FLUMI

New acquisition - a friction beater, otherwise known as a flumi. I tried a DIY version using a superball (rubber bouncing ball), but the first attempt split the ball and the second, the ball was too slick to get much purchase on a surface to make a noise. Either sanding the superball down or getting ones that have some sort of matt textured surface is probably the answer. The flexibility of the handle is also an important factor, the ball vibrates against the surface and anything too stiff isn't going to facilitate vibration. My second attempt was to screw a superball to the fat end of a drumstick - in addition to the too-smooth surface, the rigidity of the stick wasn't going to help. The other thing that I have discovered, and that any proper drummer/percussionist would have told me, is that one's grip on the beater has a distinct effect on the sound; obvious, now. Anyway, it's a great thing and I've discovered a number of objects/surfaces that can be made to resonate, in a slightly unsettling way, in some cases. The bannisters of the staircase in my building being an example - 3 storeys of steel reverberating with a low frequency howl down the stairwell. I will be doing more of this and having another attempt at making my own flumis in a variety of sizes.

A post shared by Robin Bale (@balerobin) on Jul 7, 2017 at 8:39am PDT