16:46 | Lima, Sep. 25 (ANDINA).
Anointed Peruvian Drums started as a far-fetched idea Robby Hunter had to add more dimension to his drum playing on the worship team at WestSide Church in Yakima.
Coaxed by intrigue, happenstance and a series of dreams, Hunter, 39, now builds hand-made cajon and cajon conga drums out of his garage: drums with sound and tone that are drawing attention, the Yakima Herald-Republic reports.
"It was all by mistake," Hunter said about the trials and errors in the evolving process. When he talks about it, it's frequently through a smile of somewhat disbelief.
It all began as more people began attending WestSide Church, where Hunter is a musician on the worship team. The church recently added an evening service with a more informal atmosphere and quieter, acoustic music.
Music pastor Josh Cavallo asked Hunter, a piano player, to keep time on a single cajon drum. He liked it. As time went by, he wanted to add more dimension to his playing and he looked into adding drums.
After looking at different styles - and their prices - he decided he would try to build his own. He had no background in woodworking and "I wasn't even a drummer," he said. "I took wood shop in school, but mostly remembered the safety stuff."
After doing some research online, he started building his first drum in the church's shop.
Church custodian James Porter, who bought Hunter's first drum and is now helping with the business, remembers many nights passing by Hunter working in the shop.
"I would come back here and he would have all these pieces sort of put together and a string tied around them," Porter said, shaking his head. "I'd asked him what he was doing and he just said, 'I'm making my own drum!'"
Even Hunter's wife, Becky -- while supportive -- wasn't sure what direction he was going.
"I was like, 'OK, honey,' he's got a little hobby, go have fun now," Becky Hunter said. But when she heard the drums, her eyes opened wider. "I thought, 'OK, wow, that's really good.' I enjoy watching other people light up when they hear them."
The drums he came up with have taken him and many others by surprise.
Cajons and cajon congas with a deep, mellow, resonating bass thump surrounded by cracking snares, crisp edge pops and round rich midrange tones, all from one instrument. With brushes and brush sticks, Hunter can even bring out cymbal-like tones.
One of the people who lit up when he heard the drums is Scott Anderson of 57th Street Productions in Monroe.
"I've never heard anything that sounded like that before," Anderson said. "There's just so many different tones" that result from the upright design of the cajon-style drum that are "more in the upper ranges" along with producing "a nice, tight 'thud.'"
Anderson bought a set for his studio and has used them on several recordings.
"People walk in and see them and ask what they are," Anderson said.
"They play them and the next thing you know they want them on their albums."
Hunter said he was helped along by a series of dreams from which he would awake with ideas, like where and how to place sound holes. Now, he's working on a patent for that.
Hunter also remembers Cavallo walking by while he was immersed in thought, wondering how to sand a series of edges on a drum. Cavallo shook Hunter back into the world by offhandedly suggested he just cut them off at 45 degrees.
"That's why (the drums) are shaped like that," Hunter said of the tapering octagons.
And then there is the hemlock he just happened to use to join larger planks of mahogany and walnut. Turns out he was unknowingly adding "breathable wood" to the design, which is essential to allowing the drum to properly resonate.
And hemlock happens to be an excellent wood for that application.
"I don't know how I figured it out," Hunter said.
The big bass the drums produce really sets them apart.
"We put a dynamic mic at the bottom during service and (the bass) makes the chairs vibrate," Hunter said, but not in a startling or brash way.
Hunter made several drums before deciding to start a business building them and moved his craft into his garage. He hopes to add investors and expand. Since starting in July, he's sold three sets.
A full set, which includes four drums, costs $980. Single drums run from $165 to $275.
"I just want to get this sound out to people who really know how to do something with it," Hunter said.
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Publicado: 25/9/2011