I Can Get (some) Satisfaction

‘Twas the day after Christmas, and I wanted to do something. I did two somethings.

This four-inch drum is made from a section of PVC sewer pipe. It has a bright tone, loud for its size.

2280r-minidrum

The striker is not only proportional to the drum, it is ideally suited to bring out the best sound from it. A drum responds differently according to how, where, and with what it is struck. Size, weight, and consistency of the striking head mean a lot.

I had to have a rain-stick. The upcoming series of drum circles wouldn’t be the same without one. No spare cash to blow since I used all my mad-money for rawhide, but my house is full of…stuff. Not content with traditional methods of construction with my non-traditional materials, I brainstormed. The result: Instead of drilling or poking holes in a tube, I inserted tortured wires. I have a big spool of aluminum welding wire that I bought at a garage sale for a song. It is an indispensible source of stiff yet bendable wire for hundreds of uses.

wire wire-side

It works. It takes a few yards, and it is probably best to form it in several sections, stuffing each in separately. The coils should hold themselves in place by tension against the sides.

I did a little bit of writing too 🙂