Calabash (percussion)
In African music, the calabash is a percussion instrument of the family of idiophones consisting of a half of a large calabash, which is struck with the palms, fingers, wrist or objects to produce a variety of percussive sounds.
In Tuareg music, the askalabo is a calabash "partly submerged in water, drummed to mimic camels' hooves".
The calabash can also be used as a sound board: a finger piano can use a calabash for that purpose, and the gongoma is a similar instrument, using saw blades on a bridge affixed over the calabash--the blades are plucked with the fingers, while the player taps the calabash with their other hand.
