Bladder fiddle
The bladder fiddle is a folk instrument used throughout Europe. The instrument was a simple large monochord made with a long stick, a thick gut string, and a pig's bladder. It is bowed with either a notched stick or a horsehair bow. It is known under different names; in Germany it was called the bumbass, in France the basse de Flandre, and in England a drone, "drone and string" or bladder fiddle. In Germany sometimes a bell or cymbal was added to the top for decoration or additional sound. In England it was used by traveling musicians.
The drum, made of an inflated animal bladder or taut animal hide, is secured to the centre of a long stick. A thick string is then attached to each end of the stick, securing the bladder. It is usually played standing upright by drawing the bow over the string.
A related instrument was preserved amongst the Pennsylvania Dutch, and is known as a boom-ba.In Venezuela, the bladder fiddle is known as "marimba, tarimba, guarumba, guasdua, and carangano".
