The tanggu (堂鼓; pinyin: tánggǔ, pronounced [tʰɑ̌ŋkù]; literally "ceremonial hall drum"; sometimes spelled tang gu) is a traditional Chinese drum from the 19th century. It is medium in size and barrel-shaped, with two heads made of animal skin, and is played with two sticks. The tanggu is usually suspended by four rings in a wooden stand.photo There are two types of Tanggu: the Xiao Tanggu and the Da Tanggu. The only difference is that the Xiao Tanggu is smaller in size, and thus produces a higher pitch sound.