Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
christmas card
i got a christmas card in the mail today. it said, "may this christmas be your happiest yet."
it was a very sweet card, but i wouldn't place any bets.
it was a very sweet card, but i wouldn't place any bets.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
the tapan is done!
I finally finished repairs on the ol' tapan drum. I think I did a good enough job to make any Macedonian proud.
This is the shell. It's from Skopje.
It was a long process with a steep learning curve, but it was worth it.
I decided to make the heads myself, which involves getting a goatskin first.
This is a goatskin cut into a circle and a wooden hoop.
I also had two calfskins already mounted on hoops from a previous repair job. I decided to use
one of the calfskins for the beater side of the drum. They're just too heavy to use on the switch side, which needs to be a thin head so you get a crisp, snappy sound that slowly deteriorates the upper frequency range of your bandmates' hearing.
So to free up one of the hoops, I had to soak one of the calfskins until it was pliable, then removed it from the hoop.
Once the calfskin was removed, the hoop was ready to use, so I soaked the thinner, more appropriate, less smelly goatskin in the tub.
After it was thoroughly wet and pliable, I wrapped it around the wooden hoop. Then I used woodworking clamps to stretch the skin over the shell of the drum. This is essential for making sure the heads fit the drum the right way and that they're eventually able to be tuned.
At first I had five clamps. This was too few for a 20" drum. As the skin started drying, I could see the hoop getting pulled up off of the shell by the contracting skin. Basically, the hoop was starting to warp. It would have worked fine, but I wanted to make this the best I could, so I started the whole project over. I bought three more clamps (for a total of eight), re-soaked the skin, then did the clamping process again.
This is the insufficient five clamp set-up. This was proven to be a waste of time.
It worked much better the second time...
Yes! The eight clamp set-up. Success.
Then you have to wait as the skin dries. I'm told that you should wait a couple days at least, but this goatskin was so thin it only took overnight. I started to lace the drum together with twine, but realized that the calfskin head I wanted to use for the beater side wasn't fitting on the shell right. So, I filled up the bathtub once again, soaked the calfskin, then did the whole clamping process again.
This is a calfskin on a hoop, soaking in a bathtub.
Once that head was dry, I knew both drumheads were form-fitted and ready to be laced up. The lacing took awhile but once it was done, I knew I had my drum back in fighting shape! I opted for green nylon seine twine. I believe it's size 18, tested to withstand a weight of 155 lbs. Next time I am getting once size higher. The twine will hold, but it would be nice if it were just a little thicker for ease of manipulation.
Bonus points for people that know what the badge says!
This is the shell. It's from Skopje.
It was a long process with a steep learning curve, but it was worth it.
I decided to make the heads myself, which involves getting a goatskin first.
This is a goatskin cut into a circle and a wooden hoop.
I also had two calfskins already mounted on hoops from a previous repair job. I decided to use
one of the calfskins for the beater side of the drum. They're just too heavy to use on the switch side, which needs to be a thin head so you get a crisp, snappy sound that slowly deteriorates the upper frequency range of your bandmates' hearing.
So to free up one of the hoops, I had to soak one of the calfskins until it was pliable, then removed it from the hoop.
Once the calfskin was removed, the hoop was ready to use, so I soaked the thinner, more appropriate, less smelly goatskin in the tub.
After it was thoroughly wet and pliable, I wrapped it around the wooden hoop. Then I used woodworking clamps to stretch the skin over the shell of the drum. This is essential for making sure the heads fit the drum the right way and that they're eventually able to be tuned.
At first I had five clamps. This was too few for a 20" drum. As the skin started drying, I could see the hoop getting pulled up off of the shell by the contracting skin. Basically, the hoop was starting to warp. It would have worked fine, but I wanted to make this the best I could, so I started the whole project over. I bought three more clamps (for a total of eight), re-soaked the skin, then did the clamping process again.
This is the insufficient five clamp set-up. This was proven to be a waste of time.
It worked much better the second time...
Yes! The eight clamp set-up. Success.
Then you have to wait as the skin dries. I'm told that you should wait a couple days at least, but this goatskin was so thin it only took overnight. I started to lace the drum together with twine, but realized that the calfskin head I wanted to use for the beater side wasn't fitting on the shell right. So, I filled up the bathtub once again, soaked the calfskin, then did the whole clamping process again.
This is a calfskin on a hoop, soaking in a bathtub.
Once that head was dry, I knew both drumheads were form-fitted and ready to be laced up. The lacing took awhile but once it was done, I knew I had my drum back in fighting shape! I opted for green nylon seine twine. I believe it's size 18, tested to withstand a weight of 155 lbs. Next time I am getting once size higher. The twine will hold, but it would be nice if it were just a little thicker for ease of manipulation.
Bonus points for people that know what the badge says!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
