DRUM TO MATTHEW

Well a late report.....I finished the drum as can be seen .... very pleased with it.

I was invited to the 'One Pig Feast' in London at the Clerkenwell Kitchen back in August 2010 ....I was glad that i could attend the eating of the pig and present the drum to Matthew personally...

I met Matthew gave him the drum had a wee chat the pig had been cooked by a selection of top chefs though the portions were tiny as there was a huge crowd of guests queuing up to get a taste ... despite this these little tasters were delicious... i eventually resigned my self to the wine which was more accessible ....well quicker to get .... this set me off on a blethering train ....and I stood with my drum inviting people to have a go ...not only eat the pig but play with it ....I enjoyed this role as the que of people slowly passed me ....a very sociable time .... well as can be seen in this picture ....Henry Dagg had made a pig blood organ ...or as some one said a pigano ....I couldn't resist playing it and got immersed in it ....and blood as i was pushing the plungers in rhythmically like a drummer ....a design fault .... meant blood spluttered out the top of each tube up the wall and over the floor ....I got my 'I am being artistic' head on and thought this was great, and gave the instrument a more macabre edge ... it was already a little disturbing as each plunger was tuned.... and had a reed ....it sounded like a choir of Punch's ( as in Punch and Judy) being dunked and drowned .....I played a Waltz ...My blood splattering performance was heartily encouraged by the French documentary crew .... I was loving the attention .....

everything was being re cored at this feast Matthews intention is to mix it into the One Pig album ......So the drums future has only just begun ...I hope the album is as good as the process has been .......

the herbert pig: ...

the herbert pig: ...

THE HERBERT PIG DRUM IS BORN!

Here is the finished drum the skin has stayed in place after tensioning on the vertical roping ...the cross weave is for fine tunning... The skin is still quite oily so it has a transparency to it.

The sound is beautiful deep round and woody even .....I could be describing a wine! I have to say its one of the best sounding drums I've made...

Just need to take some of the rough flecks of skin off the drum head

DRUM ALMOST COMPLETE

The skin is now in place....only just as it was quite small... it may have to be put on again if during the tensioning it slips from out of the rings. The sound as it is has a softness like a conga ....

PIG SKIN DRUM

I've been waiting for this day never sure it was really going to happen then the pig or the 'Herbert pig' was slaughtered on Monday the 8th of February and I received a piece of the skin this morning in the post ... unfortunately during the butchering a few holes were made, so I'm going to have to make a smaller drum.

Yes I have been asked to make a drum for Matthew Herbert as part of his project that follows a pig from birth to death for the forth coming album 'One Pig'.





These pictures are of the skin stretched out on an old bodhran frame, just to dry it out as i will be making a drum out of stave's in the same way of a barrel but a cone shape. the holes mean a smaller skin, I hope to make one that is at least 10 inch in diameter. The drum body will be of oak.