Hand Made Process

Making a handmade shaman drum from raw buffalo hide is a deeply traditional and sacred process that requires patience, respect for materials, and careful timing. 

We invite you to read this short information guide as we cover in some detail the steps involved in creating our drums so that you have a better understanding of the process and what we do.

We cover hoop making, hide selection, soaking, lacing, tightening, drying, and honouring the animal and tree.

Choosing and Preparing the Frame (Hoop)

We use mainly selected Mulberry wood for its strength, we can also use Red Oak, Ash or Willow to make our round and oval drums frames but tend to stick to Mulberry for quality.

  1. We select green wood or thin strips, avoiding any blemishes, insect damage, cracks or knots. Depending on the drum size the strips will vary in thickness and width.
    Generally strips are (¼–½ inch thick, 2~3 inches wide).
  2. The strips are bent into a round shape, we use a steam box or boil the strips layered flat for two hours to make them pliable.
  3. The next step is to form the boiled or steamed sheets into a hoop around a circular mould to hold the wood strips into place. The frame is clamped into place securely to maintain its shape and secured correctly.
  4. The newly formed hoop must rest in place to dry. This process can take 24–48 hours at room temperature. Drying naturally allowing for slow air-drying to prevent any cracking.
  5. Once the hoop is dry, we must glue the join, we use a high quality nontoxic wood glue and clamp again for a few hours until solid.
  6. We must now carefully sand the frame around the edges to create a smooth surface. Sometimes we may use a wax on the frame too for preservation. This is crucial to avoid any damage to the hide.

The frame is now ready to receive the Hide.

Selecting and Preparing the Rawhide

We work with raw buffalo hides that are individually inspected and quality checked under bright light. We check for cleanliness, thickness, and free from scars or holes. (animals can brush against barb wire, fight and have injuries, parasites, skin conditions etc.. all affecting the quality of the hide)

Ideally we try to use back or shoulder sections as they are strongest and even in thickness.
We use a medium thickness hide. Thicker hides add pressure to the frame, and can absorb more humidity from the air and affect tuning. Too thin and you get a drum that may not be as long lasting.

Cleaning the hide:

(Our hides are hand picked and ready processed, but here are the steps done at cleaning stage for us)

  1. Residual flesh and fat is scraped off using a fleshing knife or scraper.
  2. The hide is rinsed thoroughly several times to remove dirt and salt (some hides are pre-salted for preservation).
  3. De-hair the hide (not if we make a hide with hair), we soak the hide in wood ash and water or lime solution for 1–2 days, then scrape the animal hair off.

Wetting and Preparing the Hide for Stretching

Rehydration (Wetting) If the hide is dry:

  1. The hide is soaked in lukewarm water for about 12~24 hours, depending on thickness.
  2. The soaking hide is check periodically — We want it pliable, not slimy.
  3. Once the hide is suitably soft, it is rinsed again thoroughly and let to rest in a cool place to equalise moisture.  Over-soaking can cause the fibres to weaken or stretch unevenly.

Cutting the Drumhead

  1. The drumhead is cut 2–3 inches larger in diameter than the frame.
  2. We also need rawhide lacing strips about ¼ inch wide. Typically we need about 20–30 feet in lengths depending on the lacing and grip design and drum diameter.

Punching Holes in the Hide

This is done after soaking and softening the hide, when it’s fully pliable.
Punching the holes while the hide is too dry will crack or tear; if too wet, the holes may stretch unevenly.

Timing is important, this is done just before lacing, while the hide is damp, flexible, and evenly softened.

  1. The holes position are marked  around the edge, typically about 1 inch apart,
    sometimes closer depending on the lacing or grip design, the holes must line up evenly to keep the lacing symmetrical.  A common pattern is 16–24 holes for mid-sized drums.
  2. We use a leather punch tool to pierce holes into the hide, keeping holes punched straight down to avoid angled, weak holes.  It is important to keep the holes evenly spaced. Symmetry = better tension and sound.

Lacing Process

  1. Timing is of the essence, we hold the edges of the hide over the rim and lace across the back in a star or spiderweb pattern, keeping an even tension as we go — The rawhide lace will tighten naturally when drying.
    Lacing can take one to three hours depending on the lacing pattern and grip design. This requires a great deal of skill and concentration.

Drying Conditions

The drum needs to breathe, it is hung in a cool, shaded, well-ventilated area, avoiding contact with sunlight or heat, these can warp the hoop or crack the hide.

Drying Times can vary from drum to drum.
With goat or other hides it is normally 24~48hours drying time. As we use thicker buffalo hides, drying times can be 3~4 days depending on humidity and hide thickness.

Our skilled drum makers know it’s ready when the sound becomes crisp and the surface feels tight and hard.

Final Finishing

The hide receives a conditioning treatment, by lightly applying natural oil or beeswax blend on the back the back (not the striking face to prevent brittleness).
We generally sell our drums natural and with no decorations or paint. 
From time to time we may make a series using a natural dyes, colouring the hide or lacing.

We think it is important for you to customise your own drum as you wish.
You can add crystals, feathers, or get an artist to paint the face with animals, sacred symbols etc...

As you can see each step above takes time and care, which is why each drum is a unique instrument made with care, attention and skill at priced accordingly.

Lower priced drums generally use cheaper less reliable frame materials, such as ply or willow, thinner hides, thinner and not so intricate lacing, even rope lacing.
Some quality control measures may be overlooked too.

A Spirit Groove drum will last you for many years if looked after correctly.
Generally one drum a day is made, however if we include making the frames, processing the hide , lacing and drying takes about 5 days for each drum.

There are much more expensive drums out there too, these tend to be featuring beautiful artwork or wooden carved handles, oak frames, or crystal in the grip etc..

We have our drums built the traditional way, ready for you to personalise later as you see fit.

Our drum making process is ceremonial, honouring and thanking the animal and tree
in the process. 

Furthermore we also smudge the drum when we have completed the drum with white sage.

We chose Buffalo hides as they produce deep, resonant tones, best for grounding or earth-connection rituals.

Drum Bonding Ceremony

We want you to love your drum as much as we do, so we also offer a personal & private one to one session where you can come over at the Haybarn in Shropshire,  and spend 1 hour hand picking your personal drum in private.

You have plenty of time to play and try as many as you wish so that you can find "your" personal drum. 

In this one to one you will have Teas included, we will do a drum bonding ceremony to honour the animal, and tree. This includes smudging your drum and a drum journey and drum meditation with Daniel.