Collection: Spring Drums/Thunder Tubes

Spring drums and thunder tubes from REMO and Groove Masters Percussion.

Both work the same way. A long metal spring hangs from a drum head inside a tube or a shell. Shaking or tilting the instrument sets the spring moving, and the vibration travels back up into the head, which amplifies it into a deep rolling boom that sounds remarkably like distant thunder.

A gentle tilt gives a low rumble that builds slowly. A sharp shake gives a crack. The sound continues as long as the spring keeps moving, so it can be sustained under a story or a piece of music rather than being a single hit.

They are the instrument of choice for storytelling and soundscape work, and they are also genuinely startling the first time a class hears one, which is a good reason to keep one in the room.

REMO stocks a spring drum and thunder tubes in six and seven inch. The GMP twelve inch thunder spring drum is the largest and deepest of the four.