A tunable drum is shown having a hollow drum shell, and imperforate drumheads
closing
the ends of said drum shell. One or more opening extend through the drum shell
for acoustic venting, and valves are provided for adjusting the size of the openings
to vary the amount of acoustic venting, and consequently the volume, pitch, tone,
timbre and stick response of said drum. The valves may be slide valves movable,
e.g., slidable or pivotable, between an open and a closed position. A preferred
valve consists of a ring member positioned for rotation inside said drum and slidable
endwise of the drum to cover or uncover said drum openings, or the ring member
may have openings that match the drum openings and operable to cover or uncover
the openings or rotation. A handle for rotation of the ring member extends outside
the shell for movement by the drummer.
