Drum Making Masterclass — How to Stretch the Skin on a Frame Drum

This masterclass is about one thing: stretching goat skin onto a wooden frame. Not building a drum from scratch — the stretching itself, the step that decides whether your drum sounds or not.

My name is Max. I'm from Ukraine and I've been making shaman drums for ten years — more than 3,000 of them, made to order for people on every continent. What I show here is one of the ways I work — the one I chose to share: three rows of holes, and the way I lace the cords through them. But the method itself is not the point. The point is my commentary through the whole process — what I'm doing at every step, why I'm doing it, and what happens if you skip it.

A note on language. The videos are narrated in Russian with English subtitles burned into the picture. Both PDF guides are fully in English.

Before you buy: the materials

This masterclass is for people who already have a goat skin and a wooden frame, or plan to buy them. The materials are not included — everything else you need is ordinary workshop tools.

I don't sell skins or frames in bulk. But if you need a single piece to put this masterclass into practice and make your own drum, write to me personally — I'll help where I can, though I can't promise the material will be in stock.

What you get

• Masterclass guide — PDF, 20 pages. The whole process in writing, with photographs of every step.
• Cheat Sheet — PDF, 3 pages. Every measurement on one sheet: line positions, hole spacing, cord widths, water temperature. Print it and keep it beside you while you work.
• 23 videos in a private Telegram channel — 13 clips covering the stretching step by step, plus 10 preparation lessons on marking, punching the holes and painting the frame.

Masterclass — $199

Both PDFs, delivered right after purchase, and lifetime access to the video channel. Questions about the guide itself go to my email.

Masterclass + Mentorship — $499

Everything above, plus personal guidance from me: you send photos and videos of your process, and I go through every step with you until your drum is finished. After your order I send you my direct WhatsApp — that's where we work, so you can send pictures as you go and get an answer from me. This is the closest thing to being my apprentice. Four places a month — I make drums to order and my time is limited.

Who it's for

For anyone who wants to stretch their own drum by hand, and for makers who already build drums and want a different lacing technique. Ten years of practice, condensed so you don't lose time and material learning it the hard way.

What this does not cover

Making the wooden frame, and making the handle. Those are separate crafts. Here we start with a ready frame and a goat skin, and finish with a stretched, dried membrane.