Building your own hand drums has traditionally meant a little bit of woodworking and a whole lot of stretching, tacking, and tanning of raw animal hides. Working hides is tricky and can be expensive (especially if you don’t happen to hunt or live near a slaughterhouse that processes sheep and goats), and the results range from incredible to mediocre. In this project and the next, you’ll build two drums from cheap, everyday supplies. The first is a simple talking drum whose pitch you can change as you play, and the second a somewhat less conventional thunderdrum.

Rumor has it that Cuban bongoceros often use old x-ray films to replace the heads of their bongos (especially on the smaller drum, called the macho). Although this sounds both obtuse and William Gibson-ish, x-ray films actually have much to commend them: They’re big (large ones are around 14″×17″, while the smaller films are 10″×12″), free, incredibly durable (the materials are intended to survive long-term archiving, even in less-than-ideal conditions), and can be pierced without tearing.

As far as scrounging supplies, some doctors’ offices might give you overexposed x-ray films, but laws making them liable for releasing patient information will make most offices reluctant to do so. A slightly more casual environment (like a chiropractor’s office) might be helpful, but your best bet is a veterinarian. Remember to specifically ask for a blank or overexposed film; even dog doctors care a lot about their patients’ privacy. If you happen to get an x-ray with a good image on it, consider cashing in on the sci-fi appeal by mounting a couple of LED lights inside the drum (maybe using the circuit from Chapter 2, the Switchbox).

Figure 9-1. The finished X-Ray Talking Drum