Thai Drums

It was not long after building 'Owerrrouse' that Khamma introduced me to the village band.  Not the ageing rockers of England style, nor the brass band of Diggle, but the Thamuang Glong Neiow - the traditional Issan village drum band.  Most villages have a band and I am reliably if not impartially advised that Thamuang is pretty good.  See these previous posts

http://lifeinasiaandthamuang.blogspot.com/2009/04/drumming-up-funds-for-temple-and.html

http://lifeinasiaandthamuang.blogspot.com/2011/07/ubon-ratchathani-candle-festival-16.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3MHo4RJTaA

Since then, back in England, I have started to master the bodhran (Irish drum) and I aspire to become more proficient, but that's another story.  The point is, my interest in drumming has increased and I don't need an excuse to tap out a rhythm on a steering wheel or dinner table - its an age thing really and latent desire to be a pop star.  Anyway on browsing through the tourist literature at Ayutthaya, Khamma came across a village renowned internationally for the quality of its Thai drums.  Using my sat nav, I found it was only 30 minutes away and there was no excuse for missing an opportunity.  The village is called Ban Bang Phae and a quick Google found other encouraging references that made it inevitable we would call in on our way home.

The lady in the sat nav guided us straight there without a problem.  Ban Bang Phae is a linear village and on a quick drive through, we could see at least 10 shops selling a all sizes of drums and even at 9am there was a lot of drum making activity.

We settled on a shop where the owner was pleased and proud to take us on a guided tour of his 'factory'. In Thailand there is always a sense that nothing is thrown away, there is a permanent temporariness over old bits of machinery, wood, old paint tins etc.  I am all for re-cycling, but if it can't be utilised within six months, there is an argument it cannot be used at all.  In Thailand where there are bits of stuff lying around, there is hope it has a use for something unknown; eventually!  Such is the scene in our friends drum factory - old lathes, bits of wood, nails and skins all lying around in a mess.  But out of the mess rises a beauty.  A lot of drums from this factory are made to order - especially for Japan and the USA.




The drum base is cut on a lathe from local soft wood.  It is dried in a kiln for several days. The construction of the kiln is typical of Thai ingenuity.  The pictures show a fire and on close inspection you can see a chimney which directs the heat into the kiln.

The kiln is similar to old container found on a container ship and it can hold a lot of drum.











The drum skin is cured cowhide, buffalo or even sheepskin.  Some drums have the retained the hair, some have it removed.  It is left to dry in the sun and when ready a template is used to cut the skin to the exact size required for the particular drum.








The skin is placed on the drum and stretched with the use of tension pulleys.

Whilst the skin is settling on the drum the exact markings to locate the nails or tacks is scribed onto the skin. At the appropriate time the tacks are hammered home, and in effect take over the tension of the skin from the tension pulleys.

It takes about three months to make a drum, and yes I could not resist adding to my collection.

Workshop

Store room

Store room

Important order for Japanese drumming ensemble

Motif