THE YORUBA TALKING DRUMS

The Nigerian Talking Drum is closely tied to the Yoruba language of South Western Nigeria.


The Yoruba language is a tonal language that speaks in proverbs where a word alone will not suffice.

The Talking Drum speaks in tones that are adjusted with leather cords that run the length of the drums body.

As it is played it's tones have the ability to mimic the spoken word, hence it is actually a Talking Drum.

Several other cultures play beautiful instruments visually resembling the Talking Drum yet the range of tones is not achieved.

A master of the Nigerian Talking Drum conveys a litany through the power of it's "spoken word."


The Talking drums have an important presence in all aspects of African life,especially the Yorubas.

The drums are used at birth, in ancestor worship, rites of passage, healing, storytelling, warrior rites and initiation, at the time of death, and as an an important means of communication over long distances



Dabi,an internationally recognised percussionist ,singer,dancer,a true Griot ,born in Nigeria, West Africa,comes from a family of Master Drummers of the Yoruba tribe The Aare Ilu Household of Iseyin ,a town in Oyo State ,Nigeria .

From an early age dancing and drumming formed an intrinsic part of his life. He was raised in the Yoruba tribal culture, one that works, worships, lives and breathes to the beat of the drum, which has been primarily used to transmit traditional knowledge.

At home in Nigeria,he is known for his expertise in every genre from gangan to bata,akuba.gudugudu, Ogido,ashiko,bembe,kongaa sakara, agidigbo.

Between 1990 to 2002 Dabi has toured internationally performing in dozens of high-profile festivals and independent tours of USA,Germany,Italy,Spain,France, Canada,India,Austria Scadinavian,Japan, South Korea ,Poland,Jamaica,Holland and United Kingdom.
Apart from being steeped in Yoruba tradition as a ritual drummer, a flexible and experimental virtuoso of international calibre

":Debo Dabi Kanyinsola, a rare talent of his kind, an all -round master drummer and who is accomplished in an array of Yoruba traditions and drumming styles. He has emerged over a decade as the most revered gangan drummer in Nigeria and perhaps the most famous gangan drummer in the world."-- Africa Today"
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"My father (May God rest his soul) was a legendary drummer,and my grandfather too. All my ancestors,ever since we can remember . dedicated to this noble work."


Scholars have deduced that while melody and harmony are
preeminent in traditional European music (and the West
generally speaking) in African music (more so in West
Africa) rhythm is king.

The drum is the greatest purveyor
of rhythm. And rhythm is arguably the most definitive of
musical style in popular contemporary music. Although we
use the drums in our music, mostly to create grooves and
stimulate dance, in traditional Yoruba music the drum
plays more diverse roles. They do much more than stimulate
dance, especially in the sacred worship of Yoruba deities.

In my band, we use the four major families of Yoruba
drums. Each family consists of drums of different sizes
playing generally slave/master, support/lead roles. In
each instance, the mother drum (iya ilu) plays the lead
role. The four families are Dundun/Gangan, Bata, Sakara,
Ogido/Gbedu. Traditionally, each family has a complete
ensemble. Oftentimes we use different drums from different
families together, and other times, we play the drums as
complete ensembles as they are used traditionally.

Although the Yorubas utilise the flute, agidigbo and goje
just as there are lots of melodic and harmonic instruments
in other African cultures- kora, marimba, mbira, oja (ibo
flute), kalimba, etc. their music is predominantly driven
by drums and other percussion instruments. Drums, drums
and more drums.

Dundun ensemble

This is the hour glass drum commonly referred to as the talking drum. Actually, most Yoruba drums mimic speech (talk)

The iya ilu leads the whole ensemble. It leads the talk, dictates the pace, determines the song etc.
The Omele genus comprises

(i) Isaju (fixed high pitched dundun) Its pitch is fixed to a high tone by tying the tension strings.
(ii) Atele (fixed low pitched dundun) By tying its tension strings, its pitch is fixed to a lower tone than the isaju.

Each of these two drums plays a different rhythm. Their combined groove is the foundation on which the bigger mum drums build their own rhythms. The isaju literarily means 鍍he one that leads in front・while atele means 鍍he one that follows the lead・

This basic 斗eader & follower・principle is common to the other Yoruba drum ensembles used in my music. The drums may bear different names but the same roles hold for each of these families. Although some omele lead while others follow, they are still all subject to the overall leadership of the iya ilu (the mother drums)

The dundun family usually includes one gudugudu which is shaped like a bowl. It is beaten with two leather beaters while all the other drums are played with one bent wooden stick while the other hand is used directly on the drum.
A more portable version of the dundun is more popularly used in urban social music. This is called the gangan. It also has a complete family of iya ilu and omele just like the dundun family. It is common to mix drums from these two size categories. The dundun has a bigger and deeper sound than the gangan.

This basic nuclear family is usually extended by multiplying the drums and players. So an extended dundun family could include 1 gudugudu, 6 isaju, 6 atele, and 6 iya ilu. There are often many more in a large ensemble.