Ekwe – The Wooden Gong
Ekwe is an Igbo traditional musical instrument. It is a type of drum with rectangular cavity ‘slits’ in the hollowed out wooden interior. Made out of wood and most commonly a tree trunk, Ekwe is an extremely resonant, incredibly rich and deep tonal log drum made from the best wood in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria.
The Ekwe is carved from padauk wood, a naturally reddish-orangish color wood, which gradually fades to rust brown as it ages. This wood has a quality to resist insect damage and is a great musical instrument wood for mid-tone instruments.
Some Ekwes have a leather strap fastened end-to-end to make carrying it easier. Others have handles fitted to them using wood or rope.
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Available in a wide variety of sizes; these unique two-note instruments sound amazing when played together as a set. Each Ekwe is sold with a thick coating of shea butter in order to help lubricate and preserve the wood.
Larger ekwes produce deep bass tones, the playing technique is fairly gentle, smaller sizes sharper pitched and more spirited playing.
The true design ingenuity appears in how the Ekwe is constructed. To think of the time and patience required to hollow out, smooth, and measure rectangles from a log is astonishing.
To play the Ekwe, the artist will need to use sticks. These were traditionally created using wood. It can also be played by hand but would require endurance and a high pain threshold to beat a wooden drum hard enough to echo sound.
Being a percussion instrument, the Ekwe is mostly used as a type of talking drum for communicating with others at long distances. It is also used to communicate during hunting expeditions, battles, or simply to tell stories during celebrations. Ekwe players use different rhythms for different purposes, from celebrations to emergencies.
Today, artists still use the Ekwe to make beautiful music and to celebrate the history of the Igbo people. Many musicians who play the Ekwe instrument usually customize the instrument in a unique, colourful and decorative manner that represents our rich culture.