A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification.
Hornbostel-Sachs
The Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification divides membranophones in a numeric taxonomy based on how the sound is produced:
21: by hitting the drumskin with a hand or object (most common form, including the timpani and snare drum )
22: by pulling a knotted string attached to the drumskin (common in Indian drums, and can be considered an example of a chordophone as well)
23: by rubbing the drumskin with a hand or object (common in Irish traditional music, an example is the bodhran)
24: by modifying sounds through a vibrating membrane (unusual form, including the kazoo)
Shape and technique
Membranophones can also be divided into large divisions based on shape and manner of sound production:
Tubular drums include a wide range of drum shapes, like waisted, long, footed, cylindrical, conical and barrel
Mirlitons, Kazoos and Swazzles vibrate in sympathy with sounds travelling across a membrane. These are the only membranophones that are not truly drums.SIL International maintains a classification system based largely on shape :
Cylindrical drums are straight-sided, and generally two-headed. A buzzing, percussive string is sometimes used. Examples include the bass drum and the Iranian dohol.
Conical drums are sloped on the sides, and are usually one-headed. Examples include the Indian tabla and the Venezuelan chimbangueles.
Barrel drums are normally one-headed, and may be open at the bottom. They bulge in the middle.
