The ashiko drum is an African style drum shaped like a shortened cone and meant to be played with bare hands. The straight edges offer a continuum of tones depending on how close to the center of the head the drum is struck. The ashikos is played throughout eastern Cuba during carnivals and street parades.
Some ashikos come with fur on the playing surface and others have the head shaved. Drums with fur on the playing surface produce a more muted or muffled sound. Ashikos with a shaved head are more open sounding and tend to be louder. Most versions of this drum have fur left around the rim of it, regardless of whether the playing surface is shaved. This does not affect the sound.
