drums-msg – 12/3/11 Medieval drums and percussion instruments. Replacing bohdran drumheads. Painting drumheads. Dumbek merchants. NOTE: See also the files: instruments-msg, harps-msg, p-songs-msg, music-bib, bagpipes-msg, flutes-msg, lea-tanning-msg, trumpets-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From: legowik at cme.nist.gov (Steven Legowik) Date: 14 May 91 15:16:40 GMT Organization: National Institute of Standards and Technology Aoghann, I'm not really a very musically inclined person, but I was doing a little research on the history of the flute and stumbled across some history on drums as well. My lady is much more interested in them than I was. The general gist seems to be that drums were not used much in Europe until very late period. The drum was basically a middle eastern instrument and was considered an oddity in Europe. (which also seemed to be the case with flutes and fifes) The first drums were the naker and tabor. I don't remember the dates but I think it was after 1300. They were originally pretty much confined to military music. (ie. marching music) The tabor was a pretty generic looking drum (like you'd see in a colonial fife and drum picture) and nakers were sort of bowl shaped drums. Drums got into the regular musical scene in the renaissance. The notes I have listed three drums as components of a renaissance band: the long drum, the kettledrum, and the side drum. (from Musical Instruments of the World) They appear to be pretty generic drums. The side drum is drawn as having a square cross section. The other book I was reading was "The History of Musical Instruments" by Curt Sachs. I hope I remembered the essential details correctly. You might want to try and find the book in the library. Hope this helps a little bit. Stephen the Devious Steven Legowik Shire of Highland Foorde Frederick, MD Atlantia legowik at cme.nist.gov Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Doumbek Rythym Guide From: Eric.Smith-1 at kmail.ksc.nasa.gov (Eric C. Smith) Date: Fri, 08 Dec 1995 13:24:50 -0500 Organization: NASA/KSC, DL-ICD-C Unto all good folk of the Rialto does their humble servant, Maredudd ap Cynan, send greetings. It has been my honor and priviledge to create and have installed upon a friends web server, a web page containing information which might be of interest to those who play the doumbek. The page contains, among other things, a sheet of rythym notations. The page is geared towards the beginning drummer. http://greyhawkes.com/fun/drumming.html [NOTE – This link has changed. The new link is: http://www.blackroot.org/drumming/drumming.html -Stefan 8/20/06] The original version of this sheet was developed by myself as a handout for a couple of classes I tought at a few Trimarian events, the subject of the class being the Basics of Doumbek Playing. I encourage all doumbek players, of all skill levels, to visit the page and send me your comments. Diolch Maredudd -- Eric C. Smith Maredudd Cymysglyd ap Cynan NASA/DL-ICD-C Kingdom of Trimaris KSC, FL 32899 Shire Starhaven Eric.Smith-1 at ksc.nasa.gov maredudd at blackroot.org From: boris at magick.net (Samuel C. Crowell) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Bohdran skin replacement Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 01:44:14 GMT Could any good gentles out there be able and willing to assist an aspiring musician? I was given a Coopersmith (non-tunable) bohdran with a split/cracked drumhead. I was able to get a goatskin drumhead. Removing the old one was not too difficult, but I would like some advice about preparing/stretching/affixing this new skin so that it will not be ruined, and hopefully will be somewhere close to the proper tone. Any help greatly appreciated! Master Darien Tevarson From: cav at bnr.ca (Rick Cavasin) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Bohdran skin replacement Date: 16 Oct 1996 14:59:12 GMT Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd. Master Darien Tevarson asks about bodhran skin replacement: This is something that is fairly tricky to get right. I once did this for a friend (I make parchment/vellum for callig/illum/bookbinding/etc., but the skins can also be used for drumheads/banjos/etc.) whose bodhran head had split. I asked a number of people with more experience for advice, and I mostly got a lot of vague handwaving, and concluded that it is one of those things that one develops a nack for by trial and error. You pretty much have to put the skin on wet. Assuming you have a prepared/dried skin on hand, you want to soak it (don't use hot water) until it is limp and stretchy. You then have to tack it to the rim with enough slack that when the hide contracts on drying, it has the right tension. As you might guess, this is the 'art' part of it. Too loose, and you'll have ripples in the skin. Too tight, and the tone will be too high. Unfortunately, I have a very strong suspicion that how much a particular skin contracts on drying will have alot to do with how it was originally prepared by the parchmenter. This would mean that your technique might have to change somewhat depending on the source of the skin. Things to remember: Parchment/skin can generate a remarkable amount of tension when drying. You want to make sure the heads of your nails are snug down on the skin. If only the shafts are holding the skin in place, the skin could tear as it pulls out from under the nails. Reinforcing the edge may not be a bad idea. Clenching the nails is probably a good idea. I've seen a skin pull nails out of the rim. Glueing the skin over the frame in addition to nailing may not be a bad idea. I suspect that allowing the skin to dry slowly is a good idea (keeping in mind that the skin *IS* rawhide, and *will* rot if kept damp for a prolonged period of time). All this should be taken with a grain of salt, as my experience is more in making the skins than in putting them on drums. I put a skin on one drum, and had to take it off and put it back on several times (over the course of a year or so) before I got it more or less right. I had a more experienced luthier claim that anointing the skin with neatsfoot oil makes it less sensitive to humidity variations. YMMV Hope this helps, Cheers, Rick/Balderik From: mittle at panix.com (Arval d'Espas Nord) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Bohdran skin replacement Date: 16 Oct 1996 12:02:44 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC > I was given a Coopersmith (non-tunable) bohdran with a split/cracked > drumhead. I was able to get a goatskin drumhead. Removing the old > one was not too difficult, but I would like some advice about > preparing/stretching/affixing this new skin so that it will not be > ruined, and hopefully will be somewhere close to the proper tone. You can find some information on the Bodhran Page http://www.panix.com/~mittle/bodhran including articles on making bodhrans which should give you what you need. =========================================================================== Arval d'Espas Nord mittle at panix.com Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 13:20:05 -0400 (EDT) From: Carol at Small Churl Books To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Painting on hide drums At 09:13 AM 7/8/97 -0700, you wrote: >If I use an acrylic paint, will it flake off? There is a laurel in the East who painted bohrans (sp?) as part of her husband's business. She uses acylics, sometimes slightly thinned with water. Following her advice, I painted a figure based on the Book of Kells on one. (Took the warrior, put a woman's head and skirt on from another figure, and made the shield and spear into a bohran and wooden thumper.) A friend let me practice on an old bongo. After painting, I scraped the paint with my fingernail and it seemed pretty firm. Lady Carllein Date: Wed, 9 Jul 1997 10:25:19 -0400 (EDT) From: Varju at aol.com To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Painting on hide drums <> If you mean rawhide, when you say hide drum there are several items you can use. Acrylic paint works well, so do leather dyes, but the color of the rawhide will affect the color of the dye. (The darker the rawhide the darker the final color will be.) You can also use sharpie markers. Noemi Subject: Re: ANST - Drums Date: Fri, 12 Dec 97 17:40:54 MST From: jurgens at ghg.net (Frank D. Jurgens) >Could someone please tell me how to keep a drum that you are carving from >drying out and cracking before you finish carving? > >*George* >House Crane Minister of Food-[have YOU eaten?] If you are carving this from a peice of uncured lumber, try putting it in a sealed bag with a damp towel. This should keep the moisture content up until you are done. Make sure that the bag is big enough so that when set aside, the towel and the drum do not touch. Basically, keeping it in any sealed container with a source of moisture will work. If you are using uncured (green) wood, you will have a problem with it cracking as it dries out after you are finished. Depending on the orientation of the grain, it may also deform out of shape. Leofric Ealdricson (Frank Jurgens jurgens at ghg.net) Subject: Re: ANST - Drums Date: Fri, 12 Dec 97 18:46:11 MST From: sucram3 at juno.com (marc d mckeeman) To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG On Fri, 12 Dec 1997 16:25:42 -0600 lliatwork writes: >Could someone please tell me how to keep a drum that you are carving >from drying out and cracking before you finish carving? First offf what kind of wood are you using? I have found using linseed oil while the carving is being done, helps keep the wood from drying and spliting. again it depends on the wood. apprentice to Master Edward D'Orleans. (peace be unto his name) mu'sad translater to the light of the land Omar ciam Subject: RE: ANST - Drums Date: Mon, 15 Dec 97 11:25:14 MST From: John Ruble To: "'ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG'" >Could someone please tell me how to keep a drum that you are carving from >drying out and cracking before you finish carving? Linseed oil helps, but will alter the characteristics of the wood when you go to carve it. It penetrates the wood at different depths depending upon how long you left the oil on before wiping off the excess, as well as how "open" the wood is. As it cures, it hardens. So after a day or two, you will discover the wood is slightly harder to carve near the surface, but still soft underneath. Be careful with your knife pressure. Remember also that treating the wood with anything will alter its ability to take stain. The best bet is always to start with sound, well-cured wood. At the very least, try to keep the piece in a controlled environment so it doesn't swell and shrink repeatedly with humidity changes. Ulf Gunnarsson Subject: Re: ANST - mustering at gulf wars Date: Wed, 18 Feb 98 01:52:36 MST From: Charlene Charette To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG Keith Hood wrote: > Speaking of the sound of an army, for real moral effect in a march to the > battlefield we could use a serious war song. Anyone out there with a > good knowledge of period music have suggestions? Don't know about war songs, but Arbeau (the French dance manual) is almost half military drumming instruction. --Perronnelle From: Arval d'Espas Nord Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Drums Date: 18 Mar 1998 22:58:42 GMT Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC James Ackerson wrote: > I want to get my wife a bodran, bodrahn...however you spell it. I was > just wondering if anyone out there would have some advice on where to > look, what to look for, and how to avoid not so good instruments. Visit my Bodhran Page, http://celtic.stanford.edu/instruments/bodhran/ Arval From: armorbug at aol.com (ARMORBUG) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Drums Date: 19 Mar 1998 04:30:53 GMT >I want to get my wife a bodran, bodrahn...however you spell it. I was >just wondering if anyone out there would have some advice on where to >look, what to look for, and how to avoid not so good instruments. > >Roderick Lark in the Morning, a company that specializes in hard to find instruments, has a webpage at http://www.larkinam.com. They have several models to choose from, starting at $25.00 and going up to $400.00. From: Arval d'Espas Nord Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Drums Date: 19 Mar 1998 16:38:56 GMT Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC > Lark in the Morning, a company that specializes in hard to find instruments, > has a webpage at http://www.larkinam.com. They have several models to choose > from, starting at $25.00 and going up to $400.00. If you want to order a drum by mail, Lark in the Morning is not a bad company to use. And if you are a new bodhranist who needs a drum to learn on, this isn't a bad way to go. MidEast Manufacturing is another good choice. At any higher level, you really want to examine and play any drum before you buy it, and you want to deal directly with the drum-maker. Arval From: Dwight Hall Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Drums Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 16:45:11 -0700 >I want to get my wife a bodran, bodrahn...however you spell it. I was >just wondering if anyone out there would have some advice on where to >look, what to look for, and how to avoid not so good instruments. try ftp://celtic.stanford.edu/pub/instruments/Bodhran.making Since this is one of the easiest of all drum designs to build yourself, why not get right into the "authenticity mode" with a great do-it-yourself project. Hardwood should cost about 8 bucks and you can get a full goatskin at Tandy Leather for $24 or so. From: David Korup Newsgroups: rec.org.sca To: Shawn Johnson Subject: Re: Natural Drum Heads Needed Shawn Johnson wrote: > I'm looking to purchase some natural drum heads (goatskin, calfskin) for > a product I'm developing. I need the cheapest wholesale price I can > find, so that I can keep the price of the product down. The prepared > skins need not be of the best quality. > > -Robyn Whystler Shalom Alechem, Greetings from Sir Daveed Shmuel ben Rachon: I would suggest that you contact Mid-East Manufacturing for prices on goatskin drum heads. They can accommodate drums heads ranging in size from standard 12" to 14" on up to perhaps 22". Here is their basic contact info. Mid-East Manufacturing, 7694 Progress Circle, West Melbourne, Fl 32904; 407-724-1477, fax: 407-952-1080; web site: www.mid-east.com; email: stevek at mid-east.com Should you need larger sizes, you can contact Mr. Polanski at United Rawhide in Chicago, 773-276-1177. He can provide goat, kip, calf, as well as other types of animal rawhide. I hope that this is helpful for you. Are you making dumbeks? Please contact me via my email: drumfest at bellsouth.net or by phone at 704-544-2212. I am always interested in hearing about new drum makers and their drums. Until later...Alechem Shalom...Daveed From: druid at princeton.crosswinds.net (The Well of Latis) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Natural Drum Heads Needed Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 23:32:55 GMT wrote: >Tandy Leather used to sell me rawhide at a good discount. Of course, I had >to cut out the drum heads myself. They had split hides that were fairly >nice, regular hides, and goatskin. >Melandra of the Woods > >Shawn Johnson wrote >> >> I'm looking to purchase some natural drum heads (goatskin, calfskin) for >> a product I'm developing. I need the cheapest wholesale price I can >> find, so that I can keep the price of the product down. The prepared >> skins need not be of the best quality. >> >> -Robyn Whystler I have used large rawhide bones from the local pet shop a few times. They work fairly well if you soak them in hot water for a few hours and unroll them. Sparrow (Alex) Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 11:18:25 EDT From: freyja1 at juno.com (Timothy A Whitcomb) To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Doumbek making >Does anyone know of a resource for making doumbek's.I can figure out by >looking at them how to throw one but I wonder if the sound changes from >clay body to clay body. [I would certainly think so. Since the density of clay can vary from type to tpe, that would have an effect; much like the diffrence between metal and wood drum bodies. Maturing range of the clays would have a difference too.] I usually throw with stoneware. >More importantly how does one attach the head? [The nicest ceramic drum I have ever seen had clay lugs (very sturdy!!) around the body and the head was lashed down. The worst was glued on.] >I have seen them made with the inside glazed and not glazed. Does it >make a difference? [Again, I would think so, but experiment. I am sure you would want to make more than one anyway, just to attain mastery of the form.] >Tegan Hroar From: Larry Johnson Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Rope Tension Drums Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 23:56:14 -0800 stevega at earthlink.net wrote: > Does anyone have any advice, or url links, on stretching the skin (drum head) > on a medieval or Renaissance marching drum. I am trying to make my first > "period" drum. I enjoyed the fighting at Estrella, but I think we needed > more drums! I went to a search engine, http://www.excite.com and entered "making+rope+ tensioned+drum and found this URL http://www.bongocentral.com/rope.htm I know the drums represented on the site are not period, but rope tension is rope tension, you can adapt the method for your own drum. Yours aye, Labhran MacIain From: "Steve Gurzler" Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Rope Tension Drums Date: 25 Feb 1999 02:42:47 GMT Organization: Compaq Greetings Tristan, You might try looking at the Dover pubication "Orchesography" in which Arbeau has a chapter on drums and construction. There are also I believe drum kits available through the Early music shop in England. They have a web site but I don't have it here. Good luck. You should play it for dancing too! :) Cheers, Deonna From: "Jason L. Parish" Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: bodhran question Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 12:16:51 -0700 Lee Ann Schemel wrote: > i am curious about the Bodhran, is it hard to play, I am not very > musical, but I like drums, I was thinking about buying a kiddie one from > Lark in the Morning and starting to practice on my own. Any suggestios > would be appereciated, you may e-mail me too. > > Eibhlin Lord Morgan Glynndwr, humble denizen of the Kingdom of Artemesia: Greetings! I have played the Bodhran for a few years now and I think you will find it to be quite easy to learn the basics. Even without a musical backround you will find that the drum itself will help you learn...they are just too addictive to put down! I would suggest, however, that instead of purchasing the kiddie models you should spend the extra cash and buy a high-quality, natural goat-skin head model. Also, if you enjoy the deeper tone that the Bodhran produces, you should try to find one that is at least 16 to 18 inches in diameter or greater. There are a number of books available that are great resources for trying to learn. One of the better booklets that I have found is entitled "Power Bodhran Techniques". The name of the author eludes me at the moment but you should be able to track it down with relative ease. To hear the Bodhran in use, try any of the Chieftains albums or most any other good Celtic music groups. And, invariably, you will usually find one or two Bodhran players at any good size event who will be more than happy to assist you in your playing. From: mittle at panix.com (Arval d'Espas Nord) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: bodhran question Date: 24 Mar 2000 16:02:40 -0500 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC > i am curious about the Bodhran, is it hard to play, I am not very > musical, but I like drums Drop by my Bodhran Page, http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/bodhran. At the risk of disappointing you, I must warn you that just about everything about modern bodhran playing is purely modern. Drums of the same basic construction may have existed in period Ireland (or may not), but as best I've been able to determine, the styles of play used today were all invented in the 20th century. But don't let that discourage you: It's a lovely instrument when played well, and well worth the effort it takes to learn to do so. =========================================================================== Arval d'Espas Nord mittle at panix.com From: Barbara Webb Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: bodhran question Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 13:16:34 +0100 Organization: Psychology Department, Stirling University Lee Ann Schemel wrote: > As I told Arval who also Replied, My persona does not want > to play the harp, don't want to lug a harp around. I'm not sure why you drew the conclusion from Arval's pointing out that current bodhran technique is modern (and not, as far as we know, medieval) that he was suggesting you'd have to play harp instead...Drums are certainly medieval- maybe finding out some of whats and hows of medieval drumming would be of interest? The only references I know are: Blades, James. Early percussion instruments : from the Middle Ages to the Baroque / James Blades and Jeremy Montagu. 1976 Montagu, Jeremy. Making early percussion instruments. 1976 I'd be interested if anyone can suggest further sources, particularly any that discuss technique rather than just construction (Montagu is not very inspiring in his suggestions of what rhythms to play). By all means go ahead and enjoy modern bodhran playing too... Caitlin de Courcy (As a harpist I find a bit bizarre the concept that my 'persona' might want or not want to play the harp - maybe I should tell my persona that if it wants to play harp, it can do the practice?) From: mittle at panix.com (Arval d'Espas Nord) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: bodhran question Date: 29 Mar 2000 10:24:23 -0500 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC Thanks for your courtesy Eibhlin. No apology was necessary, no offense was taken. > I really do not think there is a wrong way to play a bodhran is there? Badly? Seriously: There are techniques that work well and ones that don't. Unfortunately, we simply don't know how the drum was played (if it was played at all) in medieval Ireland. The earliest evidence of any kind that I've seen of the bodhran is a late 19th century photograph of an Irish-American ceili band. The drummer is holding his tipper in roughly the way I would if I were standing ready to play; but we can't conclude much from that. This photo was startling: I had previously believed that the introduction of the bodhran into performance music came only in the mid-20th century. I still think it is probably true that it was mostly used as a noise-maker before this century. If you're interested in medieval percussion, there are plenty of possibilities better-documented than the bodhran. The book recommended here a few days ago would be a good starting point. =========================================================================== Arval d'Espas Nord mittle at panix.com From: Dana Lewis Hawkes Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Snare drums Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 00:00:44 -0700 Malachias Invictus wrote: > What period did snare drums come into use? I figure that it is not within > the SCA period, but I was curious if anyone happens to know. > > Malachias Actually, I have a book called 'Making Early Percussion Instruments' by Jeremy Montagu in which he talks about some tabors and nakers having a gut snare. From: Josh Mittleman Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Snare drums Date: 4 Apr 2000 15:10:27 GMT Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC > What period did snare drums come into use? I figure that it is not within > the SCA period, but I was curious if anyone happens to know. Oh, absolutely within period. Certainly by the 14th or 15th century in Italy and France. I'd guess that it's much earlier. The early examples I've seen seem to have a single strand of gut stretched across the _upper_ side of the drumhead. Arval From: Nils K Hammer Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Snare drums Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 16:15:12 -0400 Organization: Csd Education - Phd, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA I assumed they were modern, but then someone showed me a picture in the Orchesography book with them. nils From: mittle at panix.com (Arval d'Espas Nord) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Bodhran Purchasing Date: 7 Apr 2000 13:04:07 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC > Does anyone know of a reliable online or mail order source that > provides high quality bodhrans? There's a list of pretty nearly all the major bodhran makers and vendors at my Bodhran page, http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/bodhran/. The information there will give you an idea of what's available and how much it costs. What you want to buy and how much you'll need to pay will depend on just what you mean by "high quality". For a professional-quality, tunable bodhran, expect to spend $400. Anything under $100 is a toy, perhaps good for a novice to use to learn to play. In between, quality varies unpredictably. If you'd like me to recommend a few drummakers, drop me a line direct. =========================================================================== Arval d'Espas Nord mittle at panix.com From: "Kensei" Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Bodhran Purchasing Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 08:30:29 GMT ulric wrote: > All of this discussion of Bodhrans has really stoked my desire > to go out and buy one. > > Does anyone know of a reliable online or mail order source that > provides high quality bodhrans? > > I have looked on E-Bay, but there really is no telling what > those drums sounds like or what the quality of construction is > like. Try http://www.larkinam.com/MenComNet/Business/Retail/Larknet/Bodhrans Quite a selection, their 18" diameter double row tacks BOD006 $60.00, has a good full deep sound and good quality - but you can go up to $450 for a profesional model if you chose. Subject: Re: An informal survey Posted by: "Catherine Koehler" hccartck at yahoo.com hccartck Date: Wed Jan 13, 2010 7:49 am ((PST)) I play a djembe and also use to make drums with an African arts group. We used sonotubes (generally the 10" or 12" diameter) I would cut them into an acceptable length and the participants would decorate them however they chose. We then used pre-cut goatskin drum heads - stapled on and then ropes wrapped around the staples. The sound was wonderful! If anyone needs me to give you more specifics, feel free to contact me off list. Perhaps we could actually offer this as a class a Gulf Wars!!! Aine --- On Wed, 1/13/10, Nauloera . wrote: <<< I'm interested and I could get my hands on one of those big blue plastic barrels that folks down in my neck of the woods use for trash barrels if someone out there knows how to turn it into a drum (I would have absolutely no clue). Other than that I have a wee little doumbek I've been trying to teach myself to play... Not going so well with that. So I'd also have to learn to play before I could use a big ol' drum. Kitty/Manhalah the Shireless >>> To: Gleann Abhann (mail list) Subject: Re: Looking for Drummers! Posted by: "melinda" mlaf at sbcglobal.net maybard Date: Tue Nov 9, 2010 6:36 pm ((PST)) From: "Barbara Easley" <<< If anyone can help get some drum heads for us, I know that there were about 8 of us wanting to do this. Plastic blue barrels cut in half or thirds make a GREAT base! >>> Tandy leather. Rawhide, preferably goat skin - it is thinner than cow, and, in my opinion, sounds better - at least, the drums that I have made sound better with the goat skin. You will need a piece big enough to cover the top of the barrel, plus overlap for the lacing. Soak the rawhide in water till it becomes pliable, cut in circle shape, punch holes at regular intervals along edge, but far enough away from edge that the lacing won't tear through. I also use rawhide lacing. How you lace it depends on the base - if top is wider than the middle, then you can run a lace around the middle, and take your lacing around that. Otherwise, you might have to drill holes in the base to run the lacing through. Lace loosly at first, until the head is laced around and more or less centered on the base, then go back and tighten everything up. As the head dries, it will tighten and sound better and better. I've been told that oiling rawhide drum heads will help protect it from dew and night dampness. Over time, with repeated oilings, the rawhide will become transluscent and almost waterproof, but it will be loose right after an oiling, and will need to dry a bit to tighten up. If it does get damp, the sound will become dull, but a few minutes carefully holding it over a hot fire usually fixes the problem, at least for a little while. If the rawhide gets loose during regular usage, dampen the rawhide, then let dry, and it should tighten back up. Melandra, who, yes, includes drum making among the various things she has tried... To: Gleann Abhann (mail list) Subject: Re: WAR DRUMS FOR GULF WARS! Posted by: "Catherine Koehler" hccartck at yahoo.com hccartck Date: Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:31 pm ((PST)) Dear Duchess and others... I posted last year about a way to make the drums using sonotubes (contractors use them..ask for throwaways) They are a VERY sturdy paper used for concrete columns and come in different dimensions. They are easy to cut on a saw, and easy to paint. I actually wet the goatskins and then STAPLE them to the cardboard with a power stapler. Then I cover the staples with cord wrapped around the head. They are incredible sounding! I have made these for several years for an African heritage dance grant but they are just as easily medieval depending on how you embellish them. Just thought I would throw those ideas out there for the group to chew on for awhile! Aine --- On Thu, 11/11/10, Barbara Easley wrote: We are making them... isn't that what the SCA does? I have pickle buckets, and blue plastic barrels. I've cut the tops off, and am using different sizes of barrel to make different pitch drums. Get a goatskin from Tandy (see previous post) and some rawhide string. Cut the skin a little bigger then the head circumference. Poke holes regularly around it. Wet it down, tighten the strings evenly around it, and wait for it to dry. I'll paint them and decorate them to hide their pickle-bucketness and barrel-ness . DRUM!! Ilissa