Ancient Indians made 'rock music' Archaeologists have rediscovered a huge rock art site in southern India where ancient people used boulders to make musical sounds in rituals.

The tabret, timbrel, and tambourine all share the same roots and history, but really are different musical instruments. The tabret first appears in scripture at least 250 years before the timbrel, and they both are mentioned in scripture several times in the Old Testament over a period of some 1100 years (from Genesis to Jeremiah and Ezekiel). The ancient timbrel then continued to be used and years later developed into the as we know it today as the tambourine. Over the past hundred years the timbrel/tambourine has again been brought to use in our worship and praise services and continues to be used in our current day world.  The symbolic tabret we wave to the Lord today is itself a powerful instrument of praise and worship. 

  In the Music program as well we use drums. All the programs you can incorporate the drums or percussion instruments including the Vacation Bible School program. In relationship to the great flood we like to use the Rain stick as a craft activity in the introduction to Noah one of our Bible hereo's, sin, and God's promise.  

NOTE: The rain stick is used for a fun activity as it is not a biblical musical instrument or mentioned in the Bible.  You can use different size plastic bottles to create unique rain type sounds. The children let the seeds, gravel, or items you choose to place inside the bottle for the sound of the rain.  Tilting from side to side the internal placed item moves down over the bottle and sounds like the gentle rain falling.   

 You can craft a 'rain stick' for the youth in the Circle of Life Youth Program as pictured below. One might think that drums are not used in the Bible? However a bit of a search in a few different translations shows the term hand-drum used to translate the Hebrew word toph in Exodus 15:20 as one of the instruments used to accompany Miriams psalm. Most versions however translate it as a timbrel. Now regardless - whatever this tof instrument was - it was a skin stretched over a ring or box of some kind that you beat! The bible drum is the Tof (Hebrew), which modern translators mostly call a tambourine. The Tof is simply and more accurately a frame drum. It has no jingles and is named after its sound. The ancient scriptures give authority for the drummer to strike the drum in celebration (1 Chron 13:8), in praise (Ps 150:4), in worship (Ps 68:25), for prophecy (1 Sam 10:5, 6), for healing (Ps 81:2-7), and in declaration of the Lords sovereignty.[Below are some more scriptures that support drums and percussion instruments in the Bible.]

It seems more that the origins of the rainstick as a musical instrument is the stick or tubular rattle. Researchers at the turn of the century describe tubular rattles very similar to the rainstick which were made and used by the Cuna of Panama; the Colorado of Ecuador; the Macush, Uachmiri, and Yauapery of northern Amazonia; and the Huichol of northern Mexico. There are also wooden stick rattles filled with seeds or pebbles found archaeologically along the coast of Peru, but it is not clear whether these date from the Inca period or earlier (6000 B.C. - A.D. 1500).

We also like to make shakers [Rattles] using water bottles without the handles. For the Circle of Life Youth Program we make 'rain sticks'. The craft is very simple. We drill the cap, place a washer and screen through it and into a wooden larger wooden dowel rod. We then allow the youth to paint the handle and we drill a hole in the handle so they can tie ribbons through it according to biblical colors. In our programs we teach the children about WATER and the older youth like the rain type stick. Since a rain stick is not a biblical musical instrument we craft them in the Youth program. The plain shaker we use in the Music program without a handle, just a plain old water bottle.

Brief History of the Drum

The concept of the drum is probably as old as intelligent man. The idea of banging on something to make noise is second nature to us. But when exactly did the drum become an instrument? How old is the concept of the drum as an instrument? Read this article to learn of the history and structure of the drum.

A drum is a membranophone, or an instrument that is played by beating on a stretched membrane. It consists of a body, or a hollowed-out piece, a membrane, or a piece of animal skin or synthetic material placed over the top tuning pegs, or pegs placed into the sides of the membrane to tighten or release the pressure on the membrane (and affect the sound), and the striking object, usually a stick of some sort. It produces vibrations like the gif below.

While most people may think that a sound is produced in the body of the drum, sound is actually produced by the membrane and its vibration. Sound can be changed by the amount of tension in the membrane, or by how tightly it is stretched over the body of the drum. The oldest drums were probably hollowed sections of tree trunks, with a piece of animal skin over the top. Gourds are other hollow vegetables and fruits are also prime candidates for early drums. Today, drums can be made of everything from plastic to basic metal, and some even exist in iron, bronze and steel.

Drums were not always used for music. In Africa, where music is simply an interpretation of everyday life in sound, drums were used as speech. Simply a pattern of beats played in a certain way could communicate vast amounts of information. Drums are also used for many religious purposes. In certain parts of Africa, drums are venerated, and also given entities and gender. It is not uncommon for the people of these places to refer to drums as male, and give them sacred names. Women in some parts must treat drums with the same respect that they would give the male body, and in some rare historical cases, African women were killed simply for touching these instruments. Therefore, the history of the drum has evolved from one of religious use and interpretation to musical accompaniment and creation.

Here is a few Scriptures about percussion in the Bible.

Genesis 31:27
The tambourine is mentioned here. When we look at the actual reference in the original text, we see the word tof, which is a Hebrew frame drum similar to todays tambourine. The instrument mentioned in this scripture was not strictly a tambourine in the modern sense of the word.

Exodus 15:20
Tambourines (frame drums) used for praise, thankfulness and dancing.

Judges 11:34
Another reference to the tambourine and dancing albeit in rather sad circumstances.

1 Samuel 18:1-6
Joyful songs, tambourines and lutes used for praise after battle.

1 Samuel 10:5-6
A whole host of instruments being used in prophecy. The frame drum is one of them.

2 Samuel 6:5
Instruments being used in celebration.

1 Chronicles 13:8
The moving of the Ark. People celebrating with all their might. Notice all the different instruments being used in praise. Even frame drums!

Job 21:12
Singing with tambourines and harps. [Back to top of page]

Psalms 68:24-26
Tambourines in praise.

Psalms 81:2
I like the start of this one: Begin the music, strike the tambourine

Psalms 149:3
Making music with the tambourine (tof) and harp. A Psalm of praise.

Psalms 150:3-6
The clash of cymbals! Resounding cymbals! This definitely a drummers favourite Psalm!

Isaiah 5:12
Another reference to the abundance of musical instruments used all the time. Although this context is negative.

Isaiah 30:32
A powerful chapter showing the mercy and love of God and also how percussive instruments are embedded in the Israelite culture.

Isaiah 24:8
Reference to tambourines reinforcing its use in the context of cheerfulness and joy.

Jeremiah 31:3-4
Reference to tambourines reinforcing its use in the context of cheerfulness and joy.

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