The elephant foot drum is a percussion instrument of which ethnic group

Elephant foot drum Dai, Wa, Jingpo, De'ang, Burang, Lahu, Hani and other ethnic percussion instruments, popular in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan.

etc. Crafted from a tree trunk or a few pieces of wood, elephants.

Foot drums are generally 130 to 160 cm in length. The upper end is cup-shaped, the drum surface is covered with cowhide, sheepskin, horse skin or deerskin, and the middle waist is slender. The thin strip of cowhide on the drum body connects to the drum surface and allows for adjustable pitch.

The waist and lower part of the drum are engraved with patterns, and some are tied with ribbons. The elephant's foot drum is often played in conjunction with gongs and cymbals, and is not played alone. There are also medium and small elephant foot drums, which performers can play while dancing.

Whenever the sun sets, the border villages inhabited by the people of the Yi nationality will "knock! Boom! Boom!

The ground sounded with the sound of an elephant's foot drum. The boys and girls in the bamboo building of the Dai family walked out of the house, stepped on the rhythmic drums, and came to the wide field, like beautiful peacocks, dancing. The elephant's foot drum is a Dai ethnic group.

Ancient national musical instruments. The "Biography of Baiyi" written by Qian Guxun of the Ming Dynasty

The book says: The Dai people "take sheepskin as a thing."

3. Five long drums, clapped by hand". The "three or five long drums" here refer to the elephant foot drum, and its length has the meaning of three to five feet. It can be seen that before the Ming Dynasty, the Dai people already had elephant foot drums.

Regarding the origin of the elephant's foot drum, there is a very interesting story circulated among the Dai people. It is said that a long time ago, the Dai area was plagued by floods every year, and people were not allowed to live and work in peace and contentment. Everyone hated this dragon to death, and there was a brave young man of the Dai nationality who was determined to eliminate harm for the people.

With the help of his fellow villagers, he finally killed Jiaolong. When celebrating the victory, in order to express their hatred for the evil dragon and their longing for a happy life, people peel off the skin of the dragon and imitate the white elephant that symbolizes good luck.

made an elephant foot drum. Since then, the sound of the elephant foot drum has resounded throughout the Dai villages, expressing the joyful mood of the Dai people. In the minds of the Dai people, beasts.

The elephant and the peacock are both seen as auspicious symbols. Therefore, whenever the elephant's foot drum sounds, men, women and children dance merrily. Now, the elephant foot drum made by the Dai people has a slender drum body, and the drum surface is no longer made of python skin, but made of sheepskin.

The drum body is made of light wood, a complete log hollowed out of the heart of the tree. The entire body of the drum is painted in bright colors and decorated with peacock feathers, which is very beautiful. Yellow or other colored ribbons are tied around the drum and hung on the left shoulder of the drummer.

The drummer clamps the drum under Yu Yu's left flank and beats the drum with both hands. Before beating the drum, moisten the drum surface with sticky rice to make the drum sound pleasant. The drummers dance while beating the drums, and the drums are sometimes tight and sometimes slow, and the rhythm is bright.

The drummer is the organizer and conductor of the entire dance. People dance happily to the sound of drums, dancing in a variety of ways. Some of those with particularly outstanding drumming skills can also use drums to "speak" and use elephant foot drums to "talk" with another drummer.

References.

Brief introduction. The elephant's foot drum is an important folk musical instrument of the Dai people. It is named because the drum body resembles an elephant's foot.

It is widely used in singing and dancing and Dai opera accompaniment. The elephant's foot drum is also loved by the Jingpo, Wa, Lili, Lahu, Brown, Achang and De'ang people, as well as the Kemu people, and is an indispensable musical instrument in the songs and dances of all ethnic groups. [1]

2. Shape construction.

The elephant foot drum looks like a delicate goblet, it is made of a whole piece of wood (or a few pieces of wood glued), the whole body is hollow, the upper end is a cup-shaped resonant body, the drum surface is skinned, the drum skin is tightened with thin leather strips around the drum skin, tied to the lower part of the drum cavity, and its tension can be adjusted. The exterior of the drum body is painted, the waist of the drum and the lower part of the drum are carved with decorative patterns, and some are also tied with flower ribbons and colored balls on the drum body.

The elephant foot drum body often has a picture decoration, the graphics are mostly peacocks, sometimes the elephant foot drum also inserts a few peacock feathers in the dance, and the peacock is the most cherished and loved bird of the Dai people, it represents auspicious wishes, and shows the Dai people's yearning and pursuit of a better life. Similarly, the elephant's foot drum resembles an elephant's foot, and the elephant symbolizes a good harvest and a good life in the hearts of the Dai people. The peacocks and elephants were seen from the elephant's foot drum, all of which showed the good wishes of the Dai people.

Dai, Wa, Jingpo,

Deang. Brown, Lahu, Hani. Wait.

Ethnic group. Percussion instrument.

Popular in. Xishuangbanna, Yunnan.

etc. with a trunk or a few pieces.

Timber. Patchwork production, large.

Elephant foot drum. The general length is 130 to 160 cm. The upper end is cup-shaped, and the drum surface is covered.

Cowhide. Sheepskin.

Horseskin or buckskin, mid-loins.

Slender. The thin strip of cowhide on the drum body connects to the drum surface and can be adjusted.

Pitch. The drum waist and lower part are engraved.

Pattern. Pattern.

Others are tied.

Streamers. The elephant's foot drum is often played in conjunction with gongs and cymbals, and is not played alone. There are also small and medium elephant foot drums. Performers.

You can dance and hit at the same time.

Whenever the sun sets, estimate the clan.

People. Colonial.

Borderland. Village, just "Knock!" Boom! Boom! The ground sounded with the sound of an elephant's foot drum.

Dai family bamboo building. The boys and girls went out of the house, and to the rhythmic beat of the drums, came to the wide field, like beautiful ones.

Peacock. Dance.

The elephant foot drum is. Dai.

Archaic. National musical instruments. Ming dynasty. Person.

Qian Guxun. Written ".

Baiyi. The book "Biography" says: The Dai people "take sheepskin as the one."

III.V. Long drums.

Pat it with your hands". The "three or five long drums" here refer to the elephant foot drum, and its length has the meaning of three to five feet. Visible in.

Ming dynasty. In the past, the Dai people already had elephant foot drums.

The elephant foot drum is a traditional folk percussion instrument of the Dai nationality, with a slender body, a large head and a thin waist, and a trumpet-shaped tail. When playing, the player often carries the drum strap on his shoulder and places the drum body on the left crotch to strike.

The elephant foot drum is a traditional folk percussion instrument of the Dai nationality, with a slender body, a large head and a thin waist, and a trumpet-shaped tail, and the whole is thick at both ends and thin in the middle.

Its height is generally 160 180 cm, and the tallest elephant foot drum is 200 cm high. The diameter is generally 28,332 cm, with the largest diameter being 38 cm. The resonant body with a cup-shaped tip is about 60 cm long, and the drum waist in the middle is about 100 cm long.

When playing, the player often carries the strap of the elephant foot drum on his shoulder, places the drum body on his left crotch, so that the drum face is facing forward, the tail of the drum is facing backwards, and the drum surface is higher than the tail of the drum, and then the long four fingers of the left hand are alternately patted on the drum surface. The right hand is often used to hit the drum face with a heavy blow and thrash it with a half-clenched fist.

The elephant's foot drum is a percussion instrument of the Dai people.

The elephant foot drum is deeply loved by the Dai family and is widely used in singing and dancing and Dai opera accompaniment, and the elephant foot drum is also loved by the Jingpo, Wa, Lisu, Lahu, Brown, Achang and Deang people, as well as the Kemu people, and is an indispensable musical instrument in the songs and dances of all ethnic groups.

The shape of the elephant foot drum resembles a delicate goblet, it is made of a whole section of wood, the whole body is hollow, the upper end is a cup-shaped resonance body, the drum surface is skinned, the drum skin is tightened with thin cowhide strips, tied to the lower part of the drum cavity, and its tension can be adjusted. The exterior of the drum body is painted, the waist of the drum and the lower part of the drum are carved with decorative patterns, and some are also tied with flower ribbons and colored balls on the drum body.

The legend of the elephant's foot drum:

The industrious and intelligent Dai people live in the southwest border of the motherland and live on the banks of the rich and beautiful Lancang River and Ruili River. Legend has it that a long time ago, there were herds of wild elephants in the Dai area, and a hunter brought home a stray baby elephant, which was domesticated and became a close companion, and the elephant could help people do all kinds of work, becoming a symbol of diligence and kindness.

One day, the hunter rode an elephant to hunt, and when he heard the wind blowing in the woods, he heard the sound of hollow dead trees buzzing, so he covered them with the leaves of imitation bamboo shoots and made a beautiful sound, and when he returned home, he used a mango tree to hollow out and make a drum. What does it look like? At this time, the steady pace of the elephant appeared in his mind, so he made an elephant foot drum in the shape of the elephant's legs.

It is said that when it is struck for the first time, a hundred birds dance when they hear the sound, and several peacocks dance the most happily. The Dai family recorded the peacock's dance posture and choreographed a beautiful peacock dance to express the people's wishes and ideals. The hunter imitated the elephant's movements, and danced while playing and dancing with the elephant's foot drum, creating an enthusiastic and bold elephant's foot drum.

The elephant's foot drum is a musical instrument of the Dai people, also known as Guangya or Guangtun. It is a slender instrument with thick ends and a thin middle. It is generally made of wood, hollow as a whole, painted on the outside, and decorated with patterns or floral ribbons, etc., and has a beautiful appearance.

To play, the player places it on the left side of the crotch and hits it with his fingers.

The elephant foot drum is also called Guangya, Guangtun, it is a percussion instrument of the Dai people, the shape is slender, the shape is similar to a goblet wine glass, and it is thick at both ends and thin in the middle.

The elephant's foot drum is made of wood, the whole is hollow, the drum body is painted on the outside, and it is often decorated. Some elephant foot drums are also tied with ribbons or colored balls to make them look more beautiful.

When playing, the player often carries the strap of the elephant foot drum on his shoulder, puts the drum body on his left crotch, and hits the drum with the index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger of his left hand.