A tank drum or hank drum is a round steel slit/tongue drum

Slit drum

A slit drum is a hollow percussion instrument, usually a log drum of bamboo or wood, that is made with one or more slits in it. Most slit drums have three slits, cut into the shape of an "H". If, as is usual, the resultant tongues are different lengths or thicknesses, the drum will produce two...

 originally fashioned from a propane tank.

Description

Strictly speaking a tank drum is made from an empty (often 20 lb) propane tank. The tank is flipped over, the base cut/knocked off; and seven to ten tongues are cut radially into the 'bottom' of the tank (which becomes the 'top' of the tank drum). The tongues can be tuned by the player by varying the length of the cuts. The tank drum is often tuned to pentatonic scales but can be tuned to the diatonic scale

Diatonic scale

In music theory, a diatonic scale is a seven note, octave-repeating musical scale comprising five whole steps and two half steps for each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole steps...

, the chromatic scale

Chromatic scale

The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone apart. On a modern piano or other equal-tempered instrument, all the half steps are the same size...

, or any set of notes the maker chooses. The instrument is played with the fingers or with mallets. The tone is bell-like.

History

The tank drum as a steel tongue drum had several predecessors, most notably the Whale Drum by Jim Doble and the Tambiro by Felle Vega. In Feb. 2007 Dennis Havlena, inspired by the physical properties of the Tambiro and the tone layout of the Hang, created a steel tongue drum with a circular cross pattern layout and from an empty 20-pound propane

Propane

Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...

tank. The name 'hank drum' came from a combination of "Hang" and "tank". with a joking nod to the character Hank Hill (propane salesman) from the TV show King of the Hill.

The tank drum, in turn has inspired other steel slit drum inventions, including a number of commercial versions.

External links

• Dennis Havlena's Website
• Article in the Oddmusic Musical Instrument Gallery about Dennis Havlena and the Hank drum
• Article on recording a hank drum.Includes audio clips
• Hank Drum Collective - discussion group for Hank Drum makers
• http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-a-Hank-Drum/
• http://foundmusic.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-build-hank-drum.html
• http://foundmusic.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-improve-your-hank-drum.html