Tan Tan

A tan-tan is a cylindrical hand drum from Brazil that is used in small samba and pagode ensembles. It imitates the big Surdo which is played by the famous samba baterias (percussion ensembles). But due to its smaller size the tan tan is not as loud as a surdo and so it is played rarely in big samba schools.

The tan-tan is played in a sitting or standing position by one hand beating the drum head whilst the other hand taps the metal or wood body of the drum.

A single-skinned cylindrical drum, tantan is used in Brazil mainly in a style of music called pagoda. The tantan drum is made of metal (aluminium) or wood and is 35 cm in diameter and 70 cm high. This percussion is played by hitting both the skin and the body. The sound of the tantan is muted and deep. It is used as a hand surdo.