táo is archaic - the formal classical name for a pellet drum, a long-handled drum with two small beads on cords. Spinning the handle between the palms swings the beads back and forth so they strike both drum-faces. In the Rites of Zhou, the
鼗 was a ritual instrument played to assemble the dancers. The same instrument survives today as the folk-toy
拨浪鼓 - sold by street peddlers and used in children's play. Modern Chinese uses the colloquial name;
鼗 appears only in classical texts and museum-label writing.
