Pellet drums are a class of membranophone

Membranophone

A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification....

, or drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

, characterized by their construction and manner of playing. They have two heads (either a single double-headed drum or two hemispherical single-headed drums joined together with the heads facing outward), and two pellets, each connected by a cord to the drum. The damaru, which is used in Tibet, Mongolia, and India

Music of India

The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...

, is an hourglass drum

Hourglass drum

Hourglass drums are a sub-category of membranophone, or drum, characterized by an hourglass shape. They are also known as waisted drums...

 that is grasped by its waist and twisted back and forth, causing the pellets to strike the heads in a rhythmic fashion.^photo In China, Korea

Korean music

Traditional Korean music includes both the folk, vocal, religious and ritual music styles of the Korean people. Korean music, along with arts, painting, and sculpture has been practiced since prehistoric times....

, and Japan, pellet drums are affixed to or pierced by a vertical rod or pole, and, depending on the instrument's size, the rod or pole is twisted either with one or both hands or between the palms, causing the pellets to strike the heads in a similar manner.^photo

Pellet drums may be either hourglass shaped

Hourglass drum

Hourglass drums are a sub-category of membranophone, or drum, characterized by an hourglass shape. They are also known as waisted drums...

 or barrel shaped

Barrel drum

Barrel drums are a class of membranophone, or drum, characterized by a barrel-shape with a bulge in the middle. They are often one-headed and open at the bottom...

. In some cases, multiple drums are mounted on a single rod.^photo

Although pellet drums are often used in religious ritual (particularly Tibet, Mongolia, India, and Taiwan), small versions are also used in East Asia as children's toys or as noisemaker

Noisemaker

A noisemaker is something intended to make a loud noise, usually for fun. The word may refer to:* Air horn, a device composed of a pressurized air source coupled to a horn, designed to create an extremely loud noise...

s by street vendors. Such small versions are sometimes also referred to as rattle drums.

Varieties

• Damru (also spelled damaru) - used in Tibet, Mongolia, and India
• Den-den daiko
  Den-den daiko
  The den-den daiko is a Japanese pellet drum. It has two heads and is suspended on a rod, with beads or pellets hanging on threads on either sides of the body of the drum...
  
   (でんでん太鼓) - used as a children's toy in Japan
• Do (hangul: 도; hanja; 鼗) - a single barrel drum pierced by a pole; used in Korea^photo
• Nodo (hangul: 노도; hanja: 路鼗) - two barrel drums pierced by a pole; used in Korea^photo
• Noedo (hangul: 뇌도; hanja: 雷鼗) - three barrel drums pierced by a pole; used in Korea^photo
• Tao (鼗; pinyin: táo) or taogu (鼗鼓) or bolanggu (拨浪鼓) - used in Chinese ritual music^photo and as a children's toy or noisemaker used by street vendors
• Yeongdo (hangul: 노도; hanja: 靈鼗) - four barrel drums pierced by a pole; used in Korea^photo