Taiko Drums

Another line of my work is making  taiko drums, large Japanese style drums that are played with great energy and, sometimes, grace. This started when my partner, the woodturner Ruth Mae, was phoned  out of the blue by Mugenkyo, the professional taiko group based here in  Scotland. They asked her to make them some bachi, the special sticks used to  play these drums. We joined some classes run by Mugenkyo and soon wanted a drum  of our own. After much study and advice, I made my first drum. Then a fellow  player asked me to make one for her. One hundred and twenty drums  later: