David's Drums
Artist's Statement
Drum making is my passion. Following a trip to Mexico in June of 2007 I left my "real job" of 21 years and on July 4, 2007 I made my first drum. This first drum, shown during construction, now resides in the children's class room at the Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains.
Many of my current drums are the Ashiko style, also called a Boku in Cuba. The Ashiko is a cousin of the traditional African Djembe. They speak the same language, but with a slightly different dialect. This style is common in West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The drums I make don't fit any regional style, I call them Mutts. Each drum has a unique look and sound.
I have made many other styles of drums including the Engoma, a Congalese style drum that is over four feet tall. I am currently completing a set of Djun Djun's, a set of three double headed drums played with a traditional Djembe ensemble.
The drum shell is made of staves, much like a wine barrel. The staves are cut from sustainable and domestic wood varieties such as poplar, alder, oak, cherry, walnut, hickory, maple, beech and eucalyptus. After the bevel and taper is cut on each stave and the shell glued up, I turn it on a wood lathe to smooth the surface and shape the top edge and foot. The drum shell is then finished with multiple applications of a wipe on finish and bee's wax. The head is attached with steel rings wrapped with cloth and low stretch cord using a traditional "Mali Weave".
Allow life to unfold, then do the next obvious thing. Adyashanti