The main characteristics of the Yandun drum are divided into drum sound characteristics and sending characteristics.

Drum sound characteristics

Generally speaking, the drum sound of Yandun Dagu can be divided into the drum sound of the northern village, the southern village and the middle village. The sound is also divided according to these three distribution parts, which are divided into three tones: high, medium and low. The villages in the north are high-pitched drum tune areas, mainly including Dengtang and Liujia in Yandun and Liutan and Guliao in nearby Pingnan Town. The sound, like thunder, became clearer and more melodious in the accompaniment of gongs and cymbals. The locals call it the crisp drum. The tenor drum tune area is mainly distributed in the four natural villages of Lecai, Dengjia, Datang and Situ of Dengtang Village in Yandun Zhuang Nationality Area. After the drum is opened, the sound of the drum gradually changes from "slowly" to "boom-boom". When the drum beats to a certain level, its sound is sonorous and melodious, with the feeling of being alone among the cranes. The bass drum tune area is mainly distributed in most villages such as Shidui, Fengshan, Liufeng, Maozhen, Changlu, Nahe, Jiaping, Sanlian and Yandun in the south and middle of Yandun. After entering the drum, the sound of the drum changes into a "stupid" sound, and gradually progresses to the sound of "bang bang bang". When it reaches a certain level, the sound is like thunder, and the ground shakes. No matter what kind of sound the Yandun drum is, it is accompanied by gongs and cymbals. When accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs and cymbals, the sound of the drums is like rolling thunder and deafening.

Playing Features

The playing method of Yandun drum is also very particular. The playing methods of Yandun drum can be divided into four types: open drum, formal drumming, rolling drum, and closing drum.

The first is to start the drums: start the drums first, the gongs and cymbals follow, "chasing, singing," "singing, singing, singing"... The drum and the gongs and cymbals cooperate with each other, the drums are slow, and the gongs and cymbals are also slow, The drums are fast, and the gongs and cymbals are also fast. When the left and right hands are beating the drum, the drums should follow the gongs and cymbals, and the drums will go from slow to fast to enter the official drum beat. Empty, vibrating the feeling of the heart. With the combination of drums and gongs and cymbals, when the gongs, cymbals and drums are loud, it gradually enters the official drumming.

The second type of formal drumming: the big drum is beaten continuously after the drum is opened. As the saying goes, "beat the drum and watch the hammer". The three kinds of drums with different drum sounds, from slow to fast, gradually enter the formal drumming with the accompaniment of gongs and cymbals. At this time, the drum has reached its climax, and the sound spreads from near to far. When the sound is heard, the ground is shaken and the mountains are shaken. If the same drum team plays the drums together, the rhythm is uniform and majestic. When the drumming is the most intense, it will enter the drumming (promoting drum) with a slight change.

The third way of playing is called drum drumming (promoting drums): when drumming reaches a certain time, in order to raise the spirit of drumming, it will enter drum drumming (promoting drums). Roll the drum slowly, the sound is the best. Generally, the drum is rolled before the drum is turned on. The drum is to increase the speed of the drum and reduce the intensity of the drumming. The rhythm cannot be stopped. Before the drum roll, the team members shouted: " One, two, three" sound, accompanied by rhythm, and then complete the drum roll (promoting drum) action logically. You can also roll the drum from the melody of the drum, and roll the drum every 3-5 minutes.

The fourth is to close the drum：The closing drum is behind the rolling drum. When the rolling drum reaches its climax and is about to enter the end of the drumming, the drum is closed. When the drum is closed, after the rolling drum action is completed, the gong and cymbal will follow, and the gong and cymbal will follow. From the beginning to the end of the drum beat, one must follow the sound of the drum.

In addition to the above points in the same drum sound and playing method, Yandun drums are scattered in various villages, and the drumming methods differ from one village to another. The drum sound of Yandun Big Drum is quite special and rare. On the surface, the drum barrel is bulky and unsightly, but the workmanship is fine. The playing method is also exquisite. From opening the drum to closing the drum, each program is free of luck and flexible. Although there is no complete drum score, the drum method varies from village to village. When each village is playing the big drum, they are fighting each other. During the process, after debugging by the drummer and the accompaniment of gongs and cymbals, the sound of the drums and the style of play were integrated, and the vibrating sound of the big drum was loud and shocking, and the appeal was particularly powerful.