'your' drum
made for you. You can look at drums that have already been made and see some of the many different syles and details that are available. Or you can simply order a drum,
click here to go directly to the contact page.
All my drums are made to the highest standards with materials
sourced in an ethical and sustainable way. The skins are from Deer who live on either Dartmoor or Exmoor, some are farmed, some wild.
Making a drum from these skins is an exquisite way to respectfully use
parts of the animal which would otherwise be wasted. The skins are prepared by me using the very ancient technique of soaking them in Lye (wood ash) and then scraping the hair from them.
The iron ring which I usually use within the lacing at the back (It
makes the drum more stable to hold) is forged by our local blacksmith
Greg Abel in Moretonhampstead and the hoops are made in the UK from timber from
sustainably managed woodland. Leather used to bind the hand hold at the
back of the drum and to cover the head and handle of the drum-stick is recycled
from old clothing. The inside of the head of the stick is made either from organic wool
hand spun by me or recycled wool, again from old clothing. The stick itself is usually Holly or Hazel and is
gathered in a respectful way which does not harm the continued good
health of the remaining tree.
There are essentially two ways to go about deciding on how your drum should be. The first is that you can decide everything: You chose the size of your drum, the colour of the material that binds the hoop, the colour of the leather used to make the handle and stick. You choose whether there is colour or glyphs inside the hoop and exactly what the art
work looks like. The second way is that you simply ask me to make 'your' drum. I journey on what it needs to be and spirit makes all the choices listed above. There are of course many middle grounds between these two ways of going about it. It's up to you. 
