Udu Drums

(Click on any picture to see an enlargement.)

Clay pot drums similar to these are traditionally made and played by various peoples in and around Nigeria. African names for these instruments include "udu" (pronounced "oo-doo"), abang and kimkim. In some societies they are played exclusively by women. Udus have a side hole which creates a deep reverberating note when struck with the flat palm of the hand. Some believe that this haunting sound evokes the voices of ancestors.The clay body of the vessel produces a high pinging sound when struck with the fingers. The combination of these two techniques sometimes sounds similar to the Indian tabla or African talking drum.

The udus shown here are made in the traditional style, built by hand from long coils of clay and then paddled and scraped into shape. They are not thrown on a potter's wheel or made from molds. The gradual process of creating an udu takes approximately a month. The instruments with original organic designs and colors have been fired in a pit filled with wood, which produces these unique effects.

Learn more: Udu: Clay Pot Drums and How to Play Them

Sound files (available in both au and wav formats):

Hear a medium udu (mp3)

Hear a low udu (mp3)

Hear an udu played with the ConunDrums (46K wav)

Hear a double udu (RealAudio)

Audio excerpt from "Abohabit" by Janus, featuring udu drum by Barry Hall (198K au)

Here are some recent multiple-chamber udus I've made:
(Click on any picture to see an enlargement.)

	Double Udu Two chambers connected by a conduit. Connecting pipe is in the rear, not visible in photo. Hear this double udu (MP3)
	Double Udu Two chambers, directly connected. Hear this double udu (MP3)
	Triple Udu Three chambers, directly connected. All three are acoustically coupled, so the instrument acts as one. Different combinations of strokes with two hands on the various holes produce a number of different pitches and effects. Hear the triple udu (MP3)
	Kim-Kims Here are three kim-kims I made in different sizes. Hear the highest kim-kim (MP3) Hear the middle kim-kim (MP3) Hear the lowest kim-kim (MP3)
	Udumbek Combination udu and doumbek. Two chambers, internally acoustically coupled. One side has a hole and is played like an udu, the other side has a goatskin head and is played like a doumbek. The side-exit pipe can also be struck with your palm or manipulated to alter the pitch or tone. Hear the udumbek (MP3)

Watch a short video clip of Barry playing an udu: RealPlayer video (176k)

Learn more: Udu: Clay Pot Drums and How to Play Them

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