As I’m created content for my Drumming for Birth course , I had one of those beautiful “aha” moments while explaining how to choose a drum. You know those times when you suddenly realize just how much expertise you’ve accumulated? As someone with ADHD, one of my superpowers is the ability to hyperfocus on subjects that fascinate me – and drums have certainly been one of those subjects! 

I own 25 drums, 7 of which I made myself with 3 different people. I’m going to tell you about the categories, the pros and cons of each, and how much drums cost to buy, including some real unexpected bargains, and what to avoid.

The type of drums I use are frame drums. One of the oldest known musical instruments, frame drums are found in various forms across many cultures worldwide and play significant roles in spiritual or ceremonial contexts. They are sometimes referred to as shamanic drums. A frame drum is a simple percussion instrument, typically circular in shape, consisting of a round wooden frame 2-4 inches deep, with a single drumhead stretched over one side. They can be played with the hand, or with a beater. The drumhead is traditionally made from animal skin, but synthetic materials are also used in modern versions. The skin is usually secured to the frame with lacing. Frame drums produce a warm, resonant tone and are capable of a wide range of sounds, from deep booms to crisp, high-pitched tones.

For my work I use frame drums with a handle, the kind that is played by hitting it with a soft beater rather than by the hand.

Frame drums come into 2 main categories: the ones that are made of animal skin (known as hide), and ones that are made of synthetic skin (plastic material, or fabric). 

Size matters: the bigger the drum, the deeper the sound. As a rule of thumb, I would suggest you start with something no smaller than 14 or 16 inches for a good sound. Tiny drums do not usually sound great. Really big drums  (20 inches and above) have a beautiful deep sound by they can be unwieldy to carry and hold.

Synthetic drums

I have 3 main synthetic drums: A 16 inches Remo Buffalo drum (A misnomer as the drum is made of a synthetic skin), a 16 inches Remo Bahia Bass Buffalo drum (it has a deeper sound than the normal Remo Buffalo), and a 20 inches drum made of yurt fabric from French maker Philippe Jalbert. I also have a tiny 8 inches hand held synthetic Remo which I mostly use for display, as the sound is too high pitched for my liking.

Synthetic drums:

Synthetic drum Advantages

• Good, reliable quality sound
• Sounds remains the same regardless of weather/water/temperature
• If you play outdoors like I do,  and live in a cold country, you’ll be grateful to have a synthetic drum. You can play it in all weathers, even play it in the pouring rain, without the sound being affected. I’ve even taken mine inside sweat lodges and saunas.
• These drums are typically cheaper than a skin drum, a Remo Buffalo Drum costs about £115 for a 16 inches drum

Synthetic drum disadvantages

• Remo drums are made in a factory. Although all drums have their own spirit, and you can connect to the spirit of a drum even made of synthetic material, I personally feel that they have less “spirit” than hand made drums.

Thomann has sound samples of Remo drums (and others) on their website. 

The tunable yurt fabric drum I have was made by Philippe Jalbert in France. My brother Olivier, a professional musician owns a different make which is also made of yurt fabric and tunable, and I find the sound of his drum to be deeper and better quality than mine, You can see him playing it here. There are about 3 or 4 manufacturers of such fabric drums in France. 

Drums made from animal hide
I own 20 skin drums, 7 of which I made myself in drum birthing workshops or on my own, and the others I bought or received as gifts.

Skin drums advantages

• Unique, beautiful, individual drums
• Handmade by cottage industry businesses or by your own hands
• Unique spirit and energy
• You can make your own or have them to your own preference and style (including adding symbols, crystals, painting them etc)
• 

Skin drums disadvantages

• The quality can vary a lot & there are fakes (more on that below)
• They are sensitive to weather & temperature. In winter you need a fire to warm them up if outdoors or in cold weather
• They can get damaged by heat or moisture (you cannot play them in the rain and you have to the careful not to leave them somewhere hot)
• Because they are handmade, they tend to be pricey (from £150 to £300 or more)

I have skin drums from the following makers, and I trust and recommend their work:

• Melonie Syrett at The Drum woman (UK)
• Carolyn Hillyer , UK (though I’m not sure she’s making any to order anymore at the time I write this) 
• Jonathan Weekes of Heron Drums, UK
• Custom painted drum from Lusio Art, UK
• Veleslav Voron at Shaman drums (Ukraine)
• Juha Jarvinen at Yxpila Art (Finland)
• Malbar drum (traditional drum from Reunion Island) bought from Djoliba (France)

One affordable skin drum option: The Irish Bodhran. It typically comes with a wooden stick called a tipper, and you’ll need a soft beater instead but these are very easy to make (with a foraged stick and a stuffed sock or piece of felt attached to the stick with a string or elastic. I have made several beaters. Or you could buy a beater to go with your drum-they also come in factory or home made versions).

My first drum was a Bodhran, bought by my parents in Ireland from the oldest bodhran maker in Ireland, Malachy Kearns, and gifted to me. Malachy Kearns bodhrans start at 130 euros, however I have found such bodhrans available second hand on Ebay or Facebook marketplace for as little as £30 to 40. Another well known bodhran brand is Waltons. Just make sure to buy one that is a decent size.

A few other people I have either seen drums made by, or heard of being reputable drum makers (some run drum birthing workshops and also sell kits to make your own drum)

• Driftwood hollow drums (UK)
• Rachel Crow drums (UK)
• Shammantrommer (Danemark)

General instruments shops that sell drums and other musical instruments in the UK:

• https://www.knockonwood.co.uk/
• https://www.soundtravels.co.uk/

A list of makers recommended by knowledgeable friends (but I haven’t seen any of these drums myself)

What to avoid when buying a drum

Sadly there are a lot of fake drums. A lot of what’s sold on Facebook ads, Ebay or Amazon is often fakes made in China, where someone has copied the artist’s pictures, but what you get is a plastic drum the size of my hand with a picture glued on. The drums made by Velenslav Voron for example, are so distinctive in style that I  instantly recognised one of his designs on a Facebook ad selling for £30 on Facebook. I knew something wasn’t right. I contacted him and he told me about the stealing and the cheap copies, and not being able to do anything about it. A friend bought such a drum and she sent me pictures of a crappy plastic drum not even good for a child, with the picture and surrounding tape peeling off. Currently you can buy drums that look like the Shaman Drums from Ukraine for under £10 on Aliexpress.  Ask yourself: if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.  Get recommendations, and if possible, get to see and try before you buy.

I hope this is helpful, and if you end up buying a drum with the help of this post I’d love it if you posted a picture of your drum in the comments

Happy drumming!