Meinl ID9BK/WH Liquid udu

General

This gorgeous udu drum is made of fibreglass, and offers a beautifully deep and warm tone. An unusual features of this particular model is the water-filled chamber at the bottom, which causes fluctuating overtones that lend a beautiful effect to the overall sound. Thanks to its rather large size, this instrument can easily be used during unplugged sessions with no need for further amplification. However, if you do wish to amplify the udu's sound, there's a built-in microphone hole for easy access.

Technology

Tapping the sound hole with the palm of your hand will produce a high-pitched tone, while leaving your hand in place for a bit after striking it produces a low bass-like tone. You can further tweak these two basic sounds by creating a little sound box over the hole in the neck, allowing you to slightly adjust the pitch. Furthermore, you can create many different sounds with the udu by using different techniques and striking the drum in different places, as each of them will produce a different sound. If you're unfamiliar with this instrument, you might want to have a look at the videos tab to get an idea of what the possibilities are when it comes to sound and techniques you can use.

Looping

Using loop pedals like the Boss RC-30 or RC-300 is a relatively new development in the percussion world. With these loop stations - or alternatively, Ableton software - you can be your own one-man band. Creating live soundscapes using your percussion instruments has never been more enjoyable, and the udu is perfect for this. Meinl artist Larry Salzman made a huge amount of videos for the German brand, showcasing many of their percussion instruments, among which you'll find a number of different udus. View them at your leisure in the videos tab. Who knows? They might serve as inspiration and motivation!

• Check out the videos to get an idea of what the udu is capable of.
• Videos 2, 3 and 4 show Larry Salzman using the Liquid udu gebruikt during live-looping.
• The final video shows percussionist Roël Calister giving a demo of the Liquid udu and the Nino Percussion NINO509.