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Kagan, kidi and sogo

These three single-skinned open drums from the Anlo-Ewe music culture make up the traditional Ewe percussion set. The traditional music of the Anlo-Ewe was extensively studied by Alfred Kwashi Ladzepko and Kobla Ladzepko (University of Berkeley) and Andreas Meyer (1997 p. 70 - 75).

The kagan drum is the narrowest drum of the Anlo-Ewe percussion set. It is approximately 50 to 60 cm high and has a diameter of 15 to 20 cm.
The sogo drum is approximately 70 cm high and has a diameter of 22 cm at the top and 30 cm at the bottom. This drum widens in the middle to approximately 35 to 40 cm. The drum is completely hollow inside and the wall is approximately 2 cm thick. Some drums have a sound-hole at the bottom of approximately 1.5 cm in diameter. This sound-hole is located 7 cm from the bottom. The sound-hole allows the sound that is produced inside the drum to travel outwards.
The kidi drum is the smallest of the Ewe percussion set, measuring 40 to 45 cm in height and 20 cm in diameter at the top and 25 cm at the bottom. The wall of the drum is approximately 2 cm thick.

A membrane of goat hide is stretched across the top of the drum shell and is attached with ropes to seven wooden conical pegs with which the tension is adjusted to determine the pitch. The drums are struck with two wooden drumsticks and are held diagonally between the legs with the drummer seated behind the drum on a chair. The kagan drum produces a clear high note, the highest in the percussion ensemble, and the sogo drum produces a fairly high sound.
Within an ensemble, the sogo can be the lead-drum or an accompanying instrument. When the sogo is the lead-drum, it is played like the atsimevu.
The play technique is the same as for the sogo drum.

The kidi drum is played exclusively as an accompanying instrument for dances and songs.

The base note of the kidi drum is identified by the syllable "Ki" when the drum is struck on the side of the membrane and the drumstick is allowed to spring up.
The drum is struck with a drumstick at the centre of the membrane and the drumstick is allowed to spring up. The sound produced is a medium high note and is identified by the syllable "De" or "Ge".
The drum is struck with a drumstick at the centre of the membrane but the drumstick is not allowed to spring up. The drumstick is pressed against the membrane and remains in contact with the membrane after the strike. This sound is identified by the syllable "Ku" or "Tu".

When these drums accompany dances and songs, they are characterized by the way they play cross-rhythms.

Sometimes these drums are decorated with adinkra symbols or traditional decorative elements borrowed from nature, e.g. the sea and water. In some cases they are painted or decorated with geometrical figures and scored lines.