TSUZUMI: Japanese musical instrument

The tsuzumi is a drum that is played in Japan. The musical instrument is of Chinese or Indian origin. The drum is made up of a wooden body that is shaped to be like the hourglass. The musical instrument is taut with two heads with cords that can be squeezed or released to maximize or minimize the tension of the instrument’s heads. This pattern permits the player of the musical instrument to increase or decrease the pitch of the instrument while he is performing on the drum.

Care for this musical instrument is strange in that the heads of the musical instrument must be bare to moisture to create a required sound. Before playing the musical instrument, the player of the instrument will breathe very close to the head of the instrument that will be struck. Sometimes the player will even take some saliva and spread over to the head of the musical instrument. The quality of sound of the musical instrument will be determined by how much moisture is in the atmosphere where the musical instrument is being played. To make sure the heads of the instrument are wet, the player of the instrument will breathe into the drum head from time to time when he is not playing the instrument.

The musical instrument performs roles in both kabuki and Noh theater music, though the instrument is also used in min'yō or folk music of Japan. The musical instrument is normally played with its bigger counterpart called ōtsuzumi.