one of the coolest things i saw at bonnaroo was the booth where you could build your own drum! i would totally love to try this- it requires a little effort but the end result makes it totally worth it!
unless you have the ability to carve your own drum shell, you’ll probably need to buy a shell and drum head to start out with. some websites sell kits with all the supplies you need – find some here and here.
once you have all the supplies, here’s a step by step tutorial on how to make your drum!
what you need:
- djembe drum shell
- djembe drum head
- metal rings
- djembe ropes
- hammer
- wood glue
1. apply a 1 inch circular strip of glue along the top edge of the drum shell.
2. grasp the drum head on opposite ends and pull with your hands. pull enough to stretch the head out and be careful not to break it. this stretching allows the natural fibers to become acclimated to the tension exerted on them during use on the drum shell.
3. pull the edges of the drum head over the glued rim of the drum. the head sits taut over the drum shell, with about 2 inches of drum head hanging over each side.
4. place the metal ring over the drum head. it stations loosely over the side of the drum, with the edge of the drum head between the ring and the shell.
5. lace djembe rope between the metal ring and the drum head, creating a crisscross pattern from top to bottom of the drum shell. this rope provides additional pressure on the metal ring and drum head, securing both firmly to the drum shell.
6. hammer the metal ring into the drum shell to tighten its grip on the drum head. this ring and the glue on the drum rim insure that your drum head can take the pressure of use when your drum is complete.
you can personalize your drum with hand-painted decorations, and at bonnaroo they were even tie-dyeing the drum head, it looked really cool!
this girl was painting her drum shell wearing one of our dresses!
instructions found here.
