Hand Drums

A hand drum is a kind of drum that is played primarily with hands other than using any sticks, mallet, hammer or any type of beater. Frame drum, a shallow, cylindrical shell with a drumhead attached to one of the open ends, is one of the early forms of this kind of drums. Tabla, mridangam etc. are the Indian forms of hand drums.

In the digital and electronic age of the 21st century, we are surrounded by devices that can sometimes hide their true purposes beneath a veneer of hard plastic and shiny chrome. The Kitchenaid mixer, for example. When I was growing up, it was a plain white machine with a bowl. Today, it is available in what seems like hundreds of colors, some of them with names like "Gloss Cinnamon," "Sugar Plum" and my personal favorite, "Wasabi." It can utilize dozens of different accessories, from can openers to ravioli makers. This counter appliance has become less of a cooking convenience and more of an adornment for modern kitchen. Like so many human inventions, it has drifted so far from its original incarnation as to be almost unrecognizable.

Have Fun Playing Hand Drums - A Fun, Musical, Hands-on Book and CD for Beginning Hand Drummers of All Ages would be an ideal book for elementary classes, groups of children, autistic or similarly challenged adults and for the reader who had never played a hand drum before.