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 e.g.
"Pujawaliya", "Thupawansaya", "Dalada Siritha"
etc. Although there had been about 33 types of drums, today we find only about
ten and the rest are confined only to names. The Sri Lankan Drum Tradition is
believed to go as far back as 2500 years.
Contents
Origin
An examination of the village society in
olden times would reveal that drums were used on special occasions during the
life span 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.
1.
Ana Bera - to inform the people about
orders from the King.
2.
Vada 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.
5.
Variety
Drums in use today include: Geta Bera (Bera
Drum), Yak Bera, Davula, Thammattama, Udakkiya, Dakkiya, Bummadiya, Hand
Rabana, Bench Rabana, and Dandu Beraya.
Geta Bera
This is the main drum used to accompany
dances in the Kandyan or the Hill
Country tradition. This drum is turned out of wood from Ehela, Kohomba or Kos
tree. The drum tapers towards the ends and on the right side, the opening is
covered with the skin of a monkey while the
opening on the other side is covered with a cattle skin. The strings that are used tighten the
sides are from a deer skin. A student who begins his
training in the use of the Geta Bera has to practice twelve 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 dances from the low
country, especially the mask dancing connected with rituals and the folk play Kolam.
The drum is turned out of wood taken from the Kohomba, 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 twelve elementary exercises to learn to play this drum.
Davula
This drum is used in most of the Buddhist ceremonies 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 covered with cattle skin and the
tightening is done with a string made specially for the purpose. These are also
twelve elementary exercises to be followed by a person learning to use the
drum.
Thammattama
This is also referred to as the Twin
Drum. This drum is played 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 (and deeper) sound. The drums which have only the top side covered
either with the skin of the cow or a buffalo. The wood used is from Kos, Kohomba
and Milla trees. They used special sticks to play drums and the wood is from a
creeper known as Kirindi.
Udakkiya This instrument is about
1 feet in length and is shaped like a sand clock. Udakkiya is made by carving
either the suriya orahala timber into two
apertures. These apertures are then bound tightly with the leather of the
monkey or the iguana and both the sides are connected with tightly stretched
twine. Udakkiya is played with two sticks called walayan. The pitch
of the sound can be changed by applying pressure on the twine with a bound
cloth.
Dakkiya
This is similar to the Udekkiya, but
bigger. This is used mainly for rituals. The drum is hung on the shoulder of
the player and the sound is controlled by applying pressure on the strings.
Bummadiya
This is the only drum turn 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
turn out of wood from Kos 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.
