Meropa drums is a set of Bapedi drums that are usually played in a set of four. Bapedi drums are reported to have played very important roles in the lives of Bapedi in communication and celebration.
“The playing technique of the drumming is organised such that first you have sekgokolo, the mother drum, which provides the rhythm, followed by the matikwane and then the pousene drums
The sekgokolo drum gives a low, deep-pitched sound (modumo o mogolo), while the matikwane drums have relatively lighter sounds (medungwana e menyane) and the pousene drum has a high pitch. The pousene drum supports the sekgokolo drum and the two-matikwane drums.
The sekgokolo drum provides the beat and rhythm for the entire performance. The cowhide used for the sekgokolo drum is not tightened but left a little loose before drying to facilitate a deep pitch or sound. A big empty steel drum is used to make the sekgokolo drum. In the past, special wood was used to produce indigenous drums that were used in different musical performances” (Masoga, 2017).
References:
Masoga, M.A., 2017. Critical reflections on selected local narratives of contextual South African indigenous knowledge. In Handbook of research on theoretical perspectives on indigenous knowledge systems in developing countries (pp. 310-331). IGI Global.
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