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African drums play a large part in African music. Most African music is dependent on drum playing. African music is typified by a playing style that is intensely rhythmic.

This upbeat and fast-paced rhythmic style can be heard in many of the drum playing of most African tribes. This can be observed to be especially true of the Western African tribes. There are music styles that are not so dependent on drums, though, like Township music in South Africa.

Drums are used not only in dance and entertainment. The daily routines of local communities are highly influenced by the use of drums. They are used to communicate and to express their culture.

African drumming has a fast intricately multilayered composition of rhythms.

Drummers have the ability to play simultaneously using separate rhythmic beats that collide, but the main beats manage to never correspond. This is a fantastic exploit of African drums, because two drummers normally perform at the same time, at times more than three plays. The music will progressively become more convoluted with hand claps and song added into the music.

One drum standing out from the others, functions as the lead drum or vocal. Each drum with its own rhythm plays a part, making a contribution. All of these parts play together to create a varied sound that makes African drumming such a unique form of beats and rhythm.

Some of the popular drums of African are the djembe, atumpan, entenga, and ingungu. The djembe is typically made of wood and in the shape a goblet. The atumpan is called Ghanas talking drum.

The atumpan drummer plays it standing up using two sticks in the shape of the letter L. The entenga drum chimes of Uganda is a set of tuned African drums that play melodies derived vocally. The ingungu drum is used in the nobility rites of Zulu girls.

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