Gudugudu is a traditional 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...

 used by the Yoruba

Yoruba people

The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...

 ethnic group of Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

. The gudugudu, being a member of the dundun

Dundun

Dundun may refer to;*The Yoruba talking drum*Dunun, dundun, doundoun or djun-djun, a family of West African bass drums* Dunedin, the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand...

 family of drums, is said to mimic speech. Some commentators think that the gudugudu drum is so melodic and danceable that it can sustain a melody without accompaniment. It can be seen and experienced in modern sekere

Sekere

This article is about the musical genre. For the musical instrument, see Shekere.Sekere is a type of traditional Yoruba musical genre that was pioneered and popularized by the one and only "king of sekere," the late Alhaji Alamu Atatalo from Ibadan, Nigeria...

, fuji

Fuji

-People:* Mr. Fuji, ring name of wrestling and manager Harry Fujiwara* Keiko Fuji, a Japanese singer of the 1960s and 1970s, and mother of Hikaru Utada* Sumiko Fuji, a Japanese actressFictional characters* Fuji , a character in the Stormwatch series...

, apala

Apala

Apala is a musical genre, originally derived from the Yoruba people of Nigeria.It is a percussion-based style that developed in the late 1930s, when it was used to wake worshippers after fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan...

 and possibly juju

Juju

A Juju is a supernatural power ascribed to an object.Juju may also refer to:-Geography:* Juju , one of seven districts on the island of Rotuma in Fiji* Juju , a village in the district of Juju on the island of Rotuma-Albums:...

cultural performances.

Design

The gudugudu drum is shaped like a bowl. It is round, small, and has a single animal skin drum head. The gudugudu is played with two thin and semi-flexible dried rolled sticks or "lashes" mad of cow skin (in its dried form commonly called "rawhide").