Frame drums are among the most ancient of musical instruments, having been around since ~6000 BCE. They likely originated from the flat pans used for shaking husks off grain. Variations of them can be found all over the world: the North African tar, the Irish bodhran, the Japanese uchiwa daiko, the Dominican Republic’s tambora, the Uzbeki variant on a tambourine. Some are used for accompanying music and dance, and others help medicine people enter the spirit world.
Nearly everywhere they are played, frame drums carry not only music but also strong sacred or ceremonial associations. Frame drums with one or two heads are used for shamanic purposes by tribal peoples across Central Asia, Siberia, northern Europe such as Norway and Finland, and parts of North America.
When I made my first frame drum back in 1985, I had no idea how to do it. I knew I wanted to work with them, but had no money to buy one and also had the feeling that I should really make it myself. The process of learning how, by doing it, is one of my most spiritually powerful personal stories. I’ve since made many more drums, which are now in the hands of wonderful people all over the planet.
My favorite way to make shamanic drums is to do it upon request and not before, working specifically with the spirits and visions of the person who is to become their partner."
