How to Make Drums, Tomtoms and Rattles: Primitive Percussion Instruments for Modern Use [Hardcover]

Bernard Sterling Mason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1984

Making your own primitive instruments from simple materials such as coffee cans and flower pots. Includes 121 figures.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc (November 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844650633
• ISBN-13: 978-0844650630
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,218,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Book on Woods Craft originally published in 1938, June 13, 2000

By 

William Eric Limbach (Pocatello, Idaho United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Make Drums, Tomtoms and Rattles: Primitive Percussion Instruments for Modern Use (Paperback)

This is a reprint of Mason's classic 1938 edition. It is fascinating, even though Mason uses some slightly racist-sounding phrases, it is obvious that he repects (respected) Amerindian culture. He has a great feel for their spirituality. And personal experience with our First Peoples. It's a little corny and naive other parts.

Mason's book has many drawings of original drums and their designs. He gives detailed practical instructions on how to build drums, hand-frame drums and a pow-wow drum, from processing a raw animal hide to bending wooden slats into a hoops, stretching and drying the drum head, painting and adding adornments. He left me with the impression that it is nearly impossible to build dud!

Stinky probably spoke true (if the book was a 1938 musty-smelling edition) but Stinky's review was woefully misleading. The book is a classic on woods craft type drum building. It also provides an intimate glimpse into the recent past before thoughts and words were filtered through a politcally correct seive.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good primer with decent instruction, November 2, 2009

By 

F. Carter "Rides Water" (Akron, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Make Drums, Tomtoms and Rattles: Primitive Percussion Instruments for Modern Use (Paperback)

This book is all black and white. No photos, but a lot of easily interpreted hand drawings. I disagree with the oversimplification the author gives to the sources of the different drums, but it is not a distraction from the actual material. This would make a nice book to give to people at a drum making workshop.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars making medicine drums, July 16, 2011

By 

eddie the drummer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Make Drums, Tomtoms and Rattles: Primitive Percussion Instruments for Modern Use (Paperback)

I am about to make some medicine drums and have found that this book "How to Make Drums, Tomtoms and Rattles" gives very clear and easy to understand instructions. Well worth the money to find such good information on the subject.