Drum-making eBooks
High Energy Drums' ebooks on making ethnic percussion instruments are based on 15 years making gourd and Native American Style stave drums and other ethnic instruments, 30 years writing and teaching at colleges and universities, and 40 years woodworking. Our e-books are extensively illustrated with photographs and drawings. In addition, we use a step-by-step building process and include many tips and shortcuts that ease the building process considerably. You can download chapter samples for free to insure that the book you're interested in meets your needs before you buy it.Our e-Books:
Making a Tongue DrumMaking a Gourd Thumb Piano
Making a Native American Stave Drum
Making a Gourd Drum
As you read about each of the e-Books, you will see a link to a page where you can see instruments we've made using the same proven techniques we will teach you. At the bottom of the page are links to other instruments we've made using some of these same procedures.
Should you have questions or require additional information, please do not hesistate to contact us.
Our ebook are priced at only $8.99 each. Once you have made your payment securely through PayPal, the e-Book will immediately begin downloading. Our e-Books are in PDF format, and you can download the free PDF reader, which also lets you to print the ebook, from here.
Making a Tongue Drum
Making a Tongue Drum is an e-Book that shows you how to use a gourd to make your own tongue drums. This is an ancient instrument that has been part of African, Asian, and South American cultures for hundreds of years. Tongue drums are also known as xylodrums, slit drums, log drums, ozi boxes, and peponaztli.
Making a Tongue Drum contains everything you need to know to build a tongue drum successfully: chapters on the history and background of tongue drums; needed tools and materials; how to use either a gourd or a wooden box as the base for your tongue drum; and, an extensive list of web resources.
Click here to see examples of tongue drums we've built.
Introduction Description Tools Materials Construction Web Resources
To buy our Making a Tongue Drum e-Book through PayPal now, click the "Buy Now" button below.
How to Build a Gourd Thumb Piano
How to Build a Gourd Thumb Piano is an e-Book that teaches you how to use a gourd to make your own thumb piano. The thumb piano is an ancient African instrument, and is also known as a mbira or kalimba.
How to Build a Gourd Thumb Piano will teach you everything you know to build your own, beautiful and functional gourd thumb piano: chapters on the history and background of thumb pianos, different types of gourds; detailed explanations of needed tools and materials; how to cut and sand the gourd and the sound board; and an extensive list of web resources.
Once you have gained experience building a thumb piano, you can easily apply the techniques you've learned to making other gourd instruments, such as stringed instruments.
Click here to see examples of gourd thumb pianos we've built.
Introduction Description Tools Materials Construction Web Resources
To buy How to Build a Gourd Thumb Piano through PayPal now, click the "Buy Now" button below.
Making a Native American Stave Drum
Making a Native American Stave Drum is an e-Book that shows you how to use recycled wooden pallets to make your own Native American Style stave drum. Wooden pallets are usually made of a hardwood, commonly oak. An oak stave drum will outlive us all, and you'll be helping reduce the millions of pallets that end up in landfills each year.
Making a Native American Stave Drum covers everything: different shapes and styles of stave drums; detailed explanations of needed tools and materials; how to cut and lace rawhide; and advanced building techniques. Once you have gained experience building parallel- or "straight"-stave drums, you can easily apply the techniques you've learned to tapered-stave drums and bongos.
Click here to see examples of stave drums we've built.
To buy Making a Native American Stave Drum, click the "Buy Now" button below
Making a Gourd Drum
Making a Gourd Drum is one of our most
popular e-Books. Gourds are inexpensive, easy to work with, and
will last for decades. Gourds have been used for many purposes for
thousands of years. Making a Gourd Drum
is an excellent way to begin making drums. But, more-experienced
builders can learn a lot from the e-Book, as well.
Making a Gourd Drum includes all of the information you will need to make a gourd drum that not only looks good, but sounds good, too. It contains chapters on different types of gourds; tools and materials; and how to clean a gourd; and how to cut and attach rawhide.
Click here to see examples of gourd drums we've built.
To buy Making a Gourd Drum through PayPal now, click the "Buy Now" button below.
Click here to see examples of slit gongs we've built, and here to see our hand drums.
Note: High Energy Drums no longer sells musical instruments.