Pellet drums, or rattle drums, are a class of membranophone, or

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

, characterized by their construction and manner of playing. They have two heads (either a single double-headed drum or two hemispherical single-headed drums joined together with the heads facing outward), and two pellets, each connected by a cord to the drum. The ''damaru'', which is used in

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

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India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, is an

hourglass drum Hourglass drums are a sub-category of membranophone, or drum, characterized by an hourglass shape. They are also known as ''waisted drums''. Drumheads are attached by laces, which may be squeezed during a performance to alter the pitch. The catego ...

that is grasped by its waist with the hand twisting back and forth, causing the pellets to strike the heads in a rhythmic fashion.photo
/sup> In

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

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Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, pellet drums are affixed to or pierced by a vertical rod or pole, and, depending on the instrument's size, the rod or pole is rotated back and forth along its axis either with one or both hands or between the palms, causing the pellets to strike the heads in a similar manner. Pellet drums may be either hourglass shaped or barrel shaped. In some cases, multiple drums are mounted on a single rod.photo
/sup> Although pellet drums are often used in religious ritual (particularly Tibet, Mongolia, India, and Taiwan), small versions are also used in East Asia as children's toys or as

noisemaker A noisemaker is something intended to make a loud noise, usually for fun. Instruments or devices commonly considered "noisemakers" include: * pea whistles * air horns, composed of a pressurized air source coupled to a horn, designed to create an ...

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street vendor A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether stationa ...

s. Such small versions are sometimes also referred to as rattle drums.

Varieties

* Damru (also spelled ''damaru'') - used in Tibet, Mongolia, and India *

Den-den daiko The is a Japanese hand-held pellet drum, used in Shinto-Buddhist ceremonies, etc. It has two heads and is suspended on a rod, with beads or pellets hanging on threads on either sides of the body of the drum. The drum sounds when it is turned on ...

( でんでん太鼓) - used as a children's toy in Japan * Do (hangul: 도; hanja; 鼗) - a single barrel drum pierced by a pole; used in Koreaphoto
/sup> *Glong banthoh (กลองบัณเฑาะว์) - an hourglass drum used in Thailand with a pole on top, onto which a single string and pellet is tied, used in royal ceremonies. *Nodo (hangul: 노도; hanja: 路鼗) - two barrel drums pierced by a pole; used in Koreaphoto
/sup> * Noedo (hangul: 뇌도; hanja: 雷鼗) - three barrel drums pierced by a pole; used in Koreaphoto
/sup> *Tao ( 鼗; pinyin: táo) or ''taogu'' ( 鼗鼓) or ''bolanggu'' (拨浪鼓) - used in Chinese ritual music and as a children's toy or noisemaker used by street vendors *Yeongdo (hangul: 영도; hanja: 靈鼗) - four barrel drums pierced by a pole; used in Koreaphoto
/sup> Drums Shaken membranophones Traditional toys Toy instruments and noisemakers {{Membranophone-instrument-stub