Description
The udu drum is a clay vessel percussion instrument, and this Professional Udu Drum n.1 is hand-built from fired natural clay for a deep, breathing bass. The voice comes from the shape of the hollow chamber and the large opening on its side — strike and release that hole and the drum answers with the soft, low tone that gives the udu its “water drum” name.
Sound & Playing
The udu speaks in two voices at once. Cupping and releasing the side hole moves the air inside the chamber for the deep bass note, while fingertips tapped across the body add bright, ringing tones and rhythmic accents. Fired clay gives a warm, dry attack and a quick decay — a natural, uncompressed sound that suits hand percussion, acoustic ensembles, studio recording, and ambient or sound-healing practice. There is no head to tension and no tuning to maintain.
Handmade in Izmir
Each shell is shaped by hand by Ahmet Tashomcu at the Tapadum workshop in Izmir. Because the internal geometry — the curve of the chamber and the placement of the side opening — is formed by hand, no two drums sound exactly alike, and the natural clay body carries a tone no synthetic shell reproduces.
Who It’s For
The udu suits both first-time players and seasoned percussionists: there is nothing to tune, and each drum ships with playing tips to get you started. It sits in our udu drum range within the wider percussions collection, alongside the workshop’s clay darbukas and frame drums.
