Why Drums?

Every culture on Earth has used drums in some form or another. It is not always easy to take one drum out of its cultural context,(to the American consumer) and expect to repeat that cultural experience. Some drums simply sound different in a different climate zone, some actually break or become unusable.Other drums have a caretaker; a person whose sole responsibility it is to maintain the drum.
This drum would wither away, break and lose its sound without regular maintenance.
In that sense all of my designs are very valid; they are not attempts to copy some culture's popular instrument, or westernize it! They simply are the drums that I was looking for but could not find. I go to someone's house, pull up a chair and drum. I want the drum to work. It is a hand drum so my drums feel comfortable - smooth edge , no metal crown. I want my arms level and the bass to come out. Want my legs free so I can shake them rather than holding a drum. I also want to make the drum, not assemble it from industrially made pieces. So I invented the block tuning system, and I make thousands of these blocks! I also strongly believe in using close-to-home materials. My favorite woods to work with are unwanted backyard trees! They have great character and are never predictable or boring! Sometimes a real pain in the butt and always rewarding. The maple is from the local sawmill the ash is domestic and the exotics are plantation grown