The simplest type of hand drum is the frame drum, which consists a shallow, cylindrical shell with a drumhead attached to one of the open ends. A frame drum common in Middle Eastern music is the tar. The tambourine is simply a frame drum with jingles attached to the shell.
The most common African drum known to westerners is the djembe, a large, single-headed drum with an hourglass shape.
Congas and bongos are essential to Afro-Cuban music.
Tabla are central to Indian music.