talking drum
A West African drum whose pitch can be altered during play to mimic the tones and rhythms of speech.
In Depth
The talking drum (dundun in Yoruba) is an hourglass-shaped drum held under the arm. Squeezing the tension cords with the arm changes the drumhead's pitch, allowing the player to produce a wide range of tones that mirror the tonal patterns of West African languages. Skilled players can transmit actual linguistic messages over distances. The talking drum has been used for centuries as both a musical instrument and a communication device across West Africa.
Talking drum messages could be relayed from village to village, covering distances of over 100 miles in just a few hours, centuries before the invention of the telegraph.