Mundo Medicine Drums
Mundo Medicine Drums, handcrafted by Ignacio Cotopaxi in La Mesa, California, are the highest quality skin drums we have ever come across and we are very excited to bring these drums to the Beautiful Sounds community.
Ignacio brings his long time expertise in crafting professional djembes to his new medicine drum line which are perfect for sound healing. It's wonderful to collaborate with a local instrument maker, with Ignacio's drum workshop just 15 minutes from the Beautiful Sounds shop!
Mundo Medicine Drums are incredibly unique animal skin medicine drums as they incorporate in a unique Air Tuning System which is integrated into the frame of each drum. This innovative tuning system keeps drums sounding great in any environment.
Air Tuning 101
Typical skin drums will unfortunately lose their playability when they are kept in humid environments and this is a bummer when you go to grab your drum for an event or personal use and it's flat. Ignacio's innovative Air Tuning System completely solves this issue as it's very easy to tighten drums adding a small amount of air into the drum frame with a simple and inexpensive hand pump. So cool! Watch this series of videos to see how it works to change the tension of the drum head.
Skins 101
Mundo Medicine Drums have options for several different kinds of animal skins which have different sound and playing qualities. Here is a general guide to help you choose the skin for your drum.
Drum Skin Sound Qualities
| Skin Type | Tone | Attack | Sustain | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goat | Bright, crisp | Sharp | Short | Rhythmic clarity, more drum head tensions possible makes for larger range of notes |
| Calf | Warm, smooth | Rounded | Moderate | Musical subtleties, traditional music |
| Bison | Deep, earthy | Soft | Long | Grounding, meditative, ceremonial use |
| Elk | Rich, primal | Solid | Moderate | Shamanic, textured playing, spiritual work |
The amount of animal hair on the drum also affects the quality of the sound. Drums that are Fully Natural with the animal hair covering the full drum will be softer in sound and a warmer tone. Only Mundo Medicine Drums with Goat and Cow skins can be ordered with Fully Natural or Shaved Top with Natural Edge options. Bison and Elk drums can only be ordered with the Fully Shaved option.
Many people like to choose their drum based on their understanding of the energy of the animal who provided the skin for the drum. And some just for the sound. However you choose, each drum is very unique in how it looks and the animals themselves have very unique patterns on their hides which comes through in the pigmented skin underneath the hair.
Shipping Time
Mundo Medicine Drums are made to order and ship directly to you from the maker in California in approximately 1-2 weeks
