A hand drum is any type of drum that is typically played by striking it with the bare hand rather than a stick, mallet, hammer, or other type of beater.

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.