Sending a New Drum off to it's New Home this Morning...

[Onebowonder]

Sometimes it feels like I'm sending one of my kids off to school in a distant state when I finish one of these and send it off to it's new home.  This one is special to me.  Half-way to kettle styled, but still a hand drum.  Her tone is so very sweet and the reverb changes the character of the sound a lot depending upon where on the face you strike.   It's made of ERC and American Holly with an Elk skin cover.

OneBow

[Wolf Watcher]

OneBow:  Thanks for posting the pictures of your drum.  Its fantastic and I really wish I could have heard it's tone.  Would you mind if I asked a few questions about it's construction. How deep is the hoop and what is it's diameter?  I have been building drums for years and still learning.  I have some moose raw hide and plan to make my first big drum for powwows!  I also have a full elk raw hide for some smaller drums and would like to make something similar to your drum.  I know how you feel about sending a drum away when you have spent so many hours constructing it.  I also like the beater you made for it and know the feeling of success when different tones can be found on the various surfaces of the drum.  One day I hope to try to make an eskimo drum like the ones used in Barrow, Alaska.  HOW TO PLAY THE DRUM!  Hit the drum, repeat!  Joe

[---GUTSHOT--->]

Wow that's a cool looking drum. Great job

[Zuma]

A clear full moon night down in the haller, somewhere West Virginia.
Maybe a solstice moon rise at Owl Canyon west of Barstow CA.
Sweet
Zuma

[bjrogg]

That really is absolutely beautiful. Most be kinda like seeing your daughter married off letting that go. I hope it goes to a good home and someone cares for it as much as you do just like I wished for my daughter.

[Onebowonder]

OneBow:  <snip>Would you mind if I asked a few questions about it's construction. How deep is the hoop and what is it's diameter?

Certainly!  The diameter of the ring is 13.75 inches.  The depth is 4.75 inches deep.  It is made by faceting the miter angles of each segment precisely, then gluing them all at once, and wrapping the ring with a rachet strap to provide tension until the glue sets up completely.  The finish is marine grade spar varnish, ...which is just what I had on hand at the time.  I generally don't make hand drums as deep as that, but the effect was very nice.

  I have been building drums for years and still learning.  I have some moose raw hide and plan to make my first big drum for powwows!  I also have a full elk raw hide for some smaller drums and would like to make something similar to your drum.  I know how you feel about sending a drum away when you have spent so many hours constructing it.  I also like the beater you made for it and know the feeling of success when different tones can be found on the various surfaces of the drum.  One day I hope to try to make an eskimo drum like the ones used in Barrow, Alaska.  HOW TO PLAY THE DRUM!  Hit the drum, repeat!  Joe

So far, all of my drums have been hand drums, but I have a 31" pow wow drum I am working on.  It is made of a hollowed out Elm Tree's log.  I expect I'll need to use Moose on that one too.

OneBow

[lebhuntfish]

Wow Eric,  that sure is a sweet drum!
I wish I could have heard that one before it was sent to its new home.

Patrick

[JW_Halverson]

HOW TO PLAY THE DRUM!  Hit the drum, repeat!  Joe

Waaaahahahahaha!  Even I can follow those intructions!