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Can You Identify This Strange Instrument?


DemonicCupcake

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So, last summer, I purchased this strange instrument on a whim. I found it at a flea market. It is hand carved, hand painted, and was made with a real hide, with fur still on it. It is a tall, thin drum, the whole thing is hand crafted and just under a foot long. Down the middle inside, and just poking through the top of the exterior drum, is a stick. The closest thing I have found, is a cuica, but even then, they are all very modern and kind of different than this. I have not been able to find a single thing quite like this, and was looking to see if anybody knew anything about this instrument. Thank you!

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Edited by DemonicCupcake
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Identified. Its a drum!

If you can separate your images and google image search them, that is a useful way to find similar, or just separate them and repost here

eta: The stripes could represent a country's flag...

.

Edited by seeder
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Looks to be a type of friction drum, but it looks inverted, like the stick is going the wrong way. You'd take a resin block or wet hand and rub along the stick to make a roar or a cluck.

Edited by RedSquirrel
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It is indeed a type of cuica....a friction drum. Known as a Rommelpot in Europe, France as a Tambour a Friction, in South America as a furruco or zambumbia....etc. Various types were quite a common feature in 16th.Cent. European music.

Edited by ealdwita
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I agree with you it is a Cuica, played by finger friction on the central stick (not a drum to bang). However, given the red white and blue detailing on the outside it does look like a tourist souvenir from Brazil, and the goatskin "sounding skin" does not look taught enough to resonate

Here is a youtube link to an aggravating man playing one :innocent: :

Edited by keithisco
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It looks African (or Caribbean)...

Wow... four of posted within a minute!...

Edited by Taun
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@Seeder It's not a normal drum, though. That is what I am trying to figure out, what variety it is. Cuica is a type of drum, but doesn't appear to be quite the type I have. And I have tried that, it did not help me. I have tried to scour the internet, and turned up nothing definite, that is why I have posted here.

Edited by DemonicCupcake
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Reminds me of a drum I have seen on one of the French Indies (either Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin or St. Bart's). It looks to have the French colors on it too. Very cool. Can you play it?

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Wow, you did all post at the same time! Thank you for the information! Yeah, it probably is a tourist item from Brazil. Trying to price this thing out for our antique store isn't easy!

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Reminds me of a drum I have seen on one of the French Indies (either Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin or St. Bart's). It looks to have the French colors on it too. Very cool. Can you play it?

I CAN TRY!

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Wow, you did all post at the same time! Thank you for the information! Yeah, it probably is a tourist item from Brazil. Trying to price this thing out for our antique store isn't easy!

maybe you can check ebay for similar and prices?

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If I had to guess, a culture that used a bongo style drum learned of the friction style (likely Peruvian),thought it was cool, so they added it to a traditional drum. Cultural amalgamation happens a lot in the Americas, and white people* just love a "traditional instrument" even when it won't play. The local tribe in my area sells Peruvian ocarinas and they didn't have ocarinas traditionally.

*Citation, I'm a white person and yes, I have seen hundreds of these useless clay ocarinas sell.

Edited by RedSquirrel
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maybe you can check ebay for similar and prices?

When I first looked it up I ended up on an ebay listing for a similar one for like $30 USD. I can't find the listing again now :/ Oh well...all the brass or metal ones were priced a lot higher.
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When I first looked it up I ended up on an ebay listing for a similar one for like $30 USD. I can't find the listing again now :/ Oh well...all the brass or metal ones were priced a lot higher.

That's weird, I've been looking on eBay and can't find it!!! Oh well, I'll have to keep searching to find it!

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I agree with you it is a Cuica, played by finger friction on the central stick (not a drum to bang). However, given the red white and blue detailing on the outside it does look like a tourist souvenir from Brazil, and the goatskin "sounding skin" does not look taught enough to resonate

Here is a youtube link to an aggravating man playing one :innocent: :

That thing makes unexpected sound :D It would break any depression :su Reminds me of one old cartoon, Ewoks TV series.

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