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Rope
Any strong, non-stretching rope (avoid pure nylon) works. In the cold months, I use static climbing rope with a kevlar core (there is also shock rope; don't use this because it stretches). 5mm (3/8") seems to be a good size. I got my most recent rope from Rhythm Traders. They have solid colors made sprecifically for drum making.
Rhythm Traders

Most of the year, my choice is natural hemp. I change it to synthetic to get tighter heads in the winter. If you are interested in using hemp on your drum, here are some links to websites for ordering.
Scientific Nature Hemp Emporium
Dragonwing
TerraWear.

Dowels

This method will require wooden dowels for tightening the ropes. I chose to make them 12mm (1/2") in diameter, 8cm (3") long. I needed nine of them for the small drum in the step-by-step photos below. The wood is birch.

Tools

• If you choose wood, you will need to put an edge on the shell. I use a Dremel tool, but you can do the same with a good wood file. Coarse sanding blocks work as well.
• white chalk for marking the hide.
• A clamp to hold laces and rope in place while tightening.
• X-Acto knife or 1/2" leather punch (good luck finding one).
• Razor blade to cut the hide.
• Spray bottle filled with water for keeping the hide damp.

Roping the Head to the Drum (V rope)

We start this part of the ikigala construction process assuming you have already cut out and prepared the heads for mounting. For this method of roping, you need an even number of holes in each head (the demo example below has 14).

The photos in this series, like most of the tiny photos on this page, are thumbnails. Click them for a larger image.

Inserting the Doweling (V rope)

Now comes the procedure that makes this method unique. You will be wedging the small dowels between adjacent verical ropes and twisting them to hold them in place.

This is best done when the heads are wet. However, in the example photos, the heads are dry.

The photos in this series, like most of the tiny photos on this page, are thumbnails. Click them for a larger image.

Go, first, to the verticals where the ends of your rope come together at the bowline knot and loop.

You will want to insert the first dowel opposite where the bowline knot. The verticals you select should be the first ropes that are "free" (i.e. they aren't involved with the tying off of the ends).

You will notice that one rope is slightly above the other. It passes over the anchoring rope, the other one under.

Insert a dowel by passing it over the "upper" rope and under the "lower" rope.

Keep the dowel wedged up against the drumshell and twist the ropes with the dowel. Twist the lower rope over the upper rope.

Lock the twist in place by wedging the dowel against the shell.

If your verticals are tight, the tension of the twisted rope will press the dowel into the shell. This will hold the twist in place after you let go of the dowel.

Now, move on to the next vertical pair and follow the same procedure. Unlike the "crossed rope" version below, the twisted verticals will all look the same.

The verticals are now all twisted together once (or twice in my case).

Go around the drum twisting all the dowels evenly. Do one twist on each pair as you go around. Then go around again.

On a drum with wet heads, I can usually crank the verticals around about four times. I get them very tight. The drying of the hide will do the rest.

Once the hide is dry, it can be extremely tight.

I wrap the excess rope around the drum at the opposite end from the dowels.

Roping the Head to the Drum (crossed rope)

We start this part of the ikigala construction process assuming you have already cut out and prepared the heads for mounting. For this method of roping, you need an odd number of holes in each head (the demo example below has 9).

The photos in this series, like most of the tiny photos on this page, are thumbnails. Click them for a larger image.

This drum I wanted to have very tight heads. That's why I chose this method of tuning. I also used a thicker shell. The thicker the shell, the more you can round the edges where the skin wraps from the heads to the sides of the shell. I rounded this drum very carefully to provide a gentle low-friction surface.

Begin by making sure that the holes in the top head line up with the holes in the bottom head. This is different from all the other roping methods I have posted. Run an end of the rope through a top anchoring loop.

When you have threaded the rope around the drum a second time, the two ends of the rope should meet.

Tie a bowline knot in the starting end of the rope. Leave an extra about 50cm (20") as a "tail' at the end. For help tying a bowline knot, visit this website Roper's Knot Pages

Pull the leading end of the rope through the bowline knot.

Inserting the Doweling (crossed rope)

Now comes the procedure that makes this method unique. You will be wedging the small dowels between the crossed verical ropes and twisting them to hold them in place.

The photos in this series, like most of the tiny photos on this page, are thumbnails. Click them for a larger image.

The tension of the twisted rope will press the dowel into the shell. This will hold the twist in place after you let go of the dowel.

Tuning your Ikigala

Let us not forget that you will want to keep your drum tuned. They will steadily get lower in pitch as the heads stretch out, especially shortly after they are built. In fact, you will want to tighten them a couple of times as you break them in.

You can tighten the heads on this drum very easily by twisting the dowels. This will work even when the heads are dry.

You can go even farther by soaking the heads in water. You can use wet towels or throw the drum in a swimming pool. Then pull the ropes tight. Probably, you will have to do this at least twice before the heads are stretched out. The drying time will be the same as for the original construction, so you will need to tune your drum three or four days before playing it again. A more time-consuming, but more effective, way is to remove all of the ropes, and soaking the heads by submersion.

For a quick tightening (one or two day's drying), you can just wet the center of the head. When it dries, it will tighten up a bit.