This huge walnut log, harvested from mature forests in the west of Iran, will be used to make a tonbak drum. First it must be dried out for up to eight months.
First step: Cut down a tree —
This huge walnut log, harvested from mature forests in the west of Iran, will be used to make a tonbak drum. First it must be dried out for up to eight months.
Ruairi Glasheen
Keyvan Taheri, a highly experienced tonbak craftsman, runs a workshop in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Each drum takes three years to make and is produced in close collaboration with the player who has commissioned it. As a drummer himself, Taheri says he understands the deep relationship between a musician and their instrument.
Master craftsman —
Keyvan Taheri, a highly experienced tonbak craftsman, runs a workshop in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Each drum takes three years to make and is produced in close collaboration with the player who has commissioned it. As a drummer himself, Taheri says he understands the deep relationship between a musician and their instrument.
Ruairi Glasheen
The walnut logs are cut into the tonbak's traditional goblet shape.
Taking shape —
The walnut logs are cut into the tonbak's traditional goblet shape.
Ruairi Glasheen
The drums are wrapped in plastic and left for several months while the wood dries out further.
Drying the wood —
The drums are wrapped in plastic and left for several months while the wood dries out further.
Ruairi Glasheen
Once the wood is sufficiently dry, structural detail is carved into the drum's exterior surface -- a painstaking process carried out with a hand-powered lathe.
Carving —
Once the wood is sufficiently dry, structural detail is carved into the drum's exterior surface -- a painstaking process carried out with a hand-powered lathe.
Ruairi Glasheen
The interior surface of the drum is sanded down to create a perfectly smooth surface.
Smoothing the interior —
The interior surface of the drum is sanded down to create a perfectly smooth surface.
Ruairi Glasheen
If at any point the wood reveals holes, cracks or other imperfections, the drum has to be thrown away. Despite the time wasted, Taheri says he is able to stay calm and resolute throughout the drum-making process. He says it's a labor of love.
A hole in the wood —
If at any point the wood reveals holes, cracks or other imperfections, the drum has to be thrown away. Despite the time wasted, Taheri says he is able to stay calm and resolute throughout the drum-making process. He says it's a labor of love.
Ruairi Glasheen
Once the drum's wooden shell is complete, a finely-cured piece of camel or goat skin is glued to the top.
The last stage —
Once the drum's wooden shell is complete, a finely-cured piece of camel or goat skin is glued to the top.
Ruairi Glasheen