T'ao ku

T'ao ku small *rattle drum of China, impaled on a handle, with 2 snakeskin heads. Two small balls of wax are suspended from the drum by cords so as to strike against the heads when the drum is twirled. The t'ao ku dates back to the Sheng dynasty (ca. 1400–1200 B.C.) and in ancient times consisted of 2 or more small drums impaled on a stick, one above the other, or hung in a frame. It is now a Confucian instr. chiefly used by itinerant vendors or as a child's toy and popularly called yao ku…