Glossary of Musical Instruments with Latin and African Origin

Bongo:  The bongos are a pair of small drums that each has a
different pitch to the other.  The bongos are played with you hands
rather than sticks.  They often stand up on their own accord.  They
are Afro-Cuban in origin and are used frequently in a lot of other
kinds of music.  One handy thing about the bongos is there
portability which makes them quite popular with drummers.
 
Castanets:   These are a percussion instrument that are used in
Spanish dance songs.  They are basically just two little wooden
clappers that are struck together.
 
Claves:  This just another version of castanets really.  The claves
are a Cuban clapper that is two hard wood sticks you strike
together.  They are used quite a lot in Latin-American music.
 
Cowbell:  This is a rectangle metal or iron bell that has quite a
distinct ring to it.  You've probably heard a cowbell before.  It's
heard widely across all genres of music but used frequently in
Latin-American music.  It's used a lot on modern drum kits also.
 
Entenga:  This is a drum that's tuned and originates from Uganda.
They were used by the royal drum ensemble of the former ruler of
Buganda.
 
Lamellophone: Sometimes called the Sanza.  This is a plucked
instrument originating from Africa.  It's made of a series of
flexible strips of uneven length of either metal or bamboo.  These
strips are fixed to a wooden plate or sound box.  You use your
fingers or thumbs to pluck the strips which create the sound,
 
Marimba:  This is a percussion instrument that is a lot like a
xylophone.  It's of African origin and is slightly mellower than
the xylophone.
 
Timbales:  This is a percussion instrument from Cuba.  It's a
single headed drum, it's quite shallow and is usually played in
pairs.  It's very popular in Latin-American music.
 
Xylophone:  The xylophone is a percussion instrument that's made up
of tuned wooden blocks that are laid out like a piano.  The
xylophone originates from Africa.  The blocks are struck with
mallets to make the sound.
 
Zither:  This is a family of instruments that have a sound box and
strings that are stretched over it.  They are usually plucked or
bowed.  There are a variety of different zithers in the world but
they are common in traditional music from Asia, Africa and Europe.

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