4-Headed Drum and Ceramic Digeridoo
This drum is a one-of-a-kind. It can be played as a 4 headed drum by striking the 3 drum heads and the open tube for a bass effect; it can also be played on the lap with one hand over the bottom tone hole. When you tap a head and partially close the tone hole with the other hand, the pitch is changed.
Additionally, the tube can be played as a digeridoo or flugel horn, depending on your disposition. The ceramic is a surprisingly effective resonator, and a wide range of loud, solid tones, high and low, can be achieved and maintained with this airtight ceramic/membrane configuration.
It stands 20" tall, with three 1.5 inch heads; it weighs 11bs.
It was made on the potter's wheel in 3 pieces (15lbs of clay was used). First I threw two separate and differently sized hollow, air-filled doughnuts on the potter's wheel. I let them dry overnight, then trimmed them and attached them to each other. With the length of tube that I cut out of the large circle, I made the lengths that went on top. The bottom cylinder was made that day on the wheel and attached to the entire piece.
The heads are heat-tunable; setting the drum in the sun or near any heat source will dry out the head and cause it to constrict. To tune the drum in less than 1 minute, you can use a heating-pad or hairdrier. To lower the pitch of the drum, simply place a damp cloth in the center of the head for a few seconds.
Made of stoneware ceramic, fired at 2200 degrees, this piece is rock solid and functional both as a musical instrument and a piece of visual art. E-mail me for information on an optional piezo electric microphone system for amplification.
