3.4 Grow a musical instrument  (Page 8/8)

Procedure

1. Make a hole at the stem end in order to clean the instrument inside and out. The hole will not be filled in, but will be left open.
2. Braid a section of the string and tie or fuse the braided section into a fairly small loop.
3. Cut lengths of twine that are about five times longer than the length of the gourd. (Better to cut off unneeded ends than to run out of string before you're done.)
4. Draw each length through a braid in the loop. Make a knot at the braided loop at the middle of each length, so that it has two long ends flowing away from the loop. Space the lengths evenly around the loop. How many you use depends on how dense you want the bead net to be. If you want a particular look or beading pattern, plan it out carefully and determine how many string lengths you'll need for your pattern.
5. Now you will use the string lengths to weave a net around the gourd. You can settle the net loop on your work surface, secure the gourd over it, and weave upwards around the gourd, or secure the gourd in place, tape the loop loosely to the top of the gourd, and weave downward over the round part of the gourd.
6. Each string length now has a left and a right end. Put a bead on each end, near the loop, and tie the right end of each string to the left end next to it, so that the beads are caught between the loop and the knots. Once you have made the first row, you now have a new set of left and right ends coming from each knot; repeat the procedure to make a second row, and you will begin to see the net forming. Continue in this way, making as many rows as are needed to cover the rounded part of the gourd.
7. Finish the net by making another braided loop big enough to circle this end of the gourd or its neck. Pull each end through this braided loop before tying or fusing.

Gourd drum

A strong, long-lasting drum with a good sound is actually quite difficult to construct. A very thin but very tough material (such as rawhide) should be stretched very taut across the opening of a dried gourd section. Beating the drum often softens or loosens the drumhead, so constructing a drum that can be tightened is ideal. (Follow the links below for tips on making a high-quality gourd drum.) The simple drum suggested here will probably not survive many playing sessions.

Materials

• A relatively large, thick, heavy gourd.
• A sheet of rawhide, canvas, plastic, plastic wrap, plastic bag, rubber, wrapping paper, waxed paper, poster board, or any thin material that resists tearing and will vibrate when stretched tight.
• Very strong tape. If you have a material, such as hide, which strongly resists tearing, you will need strong twine and a tool to make holes in your material instead.
• File, rasp, or sand paper to smooth the cut edge of the gourd.
• Any materials you wish to use for decoration, and/or varnish or wood strengthener.

Procedure

1. Cut the gourd so that you have a piece consisting of approximately the bottom half to bottom three-quarters of the gourd. Smooth the edge so that it will not cut through the drum head.
2. Clean and dry this piece. Decorate as desired. Add varnish, wood sealant, or wood strengthener as needed.
3. Cut a portion of the material so that it will be large enough to easily and completely cover the cut side of the gourd, with two to three inches of material draped over the edge at every point.
4. Start by taping one side of the edge of the material to the outside of the gourd. Pull the material as taut as possible while you continue to tape the edge firmly to the gourd with a very strong tape. Young children may need help with this step.
5. If you are using rawhide or other material that will not tear, cut 6 or 8 holes, evenly spaced around the part of the material that drapes past the edge of the gourd. Draw lengths of twine or cord through opposite holes and around the outside of the gourd. Pull on all of the holes evenly to make the material as taut as possible before tying the twine at the underside of the drum.
6. Unless the resulting drum is very sturdy, encourage the students to play on it with their hands, bongo-style, rather than with a drum stick.

Resources

As of this writing, the following were just a few of the many useful resources available on-line. There were also various farms and companies selling dried gourds, gourd seeds, and even gourd-instrument-making kits. There are also how-to books on making various musical instruments, for example, Making Gourd Musical Instruments: Over 60 String, Wind and Percussion Instruments and How to Play Them , by Ginger Summit and Jim Widess. (I have not tried any of these specifically, and so cannot make recommendations.)

• Kids Garden News had detailed instructions on growing gourds and making gourd rattles.
• Steve Tierra's Djembe-L FAQ had extensive and detailed instructions on making a shekere.
• Sekere.com had tips on making a shekere.
• Eagle Spirit Ministry had tips on making a gourd drum.
• The Clawhammer Banjo site had detailed instructions for building a gourd banjo.

Those who care greatly about the visual impact of the instrument should note that "gourd art" is a separate subject, with many books and sites dedicated to making beautiful objects out of gourds, and many of these gourd art techniques can be applied to gourd instruments.