How a Delightful Customer Learned How to Care for Her Beloved Drum

You can find some pretty comprehensive suggestions about caring for your drum on the Thunder Valley Drums website, here. But I often receive questions from wonderful customers about this or that having to do with drums in general and drum care in particular. Often the questions have to do with the sensitivity of natural drums to humid conditions. I try to help by explaining that natural drums are living beings of sorts and respond to their environment much the same way humans do. Like us, such a drum requires consistent care and love. But sometimes, it’s difficult to grasp the part where care is more an art than formula.

Here is a good example.

Valerie, a delightful customer from North Carolina, contacted me some time back and feared some part of her drum had failed. Here are a few highlights of how we worked out a solution after a few weeks of swapping emails. (Most of the emails have been edited for brevity and are not necessarily in their original order.)

Hi, Bob,
I bought a drum from you a few years back when I lived in Florida. I love that drum and have been playing it. Today, I went to play it and it sounds terrible. It is like it is dead. Help please. Also, some of the skin under the drum where it was glued is coming loose. Help again please. Thank you very much. This drum has never left the house except for moving from Fl to NC. I was going to use it in a drum circle soon, but worried about that. Advice please.
Valerie

Hello, Valerie,
I remember you! A joy to work with!

I am so sorry to learn that there’s a problem with your beautiful drum. Let’s see what we can do about that! Have your tried “tuning” it? (You can find suggestions here: https://www.naturalshamandrums.com/caring-for-your-beloved-drum) A hair dryer set on low and moved around the top and bottom of the drum will do wonders! If this does not work, proceed on to the next questions.

Is it possible to send along a few photos of the drum to me? Since I do not use glue, I am curious to see a close-up of the spot you mentioned as coming loose. I am particularly interested in seeing the bottom. Photos from different angles would help.

Also, has the drum been exposed to intense heat or cold, like being left in the sun, or perhaps kept close to an air conditioning duct?

Once I look it over, you and I can figure out the next step. And don’t worry, you will have a drum!!!

Looking forward to hearing from you, Valerie.

Aho & Namaste,
Bob

Bob,

I did the hairdryer thing and it sounded better. I put the drum in the cloth bag I have been keeping it in for the day. I just took it out and it doesn’t sound as good as it did when I first did the hairdryer (tuning). Do you think I should use the hairdryer again? Let me know your thoughts. Thank you again for the help.

Valerie

Hi, Valerie,
I think you are on the right path. But it does take patience and work to keep a drum in tune along the sea. Bright sun is your friend, so long as you don’t let the drum sit in it very long. It will tune up very quickly, usually in a few minutes. A good night fire on the beach will do the trick, too. (I am so envious to consider these, being landlocked out here in Kentucky!) The hairdryer, and the other tips mentioned above and on the site all work great, but in high humidity, the drums will need consistent care, like babies. It is part of the beautiful relationship one builds with a sacred, all-natural drum, because as you care for it, it cares for you, spiritually/shamanically speaking.

Just work with the drum a little along the shore and you may find a beautiful routine develops with your sacred ally who will happily lend voice to the sound of the surf and the sea breeze!

Aho & Namaste,
Bob

A little later,  all seemed settled, so I asked Valerie if I could highlight a few of our emails. Here’s her delightful reply:

Bob, you are more than welcome to use my emails. I will say that I took my drum out of its quilted storage blanket today and it was dull again, so I put it back out in the sun. I think I am just nervous putting it in our sun here at the coast, so I don’t leave it there very long. It now sounds great again, so I will continue to check it and make sure it has been given sufficient sunshine attention. I am attaching a picture of me and my drum. I truly hope all of this helps. I enjoy your blog and newsletter and other information you post. I am truly grateful for my drum and I thank you for that. If you need anything else, please let me know. I will possibly bug you from time to time.
Enjoy your evening and thanks again.

Valerie

Here’s Valerie with her precious drum:

Finally, in recent days I asked her to read over this article before I published it. Her response:

I hope one of these days I will be traveling this country that I hold dear and I can stop off in Kentucky to meet you. My world is a beautiful place because of people like you. You have my blessing to post. You have helped me to understand my drum. For that, I am grateful.
I have come to realize that the humidity here on the coast is a good reason to understand how to tune my baby. 😁 Thank you again for your help and expertise. If you should venture out to NC, please let me know so we can meet. Many blessings to you and your family. Stay healthy, positive and full of light. I know in my world the light shines the brightest, so there can be no dark.
Namaste,
Val

My gosh, I simply LOVE my job! People like Valerie make it endlessly enjoyable! Thanks for your thoughts, Valerie. And…

HAPPY DRUMMING!

Aho & Namaste,
Bob