In this article I want to share the options available if you’d like to get your own frame/shamanic drum. There are many options to choose from and I hope I’ll make nagivating that decision easier for you!

As I created the 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 realise just how much expertise you’ve accumulated, but you did not know until you stopped to reflect on it ? 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! 

At the time of writing this, I own over 25 drums. I’m going to tell you about the categories, the pros and cons of each, and how much a drum cost to buy, including some real unexpected bargains. I’m also going to tell you about 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. 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.

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

Frame drum categories:

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 sometimes canvas type 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 2 main synthetic drums: A 16 inches Remo Buffalo drum (A misnomer as the drum is made of a synthetic skin) and a 16 inches Remo Bahia Bass Buffalo drum (it has a deeper sound than the normal Remo Buffalo). I also have a couple of synthetic Kanjiras (a small Indian drum with a jingle), and a small 8 inches hand held synthetic Remo which I mostly use for display, as the sound is too high pitched for my liking.

Synthetic drum Advantages

• Good, reliable sound (this applies only to reputable brands, see below on what to avoid)
• 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 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.

German company Thomann has sound samples of Remo drums (and many other drum) on their website. 

Drums made from animal hide
I own 22 different 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 with your own hands
• Unique spirit and energy (and different hides from different animals, each with their own unique energy)
• You can buy them ready made, have them custom made, or make them your own 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, moisture & 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, for example in the car)
• 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
  • Painted drum from Lusio Art, UK
  • Veleslav Voron at Shaman drums (Ukraine)
  • Juha Jarvinen at Yxpila Art (Finland)

One affordable skin drum option is the Irish Bodhran. Whilst it is not officially designed as a shamanic drum it works perfectly for that purpose. A bodhran usually comes with a wooden stick called a tipper, and you’ll need a soft beater instead but these are very easy to make (a foraged stick and a stuffed sock or piece of felt attached to the stick with a string or elastic, or watch this video). Or you could buy a beater to go with your drum. Drum beaters come in factory or handmade versions. There are plenty of handmade ones on Etsy.

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.

When it comes to acquiring a skin drum, you can either buy one ready made, have something make a custom drum for you, or (the ultimate experience in my opinion), attend a workshop with a skilled drum making teacher, and make your own.

Size matters

With any drum, the bigger the drum, the deeper the sounds ( though I have sometimes seen smallish drums with surprisingly deep sound). For a starter drum I recommend something between 12 and 16 inches diameter. Really big drums (20 to 22 inches diameter) have beautiful, deep, resonant sound, but they can be tricky to hold and carry.

A few other people I have either seen drums made by (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

Quality matters. If at all possible try to listen to the sound of the drum before you buy. There are many cheap drums on Amazon for example, which are poor quality. They would be ok for a small child to play with. I was surprised when visiting Djoliba, a big percussion shop in Toulouse, France, to see a tiny drum cost more than some much bigger ones. The shop keeper explained that the tiny one I was looking at was handmade by a very well known drum company called Cooperman in the US, whereas the shelf of bigger drums I was looking at where factory made in India.

Sadly there are also fake drums. A lot of what’s sold on Facebook ads, Ebay or Amazon are often fakes/copies of real drum, made in China. People simply copy the artist’s pictures, and print and glue them on a plastic drum the size of my hand. Because they use the real artist pictures in the listing, what you think you’re getting and the reality are completely different, 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 for £30 on Facebook. I knew something wasn’t right, so I contacted him and he told me about the stealing of pictures, and the cheap copies, and about not being able to do anything about it because if he reports a shop, another shop pops up the next day. A friend bought such a drum and she sent me pictures of a crappy plastic drum not even good  enough 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.  Remember: 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!