I'm looking for the opinions of musicians or ranchers on this one.
I spent most of my college years playing taiko drums, and I really miss it. I'm hoping within the next few years to build a couple drums and at least bang around and have fun with them with any of my drumming friends who are in town. I've built plenty of drums with the group before, so I know the process, but I was hoping that I might find a better source for the walls of cow that our group ordered from Texas to use for the skin.
I know there's a necessary transformation somewhere between killing the cow and using the soaked hide on a drum, so I couldn't just buy the outside of a butchered animal from anywhere. Is it common for ranchers, slaughterhouses, butchers, or anybody involved in the process to treat the hide? Does good hide come from specific animals, or can it be taken from animals bred for meat? Would a small time or family ranch be willing to treat the hide if I asked?
If this is out of the question, I can order something from our place in Texas. But for goodness sake, I live in the Midwest- drive 10 minutes out of town and there are cows all over the place!
I spent most of my college years playing taiko drums, and I really miss it. I'm hoping within the next few years to build a couple drums and at least bang around and have fun with them with any of my drumming friends who are in town. I've built plenty of drums with the group before, so I know the process, but I was hoping that I might find a better source for the walls of cow that our group ordered from Texas to use for the skin.
I know there's a necessary transformation somewhere between killing the cow and using the soaked hide on a drum, so I couldn't just buy the outside of a butchered animal from anywhere. Is it common for ranchers, slaughterhouses, butchers, or anybody involved in the process to treat the hide? Does good hide come from specific animals, or can it be taken from animals bred for meat? Would a small time or family ranch be willing to treat the hide if I asked?
If this is out of the question, I can order something from our place in Texas. But for goodness sake, I live in the Midwest- drive 10 minutes out of town and there are cows all over the place!