 Mudrcova ČarodílnaShamanic needs |
How the drum is bornFirst the tree grows. Ash tree. It is choped down, cut and dried. The wood used for the frames must be carefully selected, should not have knots or any defects and must be evenly dried. In most cases, only half of the purchased plank is usable. The wood is then cut, plane smooth and sanded. Then I soak it in the water and place it in a pipe where hot steam is blown. After 6 hours, I take it out and with a hand bender I bend it into a circle. The joint is glued, clamped and allowed to dry. After drying, I sand the frame again, on the inside I fire highlight the growth rings, than infuse it with propolis tincture mixed with beeswax and polish it. After polishing, the joint is secured by stitching. The drum needs to have the handle from behind. There are several ways, and the most common are leather straps that stretch the skin from behind. This method is the simplest, but also the least convenient. In Siberia i got inspired by local technic of handel making. I am using so-called „doll“. It is a handle made of wood (or antler), which is attached to the leather with straps. The drum is then covered with leather. I use exclusively deer skins, only from deers caught in Czech Republic. Cleaning and processing raw hides is not at all a simple matter. The leather is first soaked for several days in water with wood ash, then stretched on a frame, both sides are hand scraped and than the leather is dried. Leather processed in this way has a natural, brown-yellow color. (industrially processed leathers are white after the use of chemicals) A shape according to a specific frame is then cut out of the dried leather and the leather is left to soak in water. Holes are cut along the edges and the leather is stretched over the frame with a soaked rawhide strap. The drum is left to dry and the job is done. Drums with soul The skin on the drum is still alive and constantly working due to humidity. When a drum swells, it loses its sound and cannot be played. An option is to use some kind of heat source and heat the drum... or buy a drum with an inner tube :-) Here, the inner tube from the bike is inserted between the frame and the skin, and the drum is tuned with a pump. Drums with Soul can drum even in the rain and you don't need a heat source. You can see how it looks in practice in the video: Video drums with soul 1 Video drums with soul 2 Drumsticks A mallet is an inherent part of a drum. Shamans say that the drum is the ship to other worlds...and the mallet is the paddle. For drumming, I can basically use a piece of branch, the end of which I wrap with cloth. The mallets from Čarodílna are elaborate and I use fur to sew the head, the mallet has a deeper, more rumbling sound. You can find an offer of drumsticks here. Drum care If you want the drum to accompany you as long as possible, you need to give it proper care. Leather is an organic material, and as I mentioned before, it works with moisture and heat. If it is wet, its sound will resemble the slapping of a rag against the surface of water, if it is warm for a long time, it will instead sound like you are hitting a garbage can with a stick. In the first case, it will help to heat or pump it... in the second case, you need to moisten the skin - rub all parts of the skin with a wet palm, or you can use a water sprayer. A properly tuned drum should have a deep, booming sound. If you are heating the drum with a heat source, you should always hold your palm in front of the drum...the skin on your hand will never last as long as the skin on the drum. This will avoid possible heat damage to the drum. The drum must be stored at room temperature, in a dry place and away from sources of radiant heat. If it is permanently wet, the leather can start to mold. If you leave it in the sun in the summer, or lie in the car...you can say goodbye to it. Temperatures above 40 degrees it will cause the leather to crack, or the force of the shrunken leather may also cause the frame to deform. It is definitely a good idea to get a cover for the drum, ideally made of waterproof material. If you are interested in a product, contact us by email or messenger message and we will take a photo of the current product offer. Since each product is original, it is not within our power to keep the offer on the website up-to-date. Prices for shamanic drums range from 200 to 400 Euros 
 Samples of finished drums 
 
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