An electronic version of Gourd Drum Engineering is now available! It is designed for optimum functionality viewing in landscape mode on an iPad, but looks good on any ePub reader. About Gourd Drum Engineering Gourd Drum Engineering is mostly about building percussion instruments using gourds, but we hope it will be more than that. The […]
You know what? There is a heck of a lot to know about gourds. Here’s a collection of links to interesting information about gourds. Oceanic Drift of Gourds – Experimental Observations. (1954). As in floating long distances over the sea. Bees are Essential: Pollination of Gourds, Squashes and Pumkins. (1964). Where would we be without […]
We are pleased to announce that we now have gourd hand drums for sale. These are your basic gourd drums with a bottle gourd shell, goat or calfskin head, and a variety of finishes. They range in head diameter from about 15–20 cm (6-8 in). Be sure to check out the audio recordings to hear […]
Gourd Drum Engineering is mostly about building percussion instruments using gourds, but we hope it will be more than that. The best thing that could happen is for people who have never made instruments before, or who have never worked with gourds before (or both) to be inspired to go in new directions and create things that are some combination of unique, fun, interesting, practical, and of high quality.
What does engineering have to do with making gourd instruments? As much or as little as you like, really. Engineering is the art and practice of using scientific principles to solve practical problems. One encounters plenty of practical problems when designing instruments made from the dried fruit of a viney plant.
At a Mini Maker Faire we recently attended, a few people asked us what qualifies our gourd drum building to be gourd drum engineering. We pointed out the design and construction of our Electric Güirophone tone bars with integral piezoelectric transducers; the custom machined parts that are part of the foot–operated tensioning mechanism on the Verbose Talking Drum; and, the use of moldable plastic on the Gourd Bongos. A lot of thinking goes into solving technical problems and coming up with solutions.
