Ironwood drum set

Well said DMC. And also, on the comment about our government's conservation laws/etc... they are full on. Unfortunately, a lot of decisions and opinions are made upon incorrect/dated information. Recently research was performed for the government about water usage in realtion to different sources of agriculture, and it was deemed that irrigation is the most water inefficient method of farming. But in reality, it tends to use around 2/3 of the water per tonne of food produced then livestock and also less than dry crops. They used data from the 1970s for the reasearch, and it was still widely accepted across the country. A few governental decisions arose from the data they were provided with which may not be beneficial to the industry, especially as water is becoming more and more scarce and there is less food stored internationally then ever before.
Yes, we're thinking the right things, but not always actually heading there.
However I do know for a fact that Ironwood harvestation is absolutely minimal, and DMC (and everyone else) should have no concerns with his kit or Spirit Drums.

Biz

Thanks for the input.

While the set was being made in July I had a dream about being in an ironwood grassland and I sat on an ironwood log that had been felled. That's about all I remember.
Likely I will never see an actual Cooktown ironwood tree in my life so maybe that was my way of lamenting that.

When I first opened the box with shells I said a prayer for the tree and promised to honor it by keeping the drums in good care for the rest of my life. The tree started growing around 1650 and I view myself as the first of a long line of caretakers of these drums. Who knows where they will be in 100 years?

www.terrasonus.com
 
Most original and sexy kit I have seen ever.
Kudos to you.
I know looking at your gear and reading this thread that you and I think and play very similar.
Cheers on one awsome piece of art.
 
First off, I really love your kit, and you're spiritual/down to earth approach to things.

Second, I've wanted a Hang drum since I saw a video of one played somewhere. How did you ever get yours?? I read that they're out of production, and almost impossible to get in the U.S. Great collection!
 
First off, I really love your kit, and you're spiritual/down to earth approach to things.

Second, I've wanted a Hang drum since I saw a video of one played somewhere. How did you ever get yours?? I read that they're out of production, and almost impossible to get in the U.S. Great collection!

hows it going man? welcome to the forums. This one and drum dogs seeem to be my two favorite so far.



to the origional poster, that is definatley unique. Ive never even heard of those drums, but they seem really cool. The interior carvings on the bass drum seem pretty cool, as well
 
Hello there, your kit looks really cool, I bet it sounds pretty interesting too. Unfortunately I am at work right now, so please allow me to apologise for not listening to the Terrasonus clips or reading through the thread in it's entirety, but I would like to ask you a couple of questions regarding your snare, since I am considering having an ironwood snare made later this year, after my aluminium one.

How thick is the shell of your snare? Would I be right to assume it is loud? I read that ironwood is one of the hardest and most dense woods in the world, and this is why I became interested in it as a material for a snare drum. I want to create a very thick shelled drum, possibly up to an inch thick. Is yours solid shell? If it's possible, that's the route I'd like to go down, I think.

Any help or advice much appreciated!!

Cheers!

Al
 
First off, I really love your kit, and you're spiritual/down to earth approach to things.

Second, I've wanted a Hang drum since I saw a video of one played somewhere. How did you ever get yours?? I read that they're out of production, and almost impossible to get in the U.S. Great collection!

I got the Hang drum in Jan. 2004 and I love it. You can hear a recording on our site. It is tuned to a Middle Eastern scale called Hijaz, key of D. Most people order a Hang tuned to an Asian pentatonic scale, but those sound too bland to me and Hijaz has some tension to it.

The Hang makers are eccentric and reclusive and less than a thousand of these remarkable instruments have ever been made. The only way to get one is to either travel to Bern, Switzerland and purchase one from the makers - if they deem you worthy - or pay someone to get one for you. What cost me $400 two years ago now goes for $1,500 or more on eBay.

Strangely, most of the people who have Hangs want them to be exclusive and are pleased they are now so hard to get. Personally, I'd love to see a high-quality mass instrument maker produce as many Hangs as the market will absorb.

There is a Hang Yahoo group I subscribe to that sometimes has some for sale.

Good luck on getting a Hang!

www.terrasonus.com
 
Beautiful kit.

Is that a Meinl circular rainstick you have there?
 
Beautiful kit.

Is that a Meinl circular rainstick you have there?

Indeed it is. Below is a more detailed photo. I put this together by mounting the components on a modified boom stand, using roller skate bearings to improve the rotation of the rain wheel (which, as you may know, is LOUD).

I call it The Weather Machine because of the sounds it makes: rain wheel (sounds like rain); LP Jenigor temple blocks (sound like clouds); LP chimes (sound like sunlight); LP Rancan 22-inch feng luo wind gong (sounds like wind or thunder). I used it on an interlude in a CD.

It's a pain to set up and take down so I don't use it much, but it has a buttload of attitude and adds some theatricality when needed.

I take it you collect percussion stuff - I notice the set of bata drums in your avatar (look like Peal Afros). I have an LP itolele and I've dabbled in John Almira's book Sacred Rhythms of Santeria.

Thanks for the interest!

www.terrasonus.com

Weathermachine.jpg
 
Hello there, your kit looks really cool, I bet it sounds pretty interesting too. Unfortunately I am at work right now, so please allow me to apologise for not listening to the Terrasonus clips or reading through the thread in it's entirety, but I would like to ask you a couple of questions regarding your snare, since I am considering having an ironwood snare made later this year, after my aluminium one.

How thick is the shell of your snare? Would I be right to assume it is loud? I read that ironwood is one of the hardest and most dense woods in the world, and this is why I became interested in it as a material for a snare drum. I want to create a very thick shelled drum, possibly up to an inch thick. Is yours solid shell? If it's possible, that's the route I'd like to go down, I think.

Any help or advice much appreciated!!

Cheers!

Al

Sorry to take so long to respond. I seem to recall you starting a thread about solid-shell drums recently.

The shell of the snare (and all the drums) is about a half-inch, which is pretty thick for a drumset, but thin-to-average for a hand drum. I love it! The sound is strong and compelling. The drum is extremely sensitive - I swear if you blow on the batter head, you can hear the snares. Ironwood is prized for musical instruments, mainly flutes and guitars, and it also makes incredible drums.

I would encourage you to get a drum with an inch-thick shell. The people at www.spiritdrums.com will work with you on that. Yeah, it would be heavy, but that's what double-braced hardware is for.


www.terrasonus.com
 
Such heavy drums must be terrible to take out, though I'd be scared to do that with such a nice kit. do you have any recordings of the kit yet? I'm sure it sounds amazing.

No recordings of it yet, but I'll let everyone know when it happens.

Moving isn't so bad. They sound like big drums and they weigh as much as big drums, but they're really small drums. The finish on the drums is actually very tough and scratch-resistant (it's called "ironwood" for a reason) but I still treat them with great care.

I played a bar mitzvah this weekend and converted it to the four-piece, with 18 inch bass, 10 inch tom and 12 inch floor tom. This made it a bit easier to move.
sk4p1.jpg


sk4p2.jpg


Later that evening, I played the full set.
Rembrandts031007-1.jpg
 
I want to hear your recordings when they're finished, because judging by that instrumental lineup, it would be quiet the experience!
 
I really like the music that you play...very cool stuff..nice kit
 
sweeet mother of god...gets my vote as the coolest kit on the forums!!!!!
seriously, but one question, whats with the double pedal on one pedal thing? am I seeing wrong, or are the double pedals controlled on one pedal?

Thank you all for the kind words of appreciation.

The double beater thingy is The Duallist, www.theduallist.com. It's got to be the most controversial piece of gear ever created - it's caused flame wars, fist fights and even riots (just kidding). See the controversy at http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1063&highlight=dualist.

Personally, I love it. As you can see, I have a pedal for the talking drum, for the hihat and for foot percussion. I have no room for a fifth pedal in my setup and if I did, I'd get something other than a double pedal. I'd probably add another percussion item to expand my set.
 
Who told you ironwood was "extremely rare"? It it is not extremely rare (well, maybe for drums). In some areas, ironwood is quite common. If you don't like this kit because of how it was made, here is some more information:

You ask a perfectly fair question. Overlogging is a big environmental issue worldwide. This kind of wood is found only in Queensland, in an area about the size of Texas in north Australia.

Australia has very stringent environmental laws and does regulate timber cutting. A 2002 government report found "currently timber harvesting of native forests in the Northern Territory is a very minor industry operating at low levels ... ironwood harvesting is likely to always be only a local small-scale operation" (http://www.affa.gov.au/corporate_do...ry/sustainability/national/Ironwood_in_NT.pdf, see page 129). The report does make clear, however, that overharvesting has occured in the past, particularly with white settlement in the 1860s.

A certain amount of ironwood is allowed to be harvested to support the people and towns in an area. Most of the ironwood gets turned into fence posts and railroad ties and decks and a tiny bit gets turned into very high-value items like musical instruments (flutes, guitars, drums) and sculptures.

Ironwood leaves and suckers are extremely poisonous to cattle and must be cleared from areas where ranching is permitted. (But if someone is a vegetarian, they probably won't view ranching as a good thing to begin with.)

Obtaining ironwood is very difficult as the area where it grows is primarily wild (see www.spritdrums.com for an explanation). So far, only about a dozen Spirit kits have been made, although many djembes, congas and snares have been made. They talk about their harvesting on their Web site with photos and say they purchased for licensed cutters. I take them at their word.

Spirit drum makers do all their manufacture locally, using local labor and fabrication for their hardware, and the money for the kit directly supports their families and local merchants. So this kit was made in a socially sustainable way, not just an environmentally sustainable way.

I'm curious now - what do you play with, and what do you know about how it was made?

I withdraw my comments, I was mis-informed.

Ive just looked up the wood I thought I was talking about, and its not ironwood.

I am very sorry for the trouble I ve caused, and I stand corrected
 
I withdraw my comments, I was mis-informed.

Ive just looked up the wood I thought I was talking about, and its not ironwood.

I am very sorry for the trouble I ve caused, and I stand corrected

That's kind of you and you are a decent person.

And you did ask a legitimate question - this seems to be an exotic wood and was it sustainably taken? I have asked similar questions of others here. We should always consider the environmental impact of our instruments. Sure, instruments account for a tiny fraction of wood used worldwide, but each citizen of Earth needs to consider the impact of their consumption.
 
I was mis-informed.

Classic Humphrey Bogart quote from Casablanca. DMC, love that live photo. The cross behind your sitar player, very gothic. Actually, the whole photo has a gothic feel to it. Love it. And your kit looks great. Between your Spirit drums and the cat from Finland with the Kumu drums, I'd say the 2 most esoteric kits on the forum.
 
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