The high-pitched sound of the *ōtsuzumi *is created from very dry drum skins.
Musicians in Noh theater sit on the side of the stage, along with the chorus. Left to right: taiko, ōtsuzumi (hip drum), kotsuzumi (shoulder drum), flute.
An *ōtsuzumi *drum is assembled before every performance, and taken apart afterwards. This is how the core is wrapped. The skin of an *ōtsuzumi *drum must be kept very dry. The skins are often left to dry near a hibachi, a traditional Japanese furnace, for an hour before a performance.
The process of assembling an ōtsuzumi.
The process of assembling an ōtsuzumi.
The *ōtsuzumi *is the larger of the two Noh drums, the kotsuzumi is the smaller. They look remarkably similar but have drastically different sounds. The ōtsuzumi actually creates the higher pitched sounds due to the fact that the animal skins that form the drum surface are kept very dry. The kotsuzumi skins are kept damp and therefore produce lower sounds. The kotsuzumi is played on the shoulder rather than the hip.