DRUMS OF SRI LANKA by Piyasara Shilpadhipathi Sri Lanka has been having many types of drums in use from ancient times and reference to these are found in some of the classical literature ex: Poojawaliya, Thupavansaya, Dalada Siritha etc. Although there had been about 33 types of drums to day we find only about 10 and the rest are confined only to names. Drums in use today are: 1. Gete Bera (Bera = Drum) 2. Yak Bera 3. Davula 4. Thammattama 5. Udakkiya 6. Dakkiya 7. Bummadiya 8. Hand Rabana 9. Bench Rabana 10. Dandu Beraya The Sri Lankan Drum Tradition is believed to go as far back as 2,500 years. An examination of the village society in olden times would reveal that drums were used on special occasions during the lifespan of people, from their birth to the death. Drums which were originally used for pleasure and later for rituals came to be used in the Buddhist Temples for the many ceremonies. At a later stage Drums were also used as a means of communication. The Davula, Thammattama and the Bench Rabana have an important place in matters of communication. Some of these functions are 1. Ana Bera – to inform the people about orders from the King 2. Bada Bera – Drums played when a criminal is taken for beheading 3. Mala Bera – Drums used in a funeral procession 4. Rana Bera – Drums used by the army when going out to meet the enemy Gete Bera – This is the main drum used to accompany dancers in the Kandyan or the Hill Country tradition. This drum is turned out of wood from the Ehela, Kohomba or Koss tree. The drum tapers towards the ends on the right side, the opening is covered with the skin of a monkey while the opening on the other side is covered with cattle skin. The strings that are used to tighten the sides are from a deer skin. A student who begins his training in use of the Gete Bera has to practise 12 elementary exercises. Yak Bera – This drum is referred to by many names among which are the Ruhunu Bera, Devol Bera and Ghoskaya. This drum normally accompanies the dancers from the low country, especially the mask dancing connected with rituals and the folk play Kolum. The drum is turned out of wood taken from the Kohmba, Ehela, Kitul or Milla trees. This is a cylindrical drum, fairly long and is played on both sides with hands. The openings on the two sides of the drum are covered with the stomach lining of a cow. The strings used to tighten the sides are from cattle skin. A student has 12 elementary exercises to learn to play this drum. Davula – This is a drum used in most of the Buddhist ceremonies used all over the island. This drum is cylindrical, but much shorter than the Yak Bera. An important feature of this drum is that one side is played with the hand while the other side is played with a stick. The sides are covers with cattle skin and the tightening is done with a string made specially for the purpose. There are also 12 elementary exercises to be followed by a person learning to use the drum. Thammattama – This is also referred to as Twin Drum. This drum is used with two sticks. The two drums are of different sizes and while the right one produces a louder sound, the left one produces a looser sound. The drums which have only the top side, are covered either with the skin of the cow or a buffalo. The wood used is from Koss, Kohomba and Milla trees. They use special sticks to play drums and the wood is from a creeper known as Kirindi. Udakkiya- The smallest drum among the local drums is the Udakkiya. This is played with one hand and the sound is controlled by pressure on the strings. The drum is like the hour glass and is made out of wood from Ehela, Milla and Suriya trees. The drum is painted with lacquer. The openings are covered with skin from the iguana, monkey or goat. Dakkiya – This is similar to the Udakkiya, but bigger. This is used mainly for rituals. The drum is hung on the shoulder of the player and the sound is controlled by a applying pressure on the strings. Bummadiya – This is the only drum turned out of clay. The single opening is covered with the skin of goat, monkey or iguana. The drum is hung on the shoulder of the player and it is played with both hands. During harvesting, people could be seen playing this drum accompanied by singing. The drum is in the shape of a pot. Hand Rabana – Rabana is about one foot in diameter and is turned out of wood from Kosd and Milla. The skin used is that of a goat. Some performers keep revolving the Rabana on the tip of their fingers while others play it accompanied with singing. This is played with one hand only. Bench Rabana –This is the biggest of the drums used in Sri Lanka. The special feature of this drum is that it is played at a time by two or more people. They use both hands. This drum is commonly used for New Year festivals and there are many special rhythms played on them. It is mostly played by women.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 01:30:27 +0000
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