animal form in which the drum becomes the body.
IGBO, CEREMONIAL DRUMS, Nigeria
Slit drums, with hollow chambers and long narrow openings that resonate when struck, often take a human or animal form in which the drum becomes the body. The Igbo use both the vertical and the larger horizontal type
CHOKWE,
DRUMS, Angola
Two Chokwe drums, with their intricate abstract designs and faces, are double-headed.
TALKING DRUMS, West Africa
Talking drums are smaller and quieter then the Djembes, and get their name from the tonal range (voices) with which it can speak by squeezing and releasing the vertical strings to tighten and loosen the heads. Most are double headed and are struck by a special curved stick.
Aburukuwa is a drum from Ghana Its sound resembles birdsong of a bird of the same name.
An ashiko is a kind of drum shaped like a truncated cone and meant to be played with bare hands. The ashiko drum is played throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas
A Bougarabou (alternative spelling “Boucarabou”) is a set of three to four drums commonly used in West Africa.
The drums are single headed (cow skin), with an elongated goblet shape, usually placed on a single stand
The goblet drum is a goblet shaped hand drum used in African Arabic music. It is of ancient origin, and is believed by some to have been invented before the chair.
Importance of drums in Africa
Drums in Africa are used as sacred instruments and there is a lot of importance attached to them. They are used in healing ceremonies, in rites of passage, in naming ceremonies, in warrior rituals, on social occasions like engagement parties and weddings, on harvest parties and celebration of seasons like rain after a period of drought.
Drums are also used as a tool for communication, for example in Uganda, you can hear different drum calls in the villages. The common drum calls are, call to community work normally hard in the mornings, an emergency call, sounded if any one was in danger and needed help and the call to worship which is sounded mainly on Sunday mornings
How to play the African drums:
Most drums are played by hand though some times sticks are used to play some few types of drums.
When you play the drums, you need to first of all relax your hands and fingers. Then hold your fingers close together and then strike the top of the drum. You must not hit the drum too hard because that will hurt your hands.
Once you have hit the drum you must let your hands bounce off the top of the drum head and allow the drum to resonate. If you do not bounce your hand off the drum, it will produce a dead sound.
When you hit the top of the drum you must try to produce 2 major sounds. The bass sound which is achieved by striking the drum in the middle, especially if it is a Djembe and an open sound which is achieved by striking the drum between the centre and the edge of the drum.
The other sound that can be obtained is the slap sound which takes a lot of practice to be produced. This is obtained by slightly cupping the hand and then striking the drum with the fingers. The slap sound can sometimes be obtained by resting your weaker hand in the middle of the drum and then striking the side or open sound position of the drum with your other hand.
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