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| Other names | Urumi melam |
|---|---|
| Classification | Percussion instrument, goatskin heads |
| Playing range | |
| Bolt tuned or rope tuned with dowels and hammer | |
| Related instruments | |
| [urumi melam | |
The urumi (Tamil: உறுமி மேளம், Uṟumi Mēḷam; also known as urumee) is a double-headed hourglass drum from the state of Tamil Nadu, South India. Two skin heads are attached to a single hollow, often intricately carved wooden shell. The preferred wood is jackwood, although other woods like rosewood may be used. Both left and right heads are usually made from cow hide that is stretched around a thin metal ring (sometimes lizard skin is used for the right head). The outer circumference of each head is perforated with approximately seven to eight holes. The two heads are held in tension by a continuous rope that is woven around the drum in a V-shape pattern. Additional small coils of string or metal are tied around each pair of ropes near the left head. These coils can be slide horizontally along the length of the drum, increasing or decreasing the tension between the heads as necessary. For example, during the monsoon season the drum heads will slacken so much that the instrument becomes unplayable. Using these coils drummers can easily rectify such problems.