Powerful Medicine

Mounted on a solid bent 15-inch hardwood frame, the rawhide drum head is scalloped along the sides and is held fast by a continuous 1/8-inch rawhide tie.

As with every Thunder Valley Drum, the TVD Hoop Drum is also connected with both the Earth and Sky, as each drum comes with a miniature medicine bag (photo, right) fashioned from suede leather and deerskin lace. It contains a piece of lightning-struck wood, an emerald chip, sweet grass, blue sage and herbs to aid during the healing ceremony. (You can detach the bag to add pinches of your own herbs and other items.) Approx. 1-inch high x 2-inches round.





TVD is blessed and honored to offer the exclusive drum art of artist Glenn Lewis. Long known for his large murals in Palm Springs, CA and for his original oils and watercolors. Mr. Lewis commands a master’s touch in bringing drums alive with powerful, life-like images. Renowned for his attention to detail, perspective and texture, his paintings add a visual link to animal spirit guides and other healing helpers for a powerful shamanic journey in sacred ceremony.

Mr. Lewis can paint any of the designs featured on this page especially for you.

They include:

(Right) Wolf, Brown Bear, Black Bear

(Left) Golden Eagle, Owl, Eagle

(Bottom Right) Mtn. Lion, Puma, Lion, Tiger

Listen To This Drum NOW! 

This is a wonderful drum! I would be honored to make one for you.

• 15" Solid Maple Bent Frame, Painted $200.00 plus shipping
• 15" Solid Maple Bent Frame, Not Painted $150.00 plus shipping
• FREE Beater with each TVD Hoop Drum purchase! (Does not include drums listed below, only those listed above.)
• Final images and drums may vary slightly from those shown–no artist can duplicate every single brush stroke, and no two drums look alike!
• Please allow three weeks for me to make your drum and have Mr. Lewis paint it.

Notes:
1. Recently I found some of the best goat rawhide I've ever seen. It is so resonant and superior to cow rawhide that I may use it on your drum. Subject to availability.
2. Please allow up to three weeks for delivery of your drum, especially if you wish to have Mr. Lewis paint it for you. It's worth the wait!

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I guess the name I chose for this drum is a little misleading, since every drum I make is "all natural." This drum is not one of mine, however. But it is all natural!

Some customers have rightfully pointed out that they may not have over $100 to sink into a drum, so I have found a source, a Native American business, which supplies these pre-made drums. Interestingly, the drums are made in Pakistan! The Middle East's tradition of drum making goes way, way back, so you know there is generations of expertise in these. (There are many Middle Eastern drums and drummers featured on YouTube, one of my favorite being Layne    Redmond and Zohar.)

It's fascinating to me how they make these beauties, as they saw a series of precise groves around the inside of the frame (see photo, below left), presumably to allow for bending the wood into a circle (the hoop). The drums certainly appear and feel to be quite sturdy. And next, as with some drum makers, they stretch the cowhide drum head clear around the outside of the frame and tie it along the bottom with rawhide, which may be gut, ending with a thin crossing pattern in the middle (see  photo, below right).

Although I don't make them, I do add the Thunder Valley Drums DNA to them by making sure they have a small piece of Lightning-Struck wood attached. In this case, I do so by embedding a beautiful hand-painted feather (not painted by me) into the Lightning-Struck wood, as shown, with black leather lacing. I also add about eight feet of thick, hand-cut white deer suede lacing around the rim and to accompany the feather as streamers. They are adorned with two cross sections of Lilac which, as you know from reading elsewhere on this site, is one of my favorite shamanic plants, as it represents the Ain Soph, to me at least. These are not fancy, but they are definitely very shamanic.

All in all, this appears to be a very fine drum, well constructed. I've played it for over a week and am very pleased with its sound, too. (Click on the Sound File below to hear it for yourself.) And best of all, for you, it costs nearly half as much as a drum of comparable size that I make! So, if your budget is tight, or if you are just entering into shamanism or a drumming practice and don't want to spend a lot until you know you are committed to it, this is a perfect way to start. And if you have more experience, but are looking to save some money on a drum, perhaps as a back-up to one you own now, this is the right drum for you, too.

• 15-Inch Hoop Drum with All Natural Cowhide Drum Head and Ties

• More than Eight Feet of Hand-Cut White Suede Deer Lacing
  

• Lightning-Struck Wood, Hand Painted Feather, Lilac Disks and Wooden Beads

Price: $85 plus $24 s/h
To Order: Please Call Me (270/766-1469) or Send An Email

Have It Painted for an Additional $50 (see illustrations up toward top of page.)
Add A Hand Made Drumstick for Just $10

Notes:
1.) This drum does not have a guarantee of any kind supplied with it. Fact is, few shamanic drums in the world, regardless of where you purchase them, come with a guarantee. You can read my thoughts about this here (scroll to section, "Guarantee").

2.) I have not tied either the feather or the deer lacing tight, in order to allow you to adjust them to your preference.

3.) Please allow up to three weeks for delivery.

4.) It tends toward the heavy side for being a hoop drum, and thus the shipping cost is a bit more. I always insure packages, too, so that adds to the cost, but it should add to your peace of mind, as well!

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The Hummingbird Drum

Wow! What a real beauty!

This 12-inch drum is a real treasure, just like its namesake. It possesses such WONDERFUL energy and liveliness that every time I worked on it I had the impression of Hummingbird, the beautiful totemic animal associated with high energy and joy. And fierceness! Pound for pound, or rather I should say ounce for ounce, the hummingbird is one of the most fearless warrior birds on the wing, very protective of its family and home. Its mystical qualities are legendary, including even the pattern it draws when moving its wings-- in the shape of the sign of infinity (the figure 8). Thus, it's often associated with rebirth, new life, hope and renewal. All in all, this is a dramatic dynamo of energy, protection and even the projection of hope and spiritual healing. What wonderful energy for a drum!

And, as they say, great things come in small packages, even if you don't feel the Hummer's energy coming from this drum.

Because it's smaller, I decided to add a goat hide drum head, as it is just naturally more resonate than cow hide of comparable size. It sounds fantastic! (Click the sound file below to hear it yourself.)

It is so very lightweight, too. And I couldn't wait to try something new with the wrapping on the bottom, since it seemed eager for experimentation. I extended one section of the wrap on the bottom and sewed a nice piece of Lightning-Struck Wood to it. Then I covered the entire cross piece with six feet of incredibly soft and wide deer suede lacing specially made and hand-cut in the USA Northwest. This makes it even more high energy with the addition of Deer's swiftness and stealth added to the mix.

If you like, Mr. Glenn Lewis can paint a Hummingbird on your drum. (I haven't yet placed his depiction of a Hummingbird here, but will soon.) Or maybe your would prefer to have your favored totem painted on the drum. Can do!

The 12-Inch Hummingbird Drum... a lightweight and superbly crafted ally for your spiritual journey.

With a Big Drum sound!

Features:

• 12-Inch Hoop Drum with Goatskin Drum Head, Rawhide Ties

• Innovative Tying on Back Facilitates Handling

• More Than Six Feet of Wide, Neutral Suede Deer Lacing Provides A Soft, Sure Grip (Color may vary, subject to availability)
  

• Four Feet of Golden Deer Lacing Streamers

• Lightning-Struck Wood Piece Sewn to Grip

Price: $95 plus $12 s/h
Painted: $145 plus $12 s/h
Add A Hand Made Drumstick for Only $10


Please Allow Three Weeks For Delivery
International Customers Please Inquire for Shipping Costs

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I love to drum, and I bet you do, too. I used to drum on oatmeal boxes, coffee tins, empty oil drums and anything else I could drum on when I was young. Still do. When I'm waiting for a stoplight, I'm drumming the dashboard while listening to the oldies.

It was a real thrill when I made my first actual drum, and I still feel that same rush when I make one now. In classes here where I teach people to make their very own sacred hoop drums, I see the same thrill in every student's eye. Indescribable!

I will be offering many more drum kits in the future, but I thought starting with a small, affordable and easy-to-assemble one would serve to introduce the idea and to see if you are interested. Given the inexpensive price, this would be a wonderful way to get the whole family involved!

Mind you, this drum is small, 9-inches in diameter, and is not a top-of-the-line product. I do not make these kits, but rather purchase them from a tribal business. I do add some wonderful decorations, however, a feather with enough leather lacing to beautifully wrap it, and a piece of Lightning-Struck wood with copper wire and an emerald to empower it in the tradition of all drums I do make.

It takes a few hours to make the drum, the drum stick and to wrap the feather, and it's great fun and quite absorbing. That's the whole idea! You are investing your energy into a sacred instrument that will return the favor!

So if you want to get an inexpensive drum, the best way to do it is to make it yourself! This kit is a great way to start.

• Drum Kit With Full Instructions
  
• Laminated Rim
• Rawhide Drum Head
• Rawhide Lacing
• Drum Stick with Suede Covering And Artificial Sinew
• Tape For Building Up The Drum Stick Head
• A Feather With Leather Lacing And Bead
• A Piece of Lightning-Struck Wood With Copper Wire and An Emerald Chip
• Use And Care Sheet

Price: $36 plus $8 s/h
Buy Two or More And Pay Only $31 Each (plus $8 s/h for each)

To Order, Please Call Me 270/766-1469 Or Send Me An Email

Notes:
1. These drums do not come with a guarantee.
2. Components may vary in color from the sample shown on this page.
3. Tools / Supplies needed to complete a drum kit: scissors, glue and a container to soak rawhide in.
4. Please allow up to three weeks for delivery.

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To Order:

Call 270/766-1469

Or Email