How to Make a Tung Drum
According to Moongold.me.uk, the tung, tongue or slit drum is a traditional African musical instrument usually made out of a log with a slit in it, which is hit with mallets to produce a tone. The log or box is usually hollow to assist sound production. Creating your own tung drum can be a fun and engaging project for any music enthusiast, especially those interested in world music and Africa.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 6 pieces of wood for the box construction
- Measuring tool
- Adhesives such as glue and nails
- Jigsaw
- Rubber mallets
Instructions
-
-
1
Pick out your wood types. Usually, you should use a thinner type of wood that is sturdy enough to support the structure, but still conducts sound for the sides. For the top of the drum, you should use a slightly harder wood, because this is your playing surface.
-
2
Draw a sketch of the drum. Ideally, you'll be making a rectangular box, with a top that has grooves cut into it. By sketching what you want your drum to look like, you'll have an idea of how your project is progressing, and can hopefully correct any mistakes along the way. For example, you may want to build a drum 30 inches long, 10 inches wide, and 8 inches high. This will create an adequate sound chamber. Use your measuring tool to help make the sketch.
-
-
3
Construct the base and sides of the drum using your adhesives. This will be the sound box for your tung drum. Make sure the construction is sturdy so it won't fall apart, but is not confined too much. If the wood has no leeway to vibrate, the sound quality will be worse.
-
4
Use the jigsaw to cut grooves in your drum top. Taking the piece of hardwood, you can cut about six or eight tongue-shaped grooves with your saw. Each tongue should be parallel and facing each other. If you have six tongues, for instance, you will cut a rectangle of three tongues facing each other on each side of the middle of your hardwood. By varying the length of each tongue, you can alter the pitch it creates.
-
5
Attach the top of your drum and test the sound. Try using beaters made out of rubber balls and dowel rods if you don't own any already. If you are unsatisfied with the sound, you can tweak your design to be louder or have different pitches, by altering the dimensions of your box and tongues.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Try building drums with different dimensions, types of wood and types of adhesives, because these can cause the sounds to vary greatly.
You can try finishing your drum, but don't use a lacquer that is too dense, because it will muffle the sound.
