Contemporary Tongan drum wins international acclaim
A Massey University graduate Rachael Hall has won international acclaim for the unique musical instrument she designed
and handcrafted herself.
Rachael, who lives in Wellington, came up with the idea for her modern take on a traditional Tongan lali, or wooden
drum, while working on her honours degree in Industrial Design at Massey’s College of Creative Arts.
Patō, which means “to strike or hit”, is an electronic, tuneable and portable log drum that brings the sound of the
Pacific into the modern digital environment. Ms Hall, who is half Tongan, was inspired to connect with her Polynesian
heritage. “I wanted to rejuvenate an instrument that’s not so recognised anymore and introduce it into the modern
digital environment where it can be appreciated and adapted by a range of musicians and blended with other instruments
and genres.”
The traditional lali can be heavy to carry and generates only one or two pitches. Ms Hall says “I wanted to make an
instrument that was tuneable so the musician could adjust the pitch depending on what they were playing; I wanted it to
be portable because there is a high demand for easily transportable instruments, especially for gigging musicians in
compact cities; and I wanted it to be electronic because I think technological relevance is important in today’s music
world – so giving it the option of being electronic as well as acoustic.”
Patō has an internal pick-up which means it can be hooked up to modern technology but still allows the natural timbre of
the traditional lali to come through. The streamlined design incorporates pale maple wood with darker walnut end caps
engraved with a ring of Tongan motifs.
In choosing materials for Patō Ms Hall says she had to take into account durability. “I used maple because it’s a
hardwood with an even grain so when playing along the drum the sound quality remains consistent but also it’s strong
enough to get that whole ‘performativity’ that you get with Tongan playing – it’s quite a physical experience.”
Ms Hall says the Patō project brings together two of her great passions, music and design. She plays violin but her twin
brother Jeremy Hall is a professional drummer working in London and she says this design gave her an insight to his
world as well as providing an instrument he could test and play. “He came back to perform on the drum at my final
presentation for my degree and he’s looking to adapt it to a contemporary drum kit so it brings his Tongan culture into
his every day music life.”
The design has already won a Red Dot Award which is one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world.
Massey’s Pasifika Directorate is helping fund Ms Hall to travel to Singapore to receive her Red Dot at the ceremony in
October. Patō was also a national finalist in the international James Dyson Award and the NZ Best Awards which are
announced in Aucklandtomorrow night. (Friday 6th October)
Associate Professor Rodney Adank of Massey’s Ngā Pae Māhutonga – The School of Design, says Patō has tremendous
potential to be commercialised and is a lovely integration of traditional performance with digital technology. He says
“Rachael spent a lot of time ensuring it was true to its Pasifika origin and in its final form it is a beautiful
object.”
Ms Hall who graduated from Massey University last year, and currently works within the Massey Industrial Design
programme would like to see Patō manufactured and is keen to continue designing in the musical space.
RELEASE ENDS
Video of the Patō can be found on these links