Campania has a strong tradition of crafting these simple musical instruments that become real masterpieces, after silk-screen printing. Tammorre, triccheballacche, and scetavajasse are very special because they are so simple that everybody can play them. Tammorre, Triccheballacche, and Scetavajasse hanno la particolarità di poter essere suonati da chiunque, per la loro semplicità.
Tammorra is a big wood drum made of a sheep skin membrane and five metal disc pairs. Tammorra is played by rhythmically hitting one’s right-hand fingers or palm on the membrane, whereas the other hand is used to hold the instrument and let the discs jingle.
Triccheballacche is an instrument built on a wooden frame with two sliding wooden hammers that the player hit with a third central hammer, secured to the frame. Moreover, some small tinplate discs can be found on the external side of the hammers to jingle. Instead, Putipù is a sort of cylindrical box, obtained from everyday containers (cans or pots, which give it the other name, “caccavella”, but also other wooden or terracotta containers).
Last, Scetavajasse is an instrument with two parts, two wooden sticks, one smooth and one with a jagged edge, with metal discs on their sides whose sound is a typical friction, called in Neapolitan “nfrunfrù” – caused by the disc vibration. The sound gives the instrument its original name Scetavajasse, from Neapolitan “sceta” or awake and “vajasse” the maid, often a synonym for a gross and coarse woman).