Drums made to order

From May 2013 we started "birthing" all our drums in our Yurt .... 

This is set up in a private woodland...

 It all begins with a hoop and a skin....

We use skins and hoops that we make ourselves...

The skins are soaked in the stream.....

Sacred space is created to welcome the drums spirit....

Born on the land, to work with the land ....

Honey skinned Drum

 
This Drum started its journey in late December, we decided to let it just soak in water until the hair fell out. Not the most pleasant smelling technique for making rawhide, we normally use a mild lime water soak for dehairing skins but for some reason this skin wanted the gentle treatment.
After 3 weeks we started work and the hair just came away, next we stretched the skin to dry. This took about a week due to the damp conditions in the workshop with all the rain we have been having.
We have been experimenting with making dyes from plants and roots, so we decided to soak this skin in one of the baths we had recently made up. After a week soaking we took the skin out, the skin had gone from a pale cream colour to a mixture of caramels and dark browns !!!!
The hoop is made from steam bent Ash, that we make with the help of a woodsman friend. The hoop was sanded and then stained with a mixture of Red Ochre and Teak oil, this helps bring out the grain and also protects the hoop long term.
I felt the drum wanted to be birthed without any "control" by myself if that makes sense. It wanted to just be, to come into this world on its own. So rather than use a template to cut and mark the holes etc we just wrapped the whole skin over the hoop and put our trust in being shown the right place to cut the head out. 
Suspending the usual OCD we drum makers have to make it perfect, was a challenge but also a great letting go that was liberating. Throughout the whole birth I could feel her spirit guiding my hands, gentle but determined like a good mother guiding her child to "do the right thing".
When she was finished it took a day for her to dry, when you birth a drum you never know how it will sound once dry. The years of experience gives you a fair idea as you adjust the tension by binding the lacing and making sure the tension is even over the whole head, but not the sound, the resonance, the healing song it will sing. That is the cherry on the cake, the first time you gently beat the skin, the first tones that spread across the room as its voice draws strength from the energy shared with the drummer...
Oh and what a voice she has ...... Like Honey

20 inch drums

These exquisite drums are both amazing in weight and sound...... 

Made on Ash hoops and Ash inner tension rings.
They can be made from Reindeer, Deer and sometimes Horse .... 

May you be inspired

Leather working

  

We now offer a bespoke service for designs 

these are hand carved into natural veg tanned leather.

Spirit Bags

Wristbands 
 

  

Most of  our work is bespoke made to your designs 

                        

                        

Click on the picture above to see more of our work

Bear Skin Drum and Sami style Drums

Always looking to push our work further,
we have now started birthing drums in this new style.
Made with one of our own Ash hoops, red ochred and oiled.

Hand carved Ash pegs tension the skin, and it has an Oak handle fitted into the hoop, finished with our own hand made resin...

This is a one off with Bear skin drum, but the style can be
bespoke made with Red Deer skin...

Listen to the sound of this drum by clicking here

Horse skinned drum

 

 

 Please contact us for prices

Drum Birthing days

Join Phil and Lynne and go deep into the woods to "birth" your own drum in our Yurt which is set in over 12 acres of private woodland outside Tenterden, Kent.
This unique experience is run throughout the year on a one to one basis or in small groups.

One of the most important tools you will ever need as a shaman is the drum, the spirit horse to take you on the journey to the other-worlds. The crafting of your first drum is like the birth of a child, an experience that fills you with both wonder and love.
When asked to make a drum with someone the first step of that process is to ask them for what purpose they want to bring this “being” into the ordinary world. As Animists we view our drums and rattles as living things, so it is important that we understand their intent.
To make a drum is easy, to make a shamanic drum that will enable its caretaker to travel outside of ordinary reality is a skill that few people possess.

We make frame style drums, the skin is Red Deer or Fallow, we prefer the person we are teaching to make the drum themselves.

The skins come from the same herd of deer, and as our drums have grown in number over time they have created a tribe, or herd. Many times, in the drum circle we run here in Kent, people have commented that they could hear the Stags calling to each other as the rhythm flowed; it's like a song beyond the drumming.

The Birthing Process

We start by soaking the deer skin in pure water. The person making the drum is asked to bring with them plants and herbs that they feel connected to, this is soaked in spring water before they come and the drum is washed with that at the end.

Next, the maker sands the hoop; with this process they get to not only put their energy into the frame but get to know its very bones. After this we make a paint of Red Ochre and water and this is smeared onto the hoop with their fingers; this symbolises the blood of the drum. So, now we have the blood and the bones of our drum. The skin is then removed from the water and thanks are given to the deer who’s life was sacrificed, holes are punched around the skins edge and the hoop is placed on top ready for lacing up. We use sinew rather than raw hide strips as these become the vocal cords that allow our drums to sing.

Then we become the midwife at the birth of their drum, guiding and helping where needed. When the threading is done, then comes the tensioning; this is something we normally take over as it takes skill and intuition to make sure that skin and tension will work together.

When all this is finished we put the drum aside and start on the beater, the heart that makes the drum come alive. We only work with the indigenous trees of Britain so discuss with the drum-maker beforehand what tree they would like to make the beater from. We walk the woodlands and they ask to be shown the wood for their beater.

Once both beater and drum are completed a ceremony is performed to awaken and welcome the drum to this world. When the skin has dried (usually 3 to 4 days) it is time for the maker to journey with it and meet the spirit of their drum for the first time.

The hoop is the bone
The Ochre the blood
The hide the voice
that calls to Spirit

Fallow Deer Drums

The Fallow Deer is a gentle teacher, introduced to the U.K. in the first century BCE and in Europe since the Paleolithic period it is a species that has been used in a shamanic way for a long time. Through working with its Spirit I have come to a deeper connection with the land and found it to have shamanic links to the Fly Agaric mushroom.
I now have skins in stock, the hides are thick and create a deep sounding drum, and I can highly recommend working with these drums both for healing and journeying.

Drum Birthing Testimonials

Below are some testimonials from folk who have 
"Birthed" drums with us......

John Grigsby   Jun 1, 2010
I had been in possession of an Irish bodhran (unused) for years, and so when a friend of mine told me of her intention to make a drum with Phil I thought I would accompany her and make myself a drum-beater. The night before the drum-making the skin of my old bodhran split, and based on this coincidence I decided to go the whole hog and make a new drum. I am so glad I did – not only am I now in possession of something that is not just useful, beautiful and very personal to me, but I have the whole experience of the drum-making day itself which was such an amazing day. 

I won’t go into every detail of the day as Phil has describes the process in his blog, but there is nothing formulaic in the process, no sense of following a set procedure – it is more like a natural and organic unfolding. What’s more, every step of the creation of the drum reinforces your bond with it, from sanding, staining with ochre, soaking the skin and stringing it to the frame – the drum becomes more than an object: you are away of the lives that have gone into its creation – the deer from which the hide was taken, the tree from whose wood the frame is made – all of whom are thanked. The finished drum, its skin still wet and swollen (drying takes a few days) is something organic, pregnant with life, awaiting its voice.

There is nothing airy-fairy about the whole drum-making ritual, for a ritual it is. Phil is no weekend shaman, someone pretending or acting out a role – there is no sense that what you are doing is ‘pretend’ or ‘wafty’; it is rooted in nature, in reality – there, beneath the branches of that splendid yew-tree, you are close to nature, not escaping it. Your hands are red with ochre and dirt, your hair strewn with yew leaves; the spring water you drink is cool and clean. This is real druidry, a connection to the land and the elements. I’ve met a fair number of would-be shamans and druids and it’s as if they’re trying to wear a mask that doesn’t quite fit. Phil’s affinity with the land is from the core, or should I say from the root? He is practical, down to earth, pragmatic, very funny and enthusiastic. He has no interest in establishing some lost vision of the past. He lives in the here and now – just as every practitioner of such skills in ancient societies and modern tribal societies were and are. Many would-be druids and shamans would be laughed out of such societies by the local shaman – I get the impression that with Phil it would be him who was doing the laughing, and the tribe would laugh along with him, not at him.

This is what I want to stress – we weren’t three modern people in a wood ‘pretending’ to do something powerful and tied in with the land – there was no pretense. 

Even just after a week my drum is one of the most precious things I own. It is a beautiful object, its skin dark and tanned, with patches of darker spots – not some mass produced or bleached, featureless object. And when I hold it to the light there, part of the natural pattern of the hide, is a great tree – which will always remind me of that special day under the yew, when it was created. I can’t wait for its voice to be heard amongst its brethren.




Lynne Ewart   Jun 1, 2010
John has said it so well and I would echo everything he's written about the day. I feel as if a magical being has come into my life with the most magnificent voice and who speaks to me on every level. Thanks again Phil.




Faith Warn    Jun 3, 2010
My drum-making day with Phil last year was deeply magical, but my friendship with him and sense of close connection made it also seem absolutely natural. I appreciate you sharing your lyrical description, John, and reminding me to take a step back and appreciate Phil as the real shamanic deal who gives our reservations and complacency a well-deserved kick.




Mary  Newing   Jun 19, 2010
If you feel drawn to owning a drum then i would highly recommend Phil to guide you on the process of birthing your own drum.

I feel that have created an instrument that will guide me in my shamanic work and am very glad that found Phil to be my guide on that journey.

Thank you




Zorah   Sep 5, 2010
What an amazing day! A perfect setting in woods under a beautiful Yew tree. We started the process by honouring the deer that gave its skin and the trees for their wood and then working with all the materials, imbueing it with our energy and love to create a thing of beauty. I especially loved journeying to meet the spirit of the drum at which point the drum really became a living thing to me. I hadn't envisaged how emotional it would make me feel to hold the finished article, how beautiful it looks and how comfortable it feels, like an extension of my self. Phil is incredibly enthusiastic and inspiring. I am looking forward to many journeys with my drum.




Cathryn Jiggens  Sep 25, 2010
I have had my drum some months now, deepening my connection with it over time.

I have a therapy practice working from home. A few weeks ago, a regular client of mine was able to release much energy in a session related to the particularly cruel physical and emotional abuse she received as a child.

After the session I went out shopping. When I cam home, I was shocked opening the door to see in my periphery vision several shadows scuttling to the corners of the room, and the space felt several degrees darker than normal.

Instinctively I flung open the windows and went round the room banging my drum. The atmosphere seemed to lighten and the room felt "all my own" again.

Tending to the rational, the birthing of my drum led by Phil starkly reminded me of the magic of things - and the power inherent within the acceptance of guidance.




David Popely  Feb 7, 2011
What a fantastic day....and Phil is 'the real dea' as John has said, not just someone acting out a role, but a real, working shamanic druid who knows his craft, his land and his own path through personal experience and practice, not just through books. I brought my drum home, the skin still wet, last Friday, having spent a wonderful and enlightening day with Phil, and by Saturday I had what will become, like John, one of the most previous objects I own, as well as one of the most useful. If you are thinking of buying a drum for shamanic purposes, I would strongly recommend that you make one under Phil's expert eye. Even if you are, like me, not the most manually skilled of people, his care and unobtrusive supervision and help will put you at ease, and ensure you go home with a drum you will be able to use for many years. Thank you Phil - both your drums and the person that you are have enriched my life greatly




 Kathryn   Apr 16, 2011
My specially made drum arrived this week. I am overjoyed - its a work of art. The braiding at the back is absolutely stunning. Although I wasn't able to make my own, I had every confidence that Phil would provide the energies and characteristics I was looking for. I've not dissapointed - the drum has a wonderful resonating voice. I would recommend any one who is looking for an authentic drum, made in the traditional way to ensure a truly personnal touch, to approach Phil to make one. You will not be disappointed. I can't wait now for my specially made rattle to make my special set. Without doubt my drum, beater and rattle will be amongst my most treasured possessions. Many thanks Phil. Kathryn (April 2011)




Jackie  Golding Apr 17, 2011
Phil birthed my drum under the huge full moon of March 2011. It came into being as 13 people chanted around it. The result is an amazing instrument with a character and spirit as distinct as that of our fellow humans. I was quite taken back with the personal care and attention that went into its creation and I thank Phil with my heart. You are an artist in the fullest sense of the word...




Adam Ormus  Jul 10, 2011
I birthed my drum with Phil in April of this year. Insofar as words are fit to convey something about the process which we went through, I shall say that my feeling that there was a strong resonance between Phil's interests and my own, formed after finding this website, was confirmed when I finally came to meet him. I was most heartened to find someone working with the spirits of the land with such respect, sensitivity and humility, free from affliction by iamashaman-itis, that great illness of our superficial times. This work, as I see it, is about reclaiming our native archaic technologies, not creating an exotic facade for ourselves beneath which our shadow may continue to operate undetected. Thank you Phil for making your presence known to the world and for sharing your knowledge; may the tribe increase...




Jane Henrietta Palmer   Aug 8, 2011
"I Birthed a Drum" Poem by J.H.P 
Under magical canopy Tree of Yew,
I Birthed a Drum in forest dew.
Using fire & smoke & cleansing sounds,
we blessed the Deer & Tree & Grounds.
With Ceremony Rattle & Chanting & Drumming,
The forest awakened with a soft low humming.
The skin was sewn taught round a Maple Ochred frame,
and a Beater made of Hazel with Deerskin O' the same.
Lying on forest floor, connected with the Earth, Moon & Sun,
I was finally ready to meet the Spirit of my Drum.
A Journey to the Lowerworld travelling far underground,
Searching for my animal Totem, eventually I found.
On returning back with exciting news I couldnt wait to talk,
my feathered new companion was an awesome Sparrow Hawk.
Overwhelmed with JoY & New Life in my Heart,
All I knew for sure was this is just the Start!!




Clare Barnes  Oct 18, 2011
Birthing my drum with Phil and Lynne was such a powerful and humbling experience and one I will never forget. As the autumn sunlight came dancing through the trees, Phil guided me to connect with nature and the earth in a way that few people get an opportunity to do in modern life. The process enabled me to forget about any silly worries or distractions, and concentrate on what really matters. Phil ensures you are directly involved with every step of the drum creation, and therefore personally invest your heart and creative energy into the process. I have read books telling me about the special bond a shaman has with their drum,but did not imagine that I would be lucky enough to experience first hand. Thank you so much Phil and Lynne for the amazing work you do, I believe it is something everyone should experience in their lifetime.

Sacred River Rattles

We now have a new range of rattles for sale
these are Spirit rattles,
and are very organic in their forming.







Sacred River Rattles Gallery

Alder with Runes 

Yew with Henna design

Oak and Rowan with Jay feathers and Henna designs 

White Fallow deer head on Ash rattle 

Yew with Henna design and Chalk inlay Ogham 

Oak with Magpie and Woodpecker feathers