A slit gong is a type of drum that is hollowed out from a single log. The instrument is played by hitting the log with a stick.The walls of the 
log are not of the same thickness throughout. Different sounds are produced by hitting the log at different places. Sometimes, the slit gong is placed on a stand so that it vibrates more freely. The bigger the log, the louder the sound. Sometimes, the sound can be heard 8 kms away! The slit gong was also one of the earliest instruments of communication. Messages sent from one village to another, would often be passed on by the drummer in the second village to another village further away. These ‘talking drums’ could therefore send messages for kilometres and kilometres in every direction.
