Eli5 – Why are drums round? Is it something to do with the shape that determines the ability to hit something and get a percussive sound out of stretched materials?
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Drums are round because it is easier to stretch the drum head over a round shape without collapsing the sides of the structure like a square or rectangular box would. And the head needs to be stretched in order to act like a spring and bounce back to flat after being stuck, thus creating the resonating sound with its bouncing.
A [Cajon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caj%C3%B3n) is a decent instrument, but the striking ‘head’ is a thin, semi-rigid sheet, usually a plywood panel, so it doesn’t need to be stretched under tension to hold its shape.
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