Any drum that can be played with a padded beater could be used for journeying, but some make traveling to the spirit world much easier than others. Most of that has to do with the sound, but some of it has to do with the way the drum is made.
Most indigenous shamanic drums seem to be single-headed or double-headed hoop drums. They are generally between 10 and 24 inches in diameter, with a head made of rawhide stretched on a circular or oval wooden hoop from 1 to 4 inches deep. The hoop may be jointed or carved from one solid piece.
For a discussion on drumming for shamanic journeying, see the previous article, Shamanic Drumming for Journeying.
When selecting a drum for journeying, look for a tightly stretched drum head. Unfortunately many natural skin drums are not stretched tightly enough to begin with, and in Houston humidity they can sound dull and dead. You will not create harmonics with a dull, dead-sounding drum.
Drums made with natural hides are often preferred because they seem more "authentic" somehow. But remember: the sound is what is most important, not how the drum looks. The wrong natural-skin drum can hold you back.
Some famous name drums, for example, while beautiful and authentic looking, are strung in the dry, desert air of New Mexico or Arizona. While they play beautifully there, they loosen up in the humid air of Houston and the Gulf Coast.
Most single-sided natural-skin drums can be "tuned," or tightened, by holding the open side over a heat source, or even (very carefully) using a hairdryer to dry the hide. But that is inconvenient, and the tightening does not last long in really humid weather.
If you are buying a natural skin drum, the best bet is to get one that was strung in a very humid environment like Houston. If it sounds good and you can create harmonics in high humidity, it will sound good anywhere.
Some drums cannot create harmonics. Others make it very easy. Synthetic drums headed with Remo often have very prominent harmonics that are easy to hear and to journey with. Not all Remo drums will work, but most seem to. You have to try them out to be sure.
Remo-headed drums also have the advantage of being inexpensive, lightweight, moisture resistant, and easy to find. They cannot be tuned, though, so make sure they sound they way you want when you buy them.
Another consideration is that to drum for long periods of time at a stretch, such as a half hour at a time for journeying, you will need a drum that is lightweight and comfortable to hold. Ideally you want a drum that has a slim, padded handhold in the center of the back.
Many synthetic drums do not have a handle in the back. Although they may come with a free, padded beater, they were designed primarily to use as frame drums, which are played by hand. You can hold them by the edge and play them with a beater, but beware, your hand will get tired faster.
To create a handle for a frame drum, some people drill four holes near the open edge of the hoop (or frame) an equal distance apart. Then they string a cross of leather lacings and wrap the intersection of that to use as a handle. It works fine.
Some natural skin drums are painful to hold after a fairly short time, because rawhide is hard and can be sharp on the edges. If you have a drum like that, you can buy thin pieces of suede at craft stores and wrap the handle (or the place where the stringing comes together) to pad it. A soft, plushy fabric such as a fake suede might work just as well.
Drum larger than 12 inches in diameter tend to have the best sound. But some drums as small as 10 inches in diameter have a good sound, too. Drums that look alike can sound totally different. So, if possible, try out any drum before you buy it. And try out lots of drums, if you can, before you buy any.
Though it is best to try before you buy, I ordered a drum custom made through a Native American seller on eBay, and I love it. It was exactly what I wanted and could not find locally. The drum maker was in Oregon and knew how to string drums tightly enough to play well in high humidity. Of course, it helped that I knew exactly what I wanted and could explain that clearly to the drum maker.
Sadly that vendor closed her eBay shop recently, and I do not know how to get in touch with her or the drum maker. If I did, I would publish the contact information here.
You may also find workshops where you can make your own drum, but I would be hesitant. It costs almost as much as I spent to order a custom-made drum, and there is no guarantee that your drum would be strung tightly enough to have the sound that you want. Still, it could still be a wonderful experience to make your own drum. I know friends who have done that and been happy with their drums.
So take your time, try out drums, and see what works for you. It may be best to buy an inexpensive synthetic drum to use till you find the one that you really want or decide how to get one. You can always sell it or give it away later.
Or you could keep the synthetic drum for camping, for drum circles, or for occasions where you do not want to take your shamanic, ceremonial drum. It can also be very nice to have a spare drum to lend to a friend or a child sometimes so they can drum with you.
For more info: See http://www.shamanista.com, a web site devoted to animism and shamanism.
For more information on classic shamanic practices, see the list of links to shamanism-related web sites near the lower right corner of this page.
White Cranes has been studying and teaching shamanic practices for 20 years. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/whitecranes and http://www.twitter.com/shamanista.
To learn to do shamanic practices in Houston, you are invited to join the Houston Shamanism Meetup group, http://www.meetup.com/houstonshamanism.
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