by Amber Before I started making my instrument
I had to decide what I wanted to make. Then I had the idea
to make a drum that I had seen at a craft show one time with
my Grandma. It was called a Tongue Drum. My Dad and I went
and looked up Tongue Drum on the internet to find out some
information on it. First my Dad and I read the directions
of how to make a Tongue Drum. After we read the directions
my Dad cut out the wood to the correct measurements for it.
Then he used a router to make the edges round and smooth.
After that my Dad let me use his electric sander to smooth
out the boards so they weren't so rough. Then my Dad and I
put some wood blue on the edges and sides of the drum. Next
I got the air nail gun and shot nails into the drum so it
wouldn't fall apart. After that my Dad got out his jigsaw
and cut an indented line design type thing on the top
center. I then tested it out, and it had a beautiful sound
that I never had heard of before. To make the drum look a little nicer I
decided to stain it and varnish it. When my Dad and I got
ready to stain it my Dad helped me open the container so it
wouldn't splatter all over me and on the floor. I then took
the stain and smeared it on the drum with an old barn rag. I
let the stain dry for one full day. Then the next day I
varnished it. When we went to town a couple of days later my
Dad bought a package of bouncy balls at Meijer's. Then we
went to Home Depot and bought a dowel rod. When we got home
my Dad took the dowel rod and cut it in half so I would have
two drum sticks. Then I took two balls out of the package
and drilled one hole in each ball. After that I then took
both sticks and glued a bouncy ball to each end of the
sticks. When I was done making my drum I tried it out and it
sounded really cool. When I hit it, it sounds like somebody
is knocking on a door. To make the dynamic sound louder I
hit it harder. T make the dynamic sound quieter I hit is
softer. To make a higher pitch sound on my drum I hit a
shorter tongue, and to make a lower pitch sound I hit a
longer tongue on my drum. I named my drum, "The Shining
Stallion." I love my Tongue Drum, and I enjoyed making it
with my Dad, but something I can say for a fact is that I
couldn't have done it without him!