The iya ilu, or mother drum, is considered the lead instrument in the ensemble. This instrument is considered the most important drum by the Yoruba, who call it iya, literally, "the mother." It is played in almost any situation that requires music, mimicking spoken Yoruba speech tones.

The largest of the hourglass drums is the iya ilu ( mother drum ). It is used chiefly as a talking drum. In performance, the drummer can alter the pitch of the instrument to correspond with the high, middle or low sounds of the Yoruba language.

Feb 20, 2013 · Its body is covered by two skins which are connected by leather strings, which allow the player to tweak its pitch by pressing the drum between his arm and body. A skilled player is able to...

To Ayan talking drummers, iya ilu laced and surrounded with "saworo" (a collection of small jingling bells) fixed around the neck is the real iya ilu. Any iya ilu without "saworo" (a collection of small jingle bells) is inferior and not real.

Iya’ilu (the mother drum) The iya’ilu is the lead drum and the largest of the set. Its dimensions measure between 19 and 21 inches in length and 28 to 34 inches in circumference. Only the mother drum is deco-rated with twelve to fifteen small metal bells called saworo, attached at the rim on the leath-er thongs, which produce added color to the

It has two drum heads connected by leather tension cords, which the Yoruba popularly call ‘osan-ilu’, which allows the player to modulate the pitch of the drum by squeezing the cords between...

This basic nuclear family is usually extended by multiplying the drums and players. So an extended dundun family could include 1 gudugudu, 6 isaju, 6 atele, and 6 iya ilu. There are often many more in a large ensemble.

the elder on the Iya-Ilu: the lead Dun-dun. The four Percussion players represent the young new generation of the family, playing repetitive parts and listening/learning the Proverbs.

Iya Ilu as its name implies is the Mother of All Talking Drums. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister’s drummer, Ayinde Gani Babalola [Professor] from Ila Orangun is one of the most popular drummers with proficiency when it comes to handling Iya Ilu.

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