Batá
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The batá is a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one cone larger than the other. It is sacred to the Yoruba religion in Nigeria, as well as to worshippers of Santería in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and in the United States.
In Cuba there are three sizes of batá drums, the "okónkolo" (smallest), "itótele" (medium) and "iyá" (largest). These are played simultaneously (often with a cowbell or "aggogó") to create polyrhythmic compositions, or "toques" during santería ceremonies. A ceremony with batá drums is generally known as a "toque de batá", but ceremonies can also be accompanied by "chékere" ensembles, reinforcing the place of the drums. There are estimated to be at least 140 different toques for the gods, or orishas and their different manifestations. The most important sequence of rhythms is an introductory toque used in most ceremonies which includes 14 standard rhythms for all the orichas.
In Nigeria, there are five sizes of batá, which can be played either by hand, or using a leather play stick.
Though largely restricted to religious music, batá drums and rhythms have started to be used in other genres, most notably in Cuban timba, jazz and hip hop.
While traditional use of batá drums in Cuba and Puerto Rico dictates that one drum of each size be used by an ensemble, such is not the case in Nigerian music.fr:Batá nl:Batá pt:Batá