Shamanic frame drum making workshop at our St Kilda studio.
Traditional methods guide the full build process, from shaping the frame to selecting and lacing the hide. You’ll leave with a frame drum you’ve made by hand, ready to play.
The shamanic frame drum is one of the oldest known skin drums, made and played across many cultures for centuries.
In this workshop, that long tradition is approached through careful, hands-on drum making.
The session runs for around two to three hours and is usually held one-on-one, with the option to book for more people or as a private group.
You’ll work steadily with the materials, shaping the frame, preparing the hide and lacing the drum as it comes together, with guidance at each stage.
The aim is to build a drum that holds its tension, responds well to the hand, and can be played straight away
The Frame drum making workshop takes place at our St Kilda studio and is booked in advance.
The workshop covers the making process, with the drum chosen separately based on the size and type you’d like to build.
You can view our shamanic frame drums to get a sense of the different options.
For individual bookings, the workshop is $140 per person.
When booked for two people, the workshop is $100 per person.
The drum is priced separately – View the available drum options and pricing in our shamanic frame drum range.
Private group sessions can also be arranged — please contact us to arrange.
Please contact us with your preferred date and time for your drum making sessions. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us.
Abli has been building and repairing drums for decades, perfecting his craft along the way.
Originally from Accra, Ghana, a hub of incredible percussion culture, Abli became the go-to expert for replacing drum skins. Now in Australia, he brings his expert skills to repair drums from all corners of the world – there’s no drum he can’t fix!
In addition to his drum-making expertise, Abli is a highly regarded and sought-after performer.
His profound understanding of sound and rhythm gives him an exceptional ability to craft and tune drums, ensuring each one has the perfect tone and resonance.
Known for his meticulous attention to detail, Abli matches the right skin to every drum, ensuring it delivers its best sound for years to come.
A shamanic frame drum is a hand drum made by stretching a hide over a shallow wooden frame, and tightening it with lacing.
It’s considered ancient because frame drums show up very early in the recorded history of drums, including in the ancient Near East, and the core form has changed very little over time.
It’s been played for centuries in many settings, including ceremonies, rituals, meditation, sound work, and gatherings.
It’s a direct, practical build: a hoop, a skin, and tension. That simple structure is part of why frame drums appear across so many cultures and settings over centuries, and why making one by hand still feels so immediate.
No experience is needed, we’ll guide you every step of the way.
Wear comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting a little messy, and bring reading glasses if you use them for close-up work. Everything else is provided.
Yes. Along with frame drum making workshop, we also run djembe making and dunun making workshops at our St Kilda studio.
The djembe making is fully hands-on, with plenty of choice along the way: You’ll start by trying a few djembes in the studio, then choose your shell from our West African range.
From there, you choose the skin, select a matte or glossy finish, pick the fabric for the rings, and choose from a range of rope colours.
It runs as a two-stage build so the skin has time to dry and settle: a longer first session (around 3–4 hours), followed by a shorter second session (around 1–2 hours) for tensioning, tuning, and care.
Learn more about our Drum Making workshops.
The pricing for the frame drum making workshop has two parts: the workshop session, and the drum you choose to make.
The workshop session covers the time, guidance, and use of tools and materials during the build. For one person, it’s $140.
For two people, it’s $100 per person.
The drum is priced separately, because it depends on the size and type you choose. The drum price is similar to the pricing across our shamanic frame drum range.
No problem. You can still build your own shamanic frame drum at home with our Build Your Own Frame Drum Kit. It comes with a full instructional video that guides you through the process step by step, so you can make it in your own time.
Not at all. If you want a ready-made option, take a look at our frame drums range, including vegan shamanic frame drums and tar drums.
Get in touch with our team for personalised advice. We’re known for our quick replies!
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