Drummers will not trouble themselves on how to make drums since no makeshift drum set would ever come close to the sound quality produced by its manufactured counterparts. The challenge is, teaching your kid how to play the drums. A real set of drums will probably confuse your kid, which will lead to the gradual loss of interest. You can create something similar but much simpler just to develop the rhythm, timing and the interest of your kid.
Drum Details
Homemade drums are sometimes viewed as single-sounding toy instruments. You can actually create distinct or multiple sounds by tweaking some of the drum’s details. Here are the factors that you should be aware of, before creating your own makeshift drum set:
Drum Material – Tin cans are the favorites for this department but you can also use other containers made from ceramics, wood, and even tubing. Each of those materials have different properties, which means they produce different sounds when struck. Having several drums made from various materials gives your kid some diversity in playing.
Drumhead – The drumhead is the surface struck by drummers to produce sounds. Wrap a piece of paper or a thin fabric around the drumhead. By doing so, you are adding more treble and lowering the bass of the instrument. You can also stretch the lids of tin cans to create different pitches.
Drumsticks – Normally, a couple of dowels or chopsticks will do as makeshift drumsticks. You can add more dimension to the sound by affixing small materials like beads or bearings to the sticks. Experiment with the small materials until you find the most suitable add-ons for your kid’s playing style.
Types of Homemade Drums
Basic Tin Can Drum
Frame Drum with Paper Wrapping
Canister Drum with Yarn-Wrapped Sticks
Ceramic Drum
Wooden Box Drum
Dual-Pitched Drum
Basic Tin Can Drum
The basic tin can drum is the simplest among all of your possible creations. Tin, when banged with a couple of wooden pegs, sounds more robust than any of the other homemade drum types. It is a necessity for any homemade drum set.
Materials Used:
large milk can
paint
paintbrush
two pencils or chopsticks
Procedure:
Decide on a cool color pattern for your drum.
Paint the patterns on the milk can. Use paint that has a thin consistency, so it will not affect the sound produced by the milk can. You can also wrap the can with paper that has nice designs or illustrations.
When the paint dries, get two pencils or chopsticks and start banging on your neat creation.
Ideally, the can’s bottom is the drum’s playing surface. You can also strike the lid if you want to create treble-heavy beats.
Frame Drum with Paper Wrapping
The frame drum comes as a nice supporting instrument to the basic tin drum. Its paper-covered drumhead sounds like an improvised snare drum. Hear the way both drums sound when played in conjunction and you might find yourself playing with the instruments for hours.
Materials Used:
milk can
8 sheets of parchment paper (big enough to cover the lid of the milk can)
can opener
rubber bands
glue
wood glue
paint
paintbrush
marker
scissors
ruler
drill
compass
2 wooden dowels
2 wooden or resin beads
Procedure:
Position the milk can over a sheet of parchment paper.
Trace the milk can’s circumference using your marker.
Mark one-inch beyond the circumference and make a circle using a compass.
Cut the circle.
Repeat the same process for the seven remaining sheets of parchment paper.
Remove the can’s cover and use a can opener to remove the surrounding metal layers that carry the lid.
Apply glue on the parchment paper and the closed surface of the can.
Press the paper on the surface and sides, then secure it with several rubber bands.
Let the glue dry for 24 hours.
Drill a hole on each bead. Make sure that the hole is big enough to fit the dowel tip.
Apply glue inside the holes and the tips of the dowels.
Fit the dowels into the beads.
If you do not like the sound of tin, you can change the drum’s frame. Good alternative materials for this drum are ceramics, wood and hard plastic. Just follow the same processes when using other frames.
Canister Drum with Yarn-Wrapped Sticks
The problem with tin drums is the level of noise that emits. Make the contraption more friendly to your ears by wrapping the drumhead with paper and the drumsticks with yarn. Your kid can strike the toy as hard as he pleases, without disturbing you or your neighbors.
Materials Used:
oatmeal canister
paint
paintbrush
bond paper
rubber bands
glue
yarn
2 unsharpened pencils
acetate cloth (optional)
Procedure:
Paint designs on the sides of an oatmeal canister. You can also wrap it with sketches or pictures from magazines.
When the paint dries, turn the can over and place one or two sheets of bond paper on the can’s bottom layer.
Glue the paper to the layer, then tie several rubber bands to the excess paper’s excess portions on the side of the can. If you are not satisfied with the sound of paper, you can replace it with acetate cloth.
Remove the can’s lid to create a richer sound.
Wrap the unsharpened pencils with yarn. Cover the entire pencil from eraser the down to its flat tip.
Tie a knot at the end of the pencil. Reinforce the yarn’s connection with glue, if necessary.
The canister drum is actually an alternative version of the frame drum. The primary difference is, you can control the noise better with this version. If you choose, you can also use the yarn-wrapped sticks on frame drums.
Ceramic Drum
Ceramic drums produce thinner sounds as compared to the other drum types. Its thick surface absorbs sound, which makes the drum a pretty silent contraption, given the standards of percussion instruments. You only need a sheer strip of paper to keep the noise level down.
Creating the ceramic drum is similar to the canister or the frame drum, only the drumsticks need not be wrapped with yarn. All you need to do is to find a small clay pot, paint it with designs, cover the drumhead one or two sheets of paper and you can let your kid have a go at the makeshift instrument. Make sure that the pot that you will select for the drum’s frame is durable enough to withstand continuous abuse from the drumsticks.
Wooden Box Drum
The wooden box drum is tricky to create, unless you’re adept at carpentry. This makeshift instrument is frequently used in acoustic setups, due to the variety of tones that it generates.
Materials Used:
4 planks of wood (6 x 8 inches)
12 finishing nails
hammer
mechanical drill
pencil
wood glue
coping saw
varnish/paint
Procedure:
Draw the letters I, L, Z and H on the four planks. Make the letters large, leaving only an inch from the edges of the planks.
Use a mechanical drill to bore holes on the angles of each pattern.
Cut out the patterns using a coping saw. If you don’t have a coping saw, you can borrow from your neighbors or purchase one from a hardware store.
Position the planks to form a box.
Glue and nail the planks’ edges. Make sure that all the connections are secure.
With the frame ready, you can now paint patterns or go for the classic look by finishing with varnish.
Strike different portions of the box and you will hear tapping sounds with various pitches. Given its characteristics, the wooden box drum blends well with an acoustic guitar.
Dual-Pitched Drum
The dual-pitched drum is similar to the basic tin drum. The only difference is, its drumhead has a slightly bent region. The normal portion of the drumhead sounds like a basic tin drum, while the bent portion sounds a bit thinner and has a higher pitch.
To make a dual-pitched drumhead, you need to mark the region on the bottom surface of a tin can. Hammer the marked region with relatively weak force to avoid damaging the drumhead. When the drumhead has been created, you can follow the creation procedure of the basic tin drum.
Timeless Enjoyment from a Temporary Instrument
Your kid wouldn’t be stimulated to play, if the homemade drum doesn’t sound robust and bends rather easily. If you make the homemade drum with careful precision, it may become a part of your kid’s treasured memories when he grows up or establishes his name in the music industry.
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