SHAMAN DRUM MAKING

PLAYSHOP DESCRIPTION & ORDER FORM

This PlayShop length is from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a 30 minutes lunch break. Please bring a bag lunch and a journal to class.
Go to registration form to receive additional information about the class location and your instructor. Thank you.

Shaman Drum Making PlayShop

Come and share in the joy and empowerment of handcrafting your own one-sided Native American Prayer Drum, in a ritual and ceremonial setting. Experience a Shamanic Journey to receive the purpose of your drum and how to use it in your life. Learn how to create sacred space for your shamanic journeys, how to drum to induce a shamanic trance and how to close sacred space. Unless it is raining, we will be outdoors, please dress appropriately.

The payment for your kit must be received 10 days before the workshop date.
Please view the registration form for exact dates of workshops and due date for your order.

All kits include a maple frame with Elk skin choice or bleached or natural. Price of kit includes all supplies to make the drum plus the shipping & processing fee.
The price of your kit is independent of the workshop fee of $100 payable at the door or with your kit order. CC accepted with 4% surcharge.

PLEASE READ: All the hides and lace will be soaked for you overnight for the next day workshop. If you fail to attend the day of the workshop, you will need to purchase a new hide for your drum. There is no refund for kits that have been soaked and the owner did not show to the workshop. If something keeps you from attending the day of the workshop: please call the number on the order from so the hide and lace form your kit are nor soaked ovvernight. Workshop is limited to 10 participants unless otherwise specified. Please choose the correct size and type of hide on the form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers are based on my own expereince with drummming and making drums.

What to bring?
All the tools are provided for making your drum. Please bring a bag lunch and drink of choice. I will provide snacks and water and teas. Do wear comfortable clothing. The process is not soiling but you are working with a wet skin. We will be outdoors under canopy for this workshop. Bring sunscreen hats or anything that will make you comfortable. You may also bring a sacred object for our altar that you will take back before you leave.

What size hide should I get?
First remember that the larger and thicker the skin the deeper the sound. That said you also what to take in consideration if you will be travelling with your drum and how it feels in your hands as well as its weight. A 15" Elk drum with Maple Frame weights about 1.5 to 1.8 lb.
I like to hold my drum close to my elbow so I can at time touch the inside of the drum to produce different sounds. Anything above 16" for me forces me to balance the drum on my wrist, which becomes tiring during lengthy drum circles. This calls for resting the drum on my lap and that muffles the sound – not something I want to do. Note that the length between the center of my palm and the inside of my elbow is 9”.

Should I choose natural or bleached elk?
Aside from the idea that the animal skin has been treated both skin are of the same strength and quality. Here you can see the different tones from Right to left: Deer natural and bleached, then Elk natural and bleached, then Buffalo, Moose and Horse; (though I have to say that my horse drum looks more like the Buffalo in color tone.)
Right click on image for a larger view in a new window.
This picture shown here, only gives an approximation of what you may expect. Each animal is different and therefore the hide will have different markings and tones. In general the bleached are more even with less markings and lighter in tome. Elk is usually golden with some brown and tan markings more prominent in natural.

Why do you only offer elk and do you offer other animal hide?
This is a question that arises often especially for those who have Buffalo, Horse Deer or Moose as a Power Animal and in such instance I will offer the option to get such rawhide for your drum kit. But before you ask lets consider the reason why Elk is chosen for this workshop.
Elk is the easiest skin to work with for first time drum makers. The skin is stronger than deer, which is recommended for any, drum less than 15". However Elk offers a wider range of size from 14' to 20". Special order can be arranged for Deer, Cow, Horse, Buffalo and Moose. A 12" kit is available for children (easier to make that the 10"). There is a extra charge of $10 for Moose and Buffalo hide.
The last three hide on the picture above, are twice as thick as Elk and require some muscle to work into a nice drum. Not impossible just a little more challenging. And because I help each person during the drum making process, I would not be able to spend more time with one individual who choose a more difficult drum to make. On the other hand I offer a one on one Drum Making session at $50 per hour.

Can I get a different frame for my drum?
Yes you may get a cedar frame or an 8, 13 or 16 sided cedar frame. While these are a good durable frame we don't recommend any of the Cedar frames for an inexperienced drum maker. If this is your first time making a drum the round frame will be a better choice. If you have questions regarding the frames please call us to discuss your needs before placing an online order. (203-980-4103)

Can you ship the drum kit to me?
No. The purpose of this PayShop is to create a beautiful sacred Native American hoop drum for healing and transcendental experience in community and reverence to the life of the animal.

Please contact me if you have any other questions.

PLEASE REGISTER TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE IN THIS WORKSHOP

Choose your size and style of drum cedar or maple frame and the type of hide, Elk, Moose or Deer.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS EARN $10 TOWARD YOUR NEXT TRAINING

Recommend our classes and remind your friend to give "your" name when they fill out their registration form.