From Trash to Treasure: My Chime Drum

in music •  7 years ago  (edited)

Introducing my "Chime Drum"

Technically it's called an "Ozark Chiming Cylinder."

As something a little different today, I wanted to share one of my most precious possessions, my Chime Drum. It was custom made for me a couple years ago by Ozark Chiming Cylinders, getting to choose the shape, the scales and even the colors. Even more amazingly this was created from a reclaimed propane tank! What a fantastic transition from trash to treasure!!

After falling in LOVE instantly after coming across This Video of a Space Drum being played...I just had to find a way to get one. The problem though...these cost thousands of dollars, which I didn't have or foresee having anytime in the near future. After months of looking I happened across the Ozark Chiming Cylinders webpage and was Amazed at his work, especially for the cost around $200-$400 USD...which was something achievable. While the sole employee (an all around fantastic person) of this company did already ship these across the country to buyers...he happened to be a short drive from where I lived at the time!

Long Story Short...I bought one and have LOVED it ever since!

The Creation of my Drum:

It was exciting getting to see the evolution of a discarded tank into a work of audio-visual art! He essentially had to cut the 'keys', cut off the top and bottom of the tank (removing the middle), weld the two pieces back together, tune and paint it. This man is a genius!!
















The guy who made it loved to take a video (usually before shipping it) of the drums he finished to post and share with the recipients! This video was literally the first time I ever saw it completed!

Having played hand drums for so long:

For years before I got this, I had played my set of congas and bongos which made playing my chime drum just feel natural. (Yes, this is me playing.)

Anyway...I finally got around to recording some more:

Personally, playing on my chime drum is a form of meditation. Instantly falling into the flow...moving in and out from patterns. For me there is no better way to 'fade out.' Unfortunately I've found it difficult to get good recordings with all of the vibrating of the 'keys'...but I was happy enough with a couple of recent ones that I wanted to share with you. (These are me playing too.)

This on was on the Major Scale side (I forget the specific scale) using mallets:

...And this was on the Minor Scale side using mallets:

Aaaand the obligatory kitty pic!
It's his coat now!



Click HERE for a Library of All my Guides!

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Image Sources:
Either my own images or given to me by the drum maker.

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I can't believe how well it sounds so i want to make one. Regards

Thank you!

It's definitely possible to make one yourself (with the right skills of course)...the guys that made this one started that way. He had told me that he'd originally wanted a space/hang drum but they were too pricey. So he found some plans/tutorials on how to make these online...then just refined the process to get it to sound the way he wanted.

That drum chime has a really nice well tuned sound!

This is an extraordinary, and affordable, musical instrument. Thank you very much for sharing.

Some of the JPG and PNG images are not visible, at least via Busy.org. The images that are visible are iridescent and fabulous.

Ahh...thank you. Definitely strange that they weren't all showing up. But I swapped actual uploads versus the links in the picture to see if that helped. (They showed for me...making it hard to see if/when they got fixed for others.) :)

All visible!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Hi. A very particular sound. Have you always been a good musician?

Thank you!
Hehe...I've been a ok drummer for a while. But it's easy to show off on this thing, lol.

That is pure brilliance! The vision...wow! So many old empty propane tanks everywhere. Thanks @sykochica for the post. I upvote Chime Drums in Major Scale.

Thank you! But I have to give MAD PROPS to the maker...he constantly blew my mind, both his 'engineering skills' as well as musical ability. I think he played like a dozen or more instruments.

I really like the major scale side too. It's literally impossible to make it sound bad.

super wow!!! I have seen those but had no idea how they were made. I need one. Any chance you'll send me yours lol. I'll pay the shipping lol

Hahaha!! It probably weighs around 15ish pounds...but you'd have to pry this from my cold dead hands! Rofl!

But if enough steemians vote together we could fund one for you! :P

It's super cool!

Incredible!!! I Googled it as well. Love it! How much does it weigh? Does it have any attachments to it? Wonder what the kitty will think. Thanks. @sykochica

Thank you! It's prob weighs about 15ish pounds...light enough for me to carry around by one finger (even if a little heave that way.) No attachments though which makes it uber convenient. Though I do usually bring the two mallets (made by the drum makers wife) ...they make some different sounds compared to my fingers.

This is so soothing. Wow. I'd seen videos of two people playing these instruments before and the sound is incredible. Thanks for sharing. :)

I'm glad you like it! I've gotten a few other recording yet to post in the near future...let you get some more. :)

Thank You! :D

want..want...want... :)

Wow....Really nice photography and nice your video@sykochica

Lovely creativity

I love love love this drum! I follow some guys on youtube who kill at playing these. I found a guy from Texas a while​ back but we wanted payment in full but was back ordered for three months. I got scared off by that! I'm going to check your guy out and see how that feels! Thank you for the wonderful post!

Wow thats so awesome @sykochica and what fantastic sound!!!!

Wow that's sound 🔊 good
Upvoted and resteemed as usual

really great story this blog i like this look and videos

Never would have guessed you played.

I didn't know you played hand drums! That is something else we have in common, as I have djembes and doumbeks! How awesome!

Several years ago, a hand-drummer friend shared that video of Yuki Koshimoto, and I was immediately entranced by it. I had no clue that someone was making those from old propane tanks, but what a fantastic idea for reclamaition and recycling! And how WONDERFUL that you were able to get one! It is beautiful and has such a lovely sound! I am thrilled for you, and so glad you shared the videos here! 😊

Wow listening to it was fun that's something really creative :D

The drum looked cool at first, but then I listened to it being played and... wow, @sykochica! I can't believe how awesome this thing sounds. To think it was once a piece of garbage...

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at the first look i wasn't that much convinced of it's quality, but after hearing the sound, i'm just amazed, it sounds amazing.... 👍👍

Really a wonderful sound. this type of hang drum is the first I tried too of its type and got hooked. Always hoped to make one of my own. Beautiful maker in our own Ozarks!!! Cool!!
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I love this so much! I just listened as I got ready for bed – my very own @sykochica lullaby. Now I shall dream in chime drum patterns, like raindrops on a tin roof...only better. ;)

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That drum sounds amazing (when in the right hands...lol)!

Ah, such a relaxing sound! Could you please come and play that for me every single night so that I can fall asleep listening to that, haha?! I could easily replace audio books to that sound.

Turn waste into treasure, plus performance, perfect.

That's pretty incredible. Not just the sound and music (great videos), but the process is pretty amazing. So many folks in the world with grand talents tucked off in corners of everywhere. Boggles my mind the number and variation of talents. Thanks for showing us your really cool drum. I bang on my uprights now and then for fun, but pretty sure my mouse-pad has more musical talent than I. But why not go for it anyway, I say. Have a nice day.