Caring for Your Rawhide Spirit Drum: A Comprehensive Guide

Whether this is your first hoop drum or one of dozens, it's important to learn as everything you can about your instrument. The rawhide drumhead was once a living creature, so it's crucial to honor your hand drum's spirit with love and respect. Proper care is essential, as rawhide is a natural, living material susceptible to changes in weather, temperature, and humidity.

1. The Importance of Playing Your Spirit Drum
   The most key step to caring for your spirit drum is to PLAY it! Enjoy your drum. Send its voice out into the universe with good intent. Think happy thoughts. Play joyous rhythms and remember to keep the drums beating, they are the heartbeat of mother earth! Allow your spirit drum to take you on journeys throughout the realms!
2. Understanding Rawhide Drums
   In simple terms, a rawhide drum does best in the same conditions that people find comfortable. Rawhide will shrink or tighten on the drum as the temperature goes up and the humidity goes down. It will loosen as the temperature goes down and the humidity goes up. Humid days loosen the drum and dry days tighten it.
   If the weather is hot, be watchful that your drum does not get too hot. If it does get too hot, apply water slowly to the head with a mister to cool it off. Do not "dunk" your drum in a bucket of water.
   Large changes in humidity and temperature in your house may make the drum produce little sounds like creaks, pops, or even booms. These sounds are harmless.
3. Transporting Your Rawhide Drum
   To carry the drum in a vehicle, wrap it up for protection. The wrapping can be any type of cloth (towel, blanket, jacket).
   Drum cases supply padding and insulation.
   Do NOT set other items on it.
   Never leave a rawhide drum alone for prolonged periods in an enclosed vehicle! It can overheat and damage the rawhide.
   
   
4. Conditioning the Rawhide Drumhead
   Shea butter is what we suggest as your drum conditioner. In normal conditions, your drum will not need an application of shea butter more than 3 times per year. If you live in a very dry atmosphere, then it is possible that this would need to be applied more often. If you rub your oils from your hands onto your drumhead before playing, you moisturize it as you connect with its energy. You will know that your rawhide drumhead needs conditioning when it begins to feel dry to the touch. Shea butter is best applied in warmer temperatures.
   To apply: Put
   a very light amount of shea butter on hands and rub hands together, then lightly rub your hands all over top and sides of the drum making sure that it is rubbed in completely, like you would rub into your own
   skin. Turn the drum over and do this on the backside of your drum as well. (Because your drum is laced, you just need to do the best you can on the underside of the drum.) Having too much shea butter on your drum will attract dust and dirt and allow it to stick to your drum.
   
   After application, if your drum feels sticky to the touch, you have applied too much shea butter and some of it will need to be removed. To do this, you will need to allow the drum to warm up in indirect sunlight, then gently wipe with a lint free rag until the sticky residue is removed.

5. Proper Storage
   
   Ideally, your spirit drum will be put away when not in use. We prefer to hang ours from a loop tied to one of the holes, but you can lay it face side up or on its edge against a wall.
   Protect your rawhide drum from animals. Remember that your drum is made of rawhide and smells just like a dog’s chew bones. A cat will think that the rawhide is a scratching post. Be mindful of placing your drum where your pets cannot get to them.
   Your drumstick will also be very interesting to a dog.
   Be sure your rawhide drum is out of direct sunlight.
   Do not store your drum near a heater, stove, or fireplace.
   Do not store your drum where the air conditioning will blow directly onto your drum.
   NEVER leave your drum in a hot car. This can cause your frame or head to break.
   Always place your drum face up when not in use, never store it on its head.
   If you are outside with your drum, it should not be left on the ground. This will not do lasting harm, however moisture from the soil may make your drum go flat and lose its "voice". Never play a flat drum, or it might not tighten back up.

6. Troubleshooting Common Issues
   If your rawhide spirit drum becomes too high pitched, a small amount of water rubbed gently into the head will loosen it enough to lower the pitch. Water will not harm rawhide whether it is natural or dyed. Do this a little bit at a time, allowing the drum to try in between waterings.
7. If your drum becomes dull sounding, do not continue to play until you have tightened the head. Doing so can stretch the drumhead until it will not tighten correctly.
   If your drum becomes dull sounding, it can be tightened over a gentle heat source. Use heat that would be comfortable to a baby's skin. You can use sunlight, a regular light bulb, a blow dryer, (approx. 12 inches away from these heat sources). You may also use a fire with great caution. Prolonged exposure to a campfire will quickly dry out your drumhead and cause it to crack or even explode.
8. .Special Considerations
   We do not recommend taking your drum into a sweat lodge. The extreme moisture causes the drumhead to loosen and go flat. The wood of the frame may warp, causing irreparable damage. If you decide to use your drum in a sweat lodge, please know that you will be doing so at your own risk, and we are not responsible for the consequences.

Caring for your rawhide spirit drum is more than just maintenance - it's a way to honor the instrument's spirit and preserve its voice. If you crafted your spirit drum in one of our drum birthing workshops or adopted it, by following these guidelines, you'll ensure that your drum remains a cherished companion on your musical journey, ready to beat in harmony with the rhythms of the earth for years to come.