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 Featuring Tuned to Scale Tongue Drums Handcrafted by Steve Roberts |
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Featuring Tuned to Scale Tongue Drums Handcrafted by Steve Roberts |
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How We Make Tongue Drums
The
construction of the tongue drums is a complex and precise process. Steve Roberts
directs and performs the construction of our products. Steve has over 20 years
of experience as a cabinet maker, and is also an avid musician. Combining
the attention to detail learned in cabinetry and his sensitivity and musical
training, Steve makes some of the finest tongue drums available.
Steve painstakingly pores through stacks of domestic and exotic hardwoods to find the best combination of materials that will yield the best qualities and tonality for the perfect tongue drum.
Planing is a process we use to ensure the exact dimensions of the material.
The next step is precisely measuring and cutting the wood into component shapes.
From there the tongue drums begin to take shape. The parts are
laid out and tested for proper fit.
The
gluing process involves the application of modern resins combined with uniformly
tensioned clamps. This process guarantees an acoustically perfect instrument as
well as one which will last.
After the resins set, the drum receives an initial sanding.
Not until all this is done are the keys finally cut and the
tuning process can begin. This may be the most important step in determining the
quality of sound in the instrument. This is where Steve utilizes 
his
musical experience and skills. The musical scales are selected and each note is
tuned by ear to piano and refined using a frequency counter and other electronic
means.
The drum is given a final sanding and then finished with multiple coats of tung oil.
Featuring Tuned to Scale Tongue Drums
Handcrafted by Steve Roberts
A Step by Step Guide to Making and Tuning
Tongue Drums
(The Beans, Totally Spilled)
Plans are now available to make the 10 Key Bass size tongue drum. This is the largest tongue drum now available for the woodworking enthusiast to build. Not only will you be able to build this size drum, but you'll be able use the concepts to help build tongue drums of many sizes, styles, and tunings.
I've listed and hand illustrated the steps it will take to turn hardwood boards into finely tuned tongue drums, a most amazing instrument. The steps are easy to follow, but skill in woodworking is required. I want people to succeed with their drums, and I will list answers to any frequent questions on this page.If you're interested in making your own tongue drums, here are the plans and instructive materials to build them.
Included Are;
Material and Tools Needed List
Traceable Pattern for the top.
Carbon Paper to transfer the pattern.
Exploded View of the tongue drum.
Step by Step Guide to building the tongue drum, including Hand Illustrations of important parts and steps.
Tuning Guide to tune the tongue drum to musical scale(s)
Alternate Key Designs and Basic Theory
This material represents hundreds of hours refining the design of the tongue drums to get the beautiful sounds heard on the clips. From start to finish practical guide to building a tongue drum.
Apply the information about harmonic tongue drum building with your imagination, and create truly personal works of art.$39. Plus Shipping
By ordering these plans, you agree not to reproduce them or distribute them without written permission of Steve Roberts/tonguedrum.com. While the exact steps are described to building a tongue drum, the results aren't guaranteed. No refunds on purchase of plans. Any production of the drums in numbers beyond 5 requires written permission. By ordering plans purchaser agrees to not use materials contained within to compete against tonguedrum.com. Purchaser agrees to not sell tongue drums or copyrighted materials or distribute these materials without written permission.
Steve Roberts Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved
