Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years. The name ‘World Drums’ encompasses much more than a single category (that’s why you’ll see links to other SWI pages here). The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells (Naker,  Nagada, Tasha Kettledrum). Other shapes include a frame design (Tar: see Frame Drums & Accessories, Bodhrán: see Bodhrans & Accessories), truncated cones (Bongo Drums: see Latin & Brazilian Style Instruments, and the Ashiko), goblet shaped (Djembe, Doumbek), and joined truncated cones (Talking Drum). Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with Timbales: see Latin & Brazilian Style Instruments), or can have two drumheads (Talking Drum, Mridangam, Davul, Pakhawaj, Khol, Djun-Djun, Naal, Dhol). Drums with two heads may also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads (Naker).

The Tabla is a familiar and time-honored Indian instrument used in the classical, popular and religious music of the Indian subcontinent. The main distinction of the tabla is the pairing of two different types of single-headed drums. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means "drum".

The African Slit Drum is made from a hollowed-out tree trunk and the Damroo is a small talking monkey drum. The Dholak is a classical North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese hand drum; it is a two-headed drum which is an extremely popular percussion instrument used in folk music and marriage ceremonies.

The Ghatam and Matka are both considered as Jug Drums. Although the ghatam is the same shape as an ordinary Indian domestic clay pot, it is made specifically to be played as an instrument. The artist uses the fingers, thumbs, palms and heels of the hands to strike the outer surface of the ghatam. An airy low-pitch bass sound, called gumki, is created by hitting the mouth of the pot with an open hand. Different tones can be produced by hitting different areas of the pot with different parts of the hands. The ghatam usually accompanies a mridangam.

In this category we present a variety of World Drums from select manufacturers, including Remo.  You'll love these cool drums for sale.  Remo Djembes are based on the same traditional Djembe tone and form combined with Remo's modern advances including a wide range of tuning systems, heads, finishes and sizes.  REMO'S key-tuned djembes have had great success as the most user friendly djembes in the world.  With features like portability, tunability, durability and playability it's no wonder why they have been the choice for thousands and thousands of professional and recreational drummers for years.  The key-tuned Djembes are the most popular of Remo's World Percussion instruments.  They're as widely used by touring professionals as they are in drum circles.  The high slaps and deep bass tones from our Remo Djembes are generated from the SKYNDEEP™,  FIBERSKYN® 3 or NUSKYN® drumheads and Acousticon®  drumshells.

Sound Shapes by Remo are a whole new direction for family and educational drumming that you can't afford to miss. Please check it out here at SWI!