HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PORTABLE EARTH BOW (PDF Tutorial)

As its name suggests, the portable earth bow is a mobile form of the earth-bound musical bow. Forms of the portable earth bow occur in Mali, Guinea, Uganda, and elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in various locales in the Americas under various names. In the United States, for example, its names include washtub bass and gutbucket; in Cuba, it is called tingotalango; in Haiti, the is tanmbou mawengwen ("mosquito drum"); and in the neighboring Dominican Republic, the instrument is known as gayumba.

The portable earth bow covered in this tutorial is a considerably modified form of the Instrument. Traditionally, the base consisted of a large galvanized metal tub of the sort that formerly was used to wash clothes. In this tutorial, however, you'll be guided, step-by-step, through the process of making this simple, yet fascinating instrument using a small tin can as the base.