Kittle
The kittle drum (also kittel or skittel) is a narrow drum with one goat skin head. It differs from the kettle (or kittle) drum used elsewhere in the Anglophone Caribbean, which usually is "a small two-headed drum hung around the neck". In Guyanese masquerade and street bands, the kittle is played with two mallets to give a syncopated rhythm as a counter-rhythm to the bass drum (bhoom, which keeps the beat).
Kittle
- Field
- musical instrument
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Documentary summary
The kittle drum (also kittel or skittel) is a narrow drum with one goat skin head. It differs from the kettle (or kittle) drum used elsewhere in the Anglophone Caribbean, which usually is "a small two-headed drum hung around the neck". In Guyanese masquerade and street bands, the kittle is played with two mallets to give a syncopated rhythm as a counter-rhythm to the bass drum (bhoom, which keeps the beat).
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wikidata · Q16928510
In this article
Overview
Guyanese slaves used to celebrate the end of the crop season when the farms owners would allow them to perform with drums, dance and singing. In the 1990s, attempts were made to revive the Guyanese masquerade bands (mainly performed at Christmas, although there are no traditional links between the masquerade and the Christian celebration of the Nativity of Jesus), but they appeared to be in decline by the 2010s.
Kittle is a musical instrument.
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reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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