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Name: Kagan Geographic Region: Africa Country of origin: Ghana Climatic type: Mainly tropical. Classification: Membranophone Definition: Slender single-headed barrel-shaped drum played with two thin sticks Material: SvH No.: 211.22 |
Physical Description The kagan is the smallest drum in the Eve ensemble. (Ladzekpo) It is constructed of wood, either as one solid carved piece, still convenient in the case of the kagan due to its small size or, in recent times, of wooden slats bound by metal rings. The wood used for the barrel drums, a light mahogany native to West Africa, is known as logo in Eve. (Galeota 1985: 59) The drum is approximately twenty inches tall with a head five to six inches in diameter.(Pantaleoni 1972: 57) The middle of the drum expands to nine inches. (Ladzekpo) The open bottom is five to six inches wide. (Ladzekpo)
History Modern construction of this drum and others like it is similar to the construction of wooden barrels. Because of the small size of the kagan, these drums are still often carved from solid tree trunks. However the scarcity of trees for this purpose sometimes makes it more efficient to use wooden slats bound by metal rings. (Pantaleoni 1971: 46) Early drums of this type were actually made from used commercial barrels. Laurance Mensaga Nutakor, a drum maker from Abor, born 1911, is reputed to be the first to make a barrel drum from raw materials. (Galeota 1985: 30) Tuning The kagan plays the highest pitches in the Eve drum ensemble. Proper tuning is achieved one of two ways. In dry conditions, the drum is sometimes turned upside down and filled with water, and the planks allowed to absorb up the moisture. The expansion of the wood tightens the pegs in their sockets, thus pulling the drum head taut. (Galeota 1985: 03) A more common technique is to drive the wooden pegs farther into their sockets, achieving the same purpose. Technique The kagan is tipped forward to allow the bottom to be open and held diagonally between the legs when played. It is played with two flexible sticks. (Ladzekpo) Rebounding strokes are used, creating the syllable, de. (Locke 1979: 358) The kagan's characteristic offbeat rhythmic pattern serves as a motor to drive the music's polyrhythmic structure. (Galeota 1985: 09) Notation The music of the Eve drum ensemble is transmitted almost exclusively aurally. The vocables, however, are similar to notation in that they serve as a tool for learning and remembering rhythms and patterns. Context The kagan plays a consistent offbeat ostinato rhythm in the drum ensemble of the Eve, driving the polyrhythmic structure of the music. (Galeota 1985: 09) The Eve live between the Volta and Mono rivers in West Africa, in what is now Ghana and Togo. (Locke 1979: 01) The Eve have migrated to these areas from Benin and Western Nigeria Since the 16th century (Locke 1979:01) References Galeota, Joseph. 1985. "Drum Making Among the Southern Eve People of Ghana and Togo." M.A. thesis, Wesleyan University.
Last Modified: 05-May-2005 TOP |
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