🎉 A Bahamian festival 🥁 Bahamian music

goombay

9.9

A Bahamian music style and the drum used to play it

noun

: música goombay

The sound of the goombay drum filled the air, urging everyone to join in the celebration.

Examples

But right now I'm on my way to the goombay drumming show.

Fiction book (2002)
During the festival, the crowd danced to the lively goombay music played by local musicians.
At the market, we enjoyed the vibrant goombay rhythms while tasting delicious local dishes.

Synonyms

bongo

vsgoombay

11 3.5

A small hand drum usually played in pairs in Latin American music

is a Caribbean island rhythm and drum rather than paired small drums

bongo drum

vsgoombay

1 3.2

Two small drums of different sizes joined together and played with the hands

is associated with islandwide rhythmic styles rather than paired small percussion

bamboula

vsgoombay

Literature

9.9

A drum or lively dance from African traditions

is specific to one island nation's rhythmic music and its drum

makuta

vsgoombay

9.9

A large hand drum that players use in Afro-Cuban music and religious ceremonies

focuses on secular Bahamian popular music rather than ceremonial religious use

tobe

vsgoombay

9.9

A drum used in West African music and special events

is rooted in Bahamian popular music rather than West African ceremonial use

taiko

vsgoombay

8.6

A style of Japanese drumming with many players on large drums

is a Bahamian musical tradition rather than an East Asian drumming style

tympany

vsgoombay

Archaic

9.9

A drum-like instrument played to make rhythm

is a named Caribbean musical style and instrument rather than a general old term

Surface Forms

goombay singular

goombays plural

Etymology

Goombay comes from West African names such as gumbe and gombey, words for a small 'drum' and the music played on it. That's why goombay can mean both a lively style of Bahamian music with strong drum rhythms and the drum used to play that music.