Drum Making Workshop with Michelle
- Gaia's Workshop 475 Northeast Burnside Road Gresham, OR, 97030 United States (map)
Michelle will be teaching you to make one of three styles of drum (Spirit, Harmonic Shamanic or Seven Sisters from Deer, Elk or Horse rawhide), and a beater to play it with. We will be meeting in the shop space after the shop closes at 5:00.
To register, follow the ticket link & choose which type of drum you would like to make; when you arrive at the workshop everything will be ready for you to create your very own sacred instrument. Once you have chosen your drum, also choose the type of beater you’d like to make. The basic beater comes with the workshop, the pouch and fur are a few dollars more. We will do some ceremony before we begin to get into the proper mindset to work with the plant and animal spirits. Your registration is not finalized until complete payment has been made.
This listing is only for those attending the Drum Workshop on November 22, 2026 at our shop at 475 NE Burnside Road in Gresham, Oregon.
Harmonic Shamanic Drums have a five-spoke handle and represent the four elements and spirit.
We will be making our drums on Cedar hoops. Cedar is a strong and lightweight wood that makes excellent drum rims. You will be able to choose Deer, Elk or Horse for this style of drum.
Deer drums have excellent sustain with nice harmonics, with a mid-high to low tone depending on size and thickness. The deer represents love and circulation and is aligned with the heart chakra.
Horse drums have excellent harmonics, with a mid to low tone depending on size and thickness. The horse is the traditional journey animal and corresponds to the third eye chakra.
Elk carries the energy of stamina and getting rid of toxic ideas, especially those instilled in childhood. It reminds me of a young warrior who has your back. Especially helpful in recovering from childhood abuse. These drums tend to be deep and give a nice bump with some resonance and harmonic response.
Please also choose the type and color of beater you would like to make.
This listing is only for those attending the Drum Workshop on November 22, 2026 at Gaia’s Workshop. Seven Sisters Drums have a seven-spoke handle and represent both the Faerie Star and the Pleiades Constellation.
We will be making our drums on Cedar hoops. Cedar is a strong and lightweight wood that makes excellent drum rims. You will be able to choose Deer, Elk or Horse for this style of drum.
Deer drums have excellent sustain with nice harmonics, with a mid-high to low tone depending on size and thickness. The deer represents love and circulation and is aligned with the heart chakra.
Horse drums have excellent harmonics, with a mid to low tone depending on size and thickness. The horse is the traditional journey animal and corresponds to the third eye chakra.
Elk carries the energy of stamina and getting rid of toxic ideas, especially those instilled in childhood. It reminds me of a young warrior who has your back. Especially helpful in recovering from childhood abuse. These drums tend to be deep and give a nice bump with some resonance and harmonic response.
We will also be making basic drum beaters in your choice of color.. Choose your beater from the listing.
This listing is only for those attending the Drum Making Workshop at Gaia’s Workshop on November 22, 2026 from 5:15 - 9:00 pm. You must choose a drum along with your beater to register for the workshop. We make several kinds of drum beaters because each type has a different sound and brings out the best in different kinds of drums. There is no charge for a basic beater, the pouch and fur beaters have a slight extra charge.
Our basic beater is made in either a hard, medium or soft version. The hard version gives you a strong "attack" to your sound, and a sharper envelope. These beaters seem to do especially well on the larger, thicker drums. It is made with a core center of cotton cloth covered by deer suede and wrapped in waxed thread. The medium beater has a hard cotton core covered by carded wool & deer suede & wrapped with waxed thread for an in-between sound. The soft version gives you a more extended sound with less of the strike sound & more "hum". It works well on the thinner hides and is recommended for the European style drums. It is made with a core center of carded wool covered by deer suede and wrapped with waxed thread. Please specify the type of beater you want when ordering.
Our Rabbit Fur Beater gives you more of the hum sound and less of the strike, and comes in soft, medium & hard as well. These are a bit more difficult to make.
Our pouch beater varies from medium hard to hard depending on how much fluff you add.
The handles are made of willow hand cut by us in a wild place on the Sandy River (we always gift the willow trees for their sacrifice and cut where they tell us).
This listing is only for those attending the Drum Workshop on November 22, 2026 at Gaia’s Workshop. Spirit Drums have four handles and represent the four directions & the four elements.
We will be making our drums on Cedar hoops. Cedar is a strong and lightweight wood that makes excellent drum rims. You will be able to choose Deer, Elk, Buffalo or Horse for this style of drum.
Deer drums have excellent sustain with nice harmonics, with a mid-high to low tone depending on size and thickness. The deer represents love and circulation and is aligned with the heart chakra.
Horse drums have excellent harmonics, with a mid to low tone depending on size and thickness. The horse is the traditional journey animal and corresponds to the third eye chakra.
Elk carries the energy of stamina and getting rid of toxic ideas, especially those instilled in childhood. It reminds me of a young warrior who has your back. Especially helpful in recovering from childhood abuse. These drums tend to be deep and give a nice bump with some resonance and harmonic response.
Buffalo is the Grandfather, and represents abundance. It is a deep sounding hide, with some resonance. The hide is generally thicker, and we scallop these drums because they tend not to wrap well around the hoop. We only offer these in the fur direction style.
We will also be making basic drum beaters in your choice of color.. Choose your beater from the listing.