Friction Drum - Regional Use in Folk Music

Regional Use in Folk Music

• Belgium: rommelpot
• Brazil: cuíca, In Brazil it is primarily used in Rio de Janeiro-style Carnival samba. A stick is attached to the centre of the membrane and protrudes into the inside of the sound box, which is an open-ended cylinder. The player reaches inside the sound box from the other end to rub the stick.
• Denmark In Denmark it is known as rummelpot or rumlepot. In some parts of Denmark, e.g. in Southern Jutland, it was tradition, that masked children go from house to house on New Year’s Eve singing songs to the rhythmic accompaniment of the rummelpot. People then give æbleskiver, sweets or fruits to the group.
• France: Tambour à friction, and local names (Brau, bramadèra, brama-topin, petador, pinhaton in the South).
• Germany In Germany it is known as a Brummtopf or Rummelpott. On New Year’s Eve there is a tradition in North Germany in which masked children with homemade instruments including Rummelpott go from house to house singing special Rummelpott songs in Low German. People then give sweets or fruits to the group. Adults go out later that evening and typically receive shots of schnapps.
• Hungary: köcsögduda (jughorn or jugpipe), especially used in zither orchestras. Leather or parchment is tightened over the top of a large terracotta or wooden jug. A reed or length of horsehair is fastened to the cover and rubbed with a wet hand.
• Italy: caccavella or putipù, also known by many other names. The body may be an earthenware pot, a wooden tub or a tin can, with a length of bamboo pierced through an animal skin membrane and rubbed.
• Malta: iz-zafzafa or iz-rumbaba. The membrane is of cat or goat stomach stretched over a tin and pierced in the centre by a long bamboo reed which is rubbed with a wet sponge or cloth.
• Netherlands: foekepot or rommelpot. The syllable “foek” is probably meant to be onomatopoeic. It is rubbed with a rosined stick. In some parts of the Netherlands, e.g. on the island IJsselmonde, it was tradition, until the 1950s, to go from house to house on New Year's Eve singing songs to the rhythmic accompaniment of the rommelpot. This tradition is still maintained in North Holland on the feast of St. Martin. In Brabant rommelpot can also refer to the dance which is accompanied by the instrument.
• Portugal: sarronca
• Romania: buhai (‘ox’), made of a wooden tub or bucket open at both ends with an animal skin tightened on top pierced in the middle for a horsehair "ox tail". This is rubbed with a wet hand. It is traditionally used in New Year's ritual plugușorul (‘the little plough’) where it reproduces the sound of oxen mooing when pulling the plough.

• Spain: zambomba. This friction drum can be made from a variety of materials and rubbed either with a rod or with rope. It is particularly associated with Christmas when it used to accompany the singing of carols.
• Ukraine:buhay (Ukrainian: бугай) ( also known as a Bugai, Buhai, Berebenytsia, Bika, Buga, Bochka). The Buhay was traditionally used as part in New Year's and Christmas rituals. It is used in works by the Ukrainian folk instruments orchestra. Local variants can also be found in Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Lithuania.
• Venezuela: The furruco is used in Zulian traditional music such as parranda and gaita.
• Colombia: zambumbia
• Mexico: arcusa, bote del diablo or tigrera
• Cuba: ékue