There are drums grouped in families for the purpose of talking to each other ... who collected some 700 percussion instruments from Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

One of the best-known African drums is the West African djembe. It is shaped like a large goblet and played with bare hands. The body is carved from a hollowed trunk and is covered in goat skin.

Listen for the talking drum, one of several instruments collected by Howard University professor Lorenzo Dow Turner. His groundbreaking research told stories of sounds and songs transported from ...