How to Make an Easy Tribal Drum

Enjoy a craft project will please the eyes and ears when you make a tribal drum. Everyday household objects and inexpensive craft store items can help you create a working drum.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Craft tissue, different colors
• Scissors
• Plastic jar
• Mod Podge
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brush
• 10-inch diameter goat skin
• Twine
• 2 wood beads

1. Cut two 3 by 12 inch strips from craft tissue paper. Tear or cut different shapes of the remaining tissue paper and set aside.
2. Brush Mod Podge on the two strips of tissue paper, and then twist each one into a rope. Set aside to dry.
3. Soak the goatskin in water for about 15 minutes.
4. Apply Mod Podge to sides of the plastic jar. Overlap the remaining strips and shapes of tissue paper on the sides.
5. Squeeze excess water from the goatskin and place it over the open top of the jar. Make a noose from the twine and apply it to the rim of the jar to hold the skin in place. Pull the skin smooth taut, and secure the twine.
6. Paint tribal designs over the tissue paper once the sides are dry. Make squiggly and swirly lines, suns and abstract designs.
7. Dip the ends of the tissue paper ropes from Step 2 in Mod Podge. Slip the wood beads on the ends and let dry. Use these drumsticks to play on your new tribal drum.

Tips & Warnings

• Tune your tribal drum by adjusting the drumhead (skin) looser or tauter. Another way to tune is to add water to the jar for different sounds or dampen the head of the drum with wet hands.
• Experiment with making tribal drums out of other objects like coffee cans or paper mache boxes.
• Instead of goat skin, you can use some other thin leather or skin