Skip to content
Musical instrument, Drum, Chinese tom tom

Musical instrument, Drum, Chinese tom tom

Shared by
Te Hikoi Museum

A Chinese tack head, tom tom drum. We were fortunate to have Professor Henry Johnson from the University of Otago, Department of Music, inspect this drum on 8 October 2021 as part of his research into the history of Chinese music in New Zealand. Here are his notes: ''This is a double-headed frame drum with pig-skin heads tacked around the wooden body on both sides. There is a small hole in one skin due to damage. The drum’s body is made of several pieces of wood that have been joined together, which help form a slight barrel shape. Inside the drum, there is a metal spring device that rattles when the drum is played. This type of drum is from China (particularly southern China and from Guangdong Province – Canton) and was known especially in the Western world during the development of the early drum kit in the early decades of the 20th century (especially the 1920s). Western drum manufacturers in the United States of America and Europe would import the drums from China for use in the early 'trap' set, which would usually include an array of other sound-producing devices (Chinese cymbals and Chinese temple blocks were also used). Such drum kits were used in early jazz, and also in theatre and silent film, where their various instruments helped provide numerous sound-effects. With jazz, this type of drum was gradually replaced by Western-made drums, at first with an upper tuneable head and later with both heads tuneable. At the same time, the drum’s body became tubular, rather than the shallow barrel shape of the Chinese drum. In China, there are several names for the drum, such as biǎngǔ (‘flat/shallow drum’). In the West, this drum is known by other names, including Chinese tom and chee-foo tom (amongst several other spellings). The drum has brightly coloured pictorial decoration painted on both skins, all of which has an auspicious meaning. On one side, there is a dragon with its mouth wide open and body spreading around part of the drum skin in the clouds, and with a lion in the centre of the skin, also with its mouth wide open. On the other side, there is an image of another Chinese mythical creature, the phoenix. Above the phoenix’s head, there is a Chinese ideograph for the “sun/day” with cloud decoration all around.' This drum may be related to the settlement of Chinese miners at the Round Hill Gold Mine in Western Southland.

Ngā whakamārama -
Details

Kei hea tēnei taonga? -
Where is this item held?

Te Hikoi Museum

Whare taonga | Organisation

Te Hikoi Museum

Ngā here ki runga i ngā whakaahua o tēnei taonga? -
What can you do with images of this item?

  • You must check with Te Hikoi Museum to confirm terms of use and any attribution requirements, but this is our understanding:

  • Use for private study, research, criticism, review, or education

    NZ Copyright law allows for the use of copyrighted works in specific circumstances. Consider what you can do under copyright law.

  • Share

    You can share this image without further permission.

  • Modify or remix

    You can modify, remix or add to this image without further permission.

  • Text adapted with permission from Te Papa and Digital NZ

Tāpirihia he kōrero anō -
Improve this record

  • Can you help us? Share names, details and stories to help enrich the collection.

    Contact contributor