Frame Drum Buyer's Guide

In this video, I discuss things to consider when purchasing your frame drum. Besides price, you'll also want to consider sound, size, and playing style. The drums I demonstrate all have synthetic heads, but you can also find frame drums made with natural animal hide such as goat skin. The second rhythm that I play while demonstrating the different drums is a healing rhythm composed during the pandemic in 2020 by my teacher Marla Leigh. Would you like to learn to play the frame drum? Check out my website at www.thedreamingdrum.com and contact me at [e-mail]. Thanks for watching and Happy Drumming!
For info on Cooperman drums, check out their website: www.coopermanframedrums.com
The affiliate links below provide more info on some of the Remo drums highlighted in this video:
Remo tar with skyndeep head: www.amazon.com/Remo-Frame-SKY...
Remo tar with Renaissance head: amzn.to/3eJWzh3
Remo tar with fiberskyn head: amzn.to/3RTdhJx
If you find value in this content, please consider sending a tip to Bobi's Tip Jar in my Koji app below. Thanks!
koji.to/thedreamingdrum
#framedrum #whichdrumtobuy #framedrumlesson

[@kimphilippi2412]

You are a gem. Thank you for generously helping people you will never meet as we take our drum journeys. The information and the way you present it are wonderful.

[@josephandrosky6377]

Thank you so much for such an informative video. I am a recording multi instrumentalist session musician. I use awesome computer percussion VST libraries, but that being said they are static samples. After watching your video, I got inspired and purchased a Remo Fiberskyn Frame Drum 16” for $38.00 at Guitar Center. What can I say I am hooked, this is so much fun exploring all the sounds this simple drum produces. A big thank you ❤

[@reneecg1449]

Thank you so much for your precious advice generously shared in this video 🥰

[@zeynepfege]

Thanks!!! This video was so helpful❤

[@debra4854]

Your buying guide is great! I found it helpful to hear you play each drum and to learn about the different sizes that are available. Thank you!

[@thedreamingdrum]

Thank you, Debra! I'm glad it was helpful.

[@samdelossantos2864]

Never knew how those were played. Awesome!

[@missamelie17]

Thank you so much for the excellent explanations. Very helpful!

[@thedreamingdrum]

Thanks for watching -- glad it was helpful!

[@squiggles2u]

Thank you. It was excellent to hear all of them.

[@thedreamingdrum]

I'm glad it was helpful!

[@datageek3579]

This was a very helpful presentation, the best I’ve seen so far. I appreciated the variety of drums you covered as well as your insights. Thank you very much!

[@thedreamingdrum]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching.

[@GabbeyGibby]

This video was so helpful to me! I love that you played so many different options.

[@thedreamingdrum]

I'm happy to hear this was helpful, Gabbey!

[@GoatFelon]

Thanks for the informative guide! This is exactly the kind of information I want to know as I am just thinking of picking up the instrument. Cheers!

[@thedreamingdrum]

I'm happy that this was useful. Best of luck as you begin your frame drum journey, Isaac! Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

[@shellw1506]

Thank you so much for this video.

[@thedreamingdrum]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching.

[@michimichi4867]

Bobi, this is very helpful. Thanks!

[@thedreamingdrum]

Glad it was helpful, Michi!

[@barbarairvin1794]

Thanks so much, Bobi! Your video with demonstrations and explanations was so helpful as I try to figure out whether to go with the initial Remo I was considering, or to wait for more on the Cooperman and other drums. I need a light enough weight to carry and deep enough tone to hold my interest!

[@thedreamingdrum]

Hi Barbara -- glad this was helpful! For FDA members, there is a live Q & A with Patrick Cooperman on Wednesday 6/8 where you can get questions answered. Cooperman makes some nice light-weight drums, including the ones designated as "featherweight" and the Glen Velez Handance tars. Those, as well as the Marla Tar and the Green Goddess drums have hollow shells which make them much lighter than those with the solid shells. And they all have deep, resonate bass tones -- likely to "keep your interest!" Best of luck!

[@BethSchuler]

I am looking for a Shaman journey drum and I will probably get a Remo. You are a fabulous teacher. I can’t wait to watch your other Vedic’s. TFS 💙👍😎

[@papaglenford]

sweet collection! i have a growing drum collection.. my first frame drum is on the way.. 16" remo fibreskyn. i love my Pearl djembe.. and most of all my Kelly cajon, made in BC. hefty wood, large body, great beastly sound

[@spazzwad]

Fabulous buying guide! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@thedreamingdrum]

Thanks for watching!

[@stephanieholcombe4073]

This video was very helpful and very informative. I bought my first drum before coming across your video, but I think I made a good decision. I'm going to check out more of your videos now.

[@thedreamingdrum]

Thanks for watching. Enjoy your new drum!

[@Brainframedrums]

Great input for those buying a frame drum. In Brainframe, we're making drums from locally sourced materials in Croatia (EU)!

[@TurbulentMystic]

This is very useful. I wish i would have watched it before i made my purchase. I bought a 10" and it wasn't the size or sound i wanted.. so I just got a 16"... look forward to watching more of your videos.. i am a beginner :)

[@thedreamingdrum]

Welcome to the world of drumming, Darling Nikki! I have a feeling you will enjoy your 16". Have fun!

[@claudiab2596]

Thank you! I loved listening to the different drum. I am going to start with Marla's 101 course am currently looking for a drum. I love that you say: ' if you love it, you'll going to buy more'. It helps me ease in buying a drum

[@thedreamingdrum]

Hi Claudia! Looking forward to seeing you in Marla's FDA 101 course. Enjoy searching for your first drum!

[@claudiab2596]

@@thedreamingdrum Thank you!

[@fess04]

great demo! you get a nice tone as well .

[@thedreamingdrum]

Thanks for watching!

[@moniqueappels5471]

Dear Bobi, I am so happy with, and touched by your video. Thank you for your guidance

[@thedreamingdrum]

Wonderful! How did I miss your comment from 4 months ago? So sorry for the delayed response. I hope your Soundjourney in Iceland was amazing!

[@bbbernier]

Thank you!!

[@thedreamingdrum]

You are most welcome!

[@velvetradio]

thank you for sharing

[@thedreamingdrum]

Thanks for watching. Happy drumming!

[@reliablebow]

Thank you.

[@teachmenah]

Thank you!

[@thedreamingdrum]

You are most welcome!

[@loveearthspirit829]

many beautiful drums thank you. the water cooperman sounds beautiful too. as well as the suède head ❤💜💛 fantastic! even from video. (i think not available in europe or over 400€?) i own a 22" remo buffalo and very happy with it. my body loves the vibration. but as a secobd drum looking for something smaller...18" renasannse cooperman also touches me. and the black one at the end...a big pleasure to listen. i guess i will start with a 16" remo fyberskin too..

[@thedreamingdrum]

Wow I bet your 22" buffalo drum sounds amazing! Sounds like your body really resonates with that particular vibration. There are so many options out there. I wish you all the best as you bring more drums into your life and into your heart!

[@loveearthspirit829]

@@thedreamingdrum thank you, yes it does wonderfully 🌲

[@nuno7997]

my drum was sold as a frame drum but i think it is specifically a xamanic drum, because it doesn't have the hole for the thumb, so it is very difficult to play it upright. i fell in love very recently with drumming and percussion.

[@katarzynawinkowska-nowak4847]

Thank you for your video and sharing your knowledge. I love the clear head drum. I have a question. How do you put remo head on cooperman drum?

[@charlesstanford1310]

My old reliable 16" Remo has been with me for over 20 years. I love it. That's not to say I'm not still interested in some more variety...

[@thedreamingdrum]

Wonderful! The Remo drums are great and are pretty much indestructible :)

[@charlesstanford1310]

@@thedreamingdrum Yeah, mine rolled down a mountain once and it's still sounding good.

[@thedreamingdrum]

@@charlesstanford1310 Haha! Way to go, Remo!

[@kathybryant677]

Hello Bobbi. Thank you for this informative video. I've watched it a number of times. The 2 16" Cooperman's w/ebony head sounded different. Why is that? I'm in FDA 101 and trying to decide on which two Cooperman drums to "start" with because I want them all. Love the ebony tone. I currently have 4 Remo drums (F-22", F & R 16", 14" R).

[@thedreamingdrum]

Hi Kathy! Glad you found this informative. I actually only have one 16" with ebony suede head. One 14" (with the vine overlay on the wood), one 16" (the maroon one) and a 20". Do you know what playing style you want to focus on yet? In FDA, Marla has covered free-hand and just started lap-style. Module 3 will be upright style. You might want to wait until you get a feel for all 3 playing styles. That being said, a 16" works well for all 3. I LOVE the 18" Cooperman with ebony suede head. I don't have that one, but I've played my friend's drum and it sounds amazing. And I see you don't have an 18". When you imagine yourself playing, do you see any particular drum with you?

[@kathybryant677]

​@@thedreamingdrum Thank you for clearing up my confusion. I assumed the 14" (w/vine) was a 16". From this video, the tones of the 16" w/ebony, 18" w/renaissance and 20" w/ebony are my favorites. Are all 3 of those the Cooperman "classic" wood tar? The Remo's have been a good starting point but the Cooperman's sound superior. I imagine myself playing in all the styles. It's my "I wanna do it all nature" :)

[@xiaolim4528]

Thank you for the great video! In your experience, what is the difference between goatskin and synthetic, in terms of sound, weight, maintenance, etc.? 🤗

[@thedreamingdrum]

Hi Xianoli M -- thanks for watching and thanks for the question! In terms of sound, it depends on how each drum is tuned. But in general, I experience the natural animal skins as having a dryer sound and fewer overtones than synthetic heads. Natural skins can also produce a nice thuddy sound. I'm not sure about the difference when it comes to weight. Most of the weight comes with the size of the frame and if it is hollow or solid. Solid wood frames are heavier and have an external tuning system. The hollow drums are lighter, and have an internal tuning system. In terms of maintenance, synthetic heads are less maintenance. Natural skins fluctuate with the weather -- cool and damp flattens the heads, and heat tightens the heads. Never leave a natural skin drum in your car, especially on a hot day as the skin can actually tear! You might want to search for other drum comparison videos where natural versus synthetic heads are being played so you can hear the difference. Happy drumming!

[@WeDoHebrew]

Thank you! I am looking for the biggest tunable synthetic skin frame drum with a white-ish skin. Any suggestions for good sounding ones? Regards Adam

[@katarzynawinkowska-nowak4847]

Can you maybe write down specifications of all the drums you talked about please? Size company type?

[@craigsviewingchannel4088]

What about using beaters??

[@bernardinelermite1133]

I enjoyed this video so much : nice playing comparisons and tons of info, thank you !! I have a question I could find no answer about, though : what is the impact of the frame width (= depth of drum) ? The frame is what makes a drum heavy, so I'm tempted to purchase a narrow framed tar. But I have no idea if this will impact the sound (I like it deep) or the lap style playability (my favorite). Your experience about this would be very useful !

[@thedreamingdrum]

Great question, Bernardine. It's my understanding that the diameter of the head does most to determine the pitch (larger diameter = lower pitch, nice bass sounds). I've heard drums with large diameter and fairly shallow depth frames that still produce a deep bass. However, if you are playing in the lap style, the more shallow/narrow/smaller the depth, the harder it is to balance the drum on your leg. Cooperman Drum Co. has a featherweight series of tars where they hollow out the frame to make them lighter. Patrick Cooperman (from Cooperman Drum Co) is a treasure trove of knowledge about all of this if you have further questions. Happy drumming!

[@bernardinelermite1133]

@@thedreamingdrum Wow, thank you so much for this thorough answer !! I will most probably invest in 2 drums : a smaller one with a shallow frame for upright playing (like 14"), and a larger one with a wider frame for lap style playing (like 16" or 18"). Good to know that Cooperman's are light weight. Thanks for the info ! 👍🏼

[@thedreamingdrum]

@@bernardinelermite1133 Sounds great! The Cooperman Classic tars have solid shells. So if you want a lighter one, be sure to ask for a featherweight. Again, Patrick is great at answering any questions and creating the drum you want. Best of luck!

[@bernardinelermite1133]

@@thedreamingdrum Thank you so much ! 😊🌷

[@hebrianailailai]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💚🌷

[@kaynomeland2878]

A lot of Native American drums have a weaving in the back to hang onto. It looks like the thumb hole or the notch would be a lot more comfortable. Do you feel that way?

[@thedreamingdrum]

Thanks for your comment and question, Kay! The frame drums that have some kind of weaving or bar or hand grip in the back are generally designed to be played with a mallet -- holding the grip with non-dominant hand, and striking the drum with the mallet in dominant hand. The frame drums that have a thumbhole are generally designed to be played with the fingers. Check out my video that discusses this topic. Thanks for watching! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ7bgqSZn6mMhbc

[@borisp9163]

For some reason Snake Remo won👌🏼 best sound, but unfortunatel not available anymore 😐

[@kaybhee6]

kewls

[@simplefact4u]

Thanks for the great video. Do you prefer synthetic or natural drum heads?

[@thedreamingdrum]

I like both. Synthetic heads fluctuate less with the weather, which means they hold their tone better/longer. Both the Remo Renaissance and ebony suede heads produce amazing sounds! They are also easier to care for than natural skins. Most of my frame drums (tars) are synthetic. But I do love my natural skin drums, too -- buffalo (shaman's drum) and goat (djembe). At some point I'd like to get a goat skin tar.

[@simplefact4u]

@@thedreamingdrum thanks for your response. I found with synthetic heads there is a missing tone/sustain compared to the natural skin. Synthetic is louder but doesn’t have the same depth.

[@thedreamingdrum]

@@simplefact4u There is definitely something unique about natural skin drum heads. Besides the tone quality, there is the long -- even ancient -- history that goes along with drum-making using all natural materials...not to mention the opportunity to connect with the spirit of the animal and the tree.

[@lorileblanc8437]

Hello, I have a question about the 16” with Ebony head is that Featherweight Series? Thank you for the is guide.

[@thedreamingdrum]

Hi Lori. The one I am playing is from the Classic Tar series from Cooperman. I have played a 14" Featherweight with ebony suede head from Cooperman that a friend loaned me -- nice and light. The Glen Velez Handance series from Cooperman are also very lightweight tars.

[@lorileblanc8437]

@@thedreamingdrum thank you! I end up ordering the 18” Featherweight w/ ebony suede head. I love the sound and appreciate your videos! Happy drumming!

[@thedreamingdrum]

@@lorileblanc8437 wonderful! Enjoy your new drum!

[@leewarren492]

Bobi, what does it mean to have a Renaissance head? When I Google the Remo Renaissance I see a price range from $29-$300+.

[@thedreamingdrum]

Great question, Lee. I believe the price range is partially based on the type of drum that the head is mounted on. For example a Renaissance head on a 13" snare drum will be cheaper than a head on a large bass drum or timpani because of the amount of material being used. I believe there are also a variety of heads in the Renaissance category with different prices. In terms of the cost of a frame drum, the price is also related to the quality of the body of the drum. For example a factory produced Remo frame drum where the drum shell is made of a composite material is much less expensive than a Cooperman frame drum which is hand-made from harvested trees.

[@cutechiangels]

Bobi, thanks for the demo's. 👌Can you tell me what drum it is, the blue 12' inch, see-through one, at 10:05 ? Please put a direct link for that frame/bendir drum. I can't find it anywhere. Thanks! And, is Cooperman a manufactor for Remo? Keep the good work up! 👍🤗💝

[@thedreamingdrum]

Here is the link: www.coopermanframedrums.com/products/classic-tars. The bendir is the tar with the strings attached. You won't find a link to this specific drum, as I asked them to stain the wood turquoise and to use a Remo Weatherking Clear drum head. The drum head options to this link only include the Renaissance or the Ebony Suede drum head. Cooperman will work with you if you have specific requests. Cooperman uses Remo heads on most of their drums, but I wouldn't say that they are a manufacturer for Remo. Alot of drum companies mount their drums with Remo heads. Have fun finding your next drum!

[@cutechiangels]

@@thedreamingdrum Thank you so much, Bobi. 👍 Interesting info. I'll look into that. The turquoise stain is beautiful. Did that cost a lot more? And I like the see-through 'skin'. I'm quite new to the manufacturing of frame drums, (I had been in luth making), but it's a world appart! Thanks !

[@cutechiangels]

@@thedreamingdrum It's the picture of 6th drum on the page, of the link, I think. A see-through drum head is so cool. I didn't know one could take the strings down, of a bendir. Is that a regular habit?

[@thedreamingdrum]

@@cutechiangels you can tighten, loosen or completely release the strings -- depending on the sound you want. Nice to have options in one drum!

[@giuliamarchi2027]

What's the brand of the drum with the drawing on top? Thanks

[@thedreamingdrum]

The one with the hamsa design on the skin (the one that was out of tune!) is called "The Marla Tar." It is made by Cooperman Drum Company. It is part of their Artist Innovation Series, designed for master frame drummer Marla Leigh Goldstein. The drum is 16" with a Remo Renaissance head. Cooperman also makes a 14" drum with the same design called "The Green Goddess." www.coopermanframedrums.com.

[@thedreamingdrum]

If you are referring to the drum with the vine design overlay on the wood, that is made by Cooperman Drum Company. They have a few different design overlays to choose from.

[@giuliamarchi2027]

@@thedreamingdrum thank you 🙏🌻

[@sasabozovic1480]

Great presentation. Thank you! What is the rhythm you are playing? Can you share the beat and notes?

[@thedreamingdrum]

Glad you enjoyed my video -- thanks for watching! The rhythm was composed by my teacher Marla Leigh. Here is a video of her teaching it with notation included. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZ_ZiIpmbd2iaMksi=aqA-LSt0BtSA0EBU.

[@Laaryx1]

Wow, never realized quite how many drums you have, Bobi. Wonderful and helpful guide, thank you for this! ❤