musical instrument made of a membrane stretched across the mouth of a vessel and set in vibration by rubbing with wet or resined fingers a stick or string passed through the membrane or tied upright from underneath; in some types the membrane is rubbed with another piece of skin. Closer in sound production to primitive friction, or rubbing, boards, it probably evolved separately from the beaten drum, which is associated with different rites in nonliterate societies.

The friction drum—found in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas—is primarily a ritual instrument. In Europe this ritual association survives in places where the instrument has not become a toy—e.g., in Italian religious processions and Romanian New Year's festivities. Other European friction drums include the Flemish rommelpot and the Spanish zambomba.