The Passion of the Drum

I am drawn to people who are passionate about what they do. Whether it’s making and building things such as cigar box guitars, or making and performing music, or working towards a social cause, passion is inspiring… and contagious.

It is in the realm of small businesses and entrepreneurship that especially passionate people can be found; in my experience, if you aren’t possessed with passion for what you’re doing, you’re going to have a much harder time finding success.

My friend Dale Vigent is a man who is passionate about drums. You don’t have to spend much time around him for this to become clear. I spend a lot of time at work… but his truck is usually in the parking lot before I get there in the morning and well after I leave at night.

See all of our Vigent Hand Drums available now at CBGitty.com/Drums

If you ask him a question about drums or drumming, you are in for a wide-ranging conversation. He has worked with and studied under drummaking legends such as Johnny Craviatto. He studies African drumming under a master of that art. He designs and creates his own steam-bending forms, lathe attachments and other jigs and equipment. He builds high-end snare drums, djembes and stave drums. He is a custom finisher with decades of experience. He lives, eats and breathes drums and drumming, and that passion shines through in his work.

That is what made me want to help bring his work to the world, by featuring his hand drum creations on CBGitty.com. It is why I am working with him to develop a hand drum kit that will allow DIY folks to build their own unique drum creations.

Like many of us pursuing a dream with passion, he has fought many battles and gone through many hardships, some of them ongoing. But his devotion and passion sees him through, keeps him going.

Through the darkest times in our lives, if we have something we believe in and are passionate about, it can be both an anchor to keep us grounded, and an engine to push us forward, up and over the barriers in our way.

I am proud to be working with Dale on this project. He’s been helping us out in the Gitty shop for several years, and has helped us develop new jigs and fixtures and methods. But now, we’re bringing his true love to the forefront, and that is something very special and meaningful to me.

I share this story for two reasons: as a featured introduction to Dale and his amazing work, but also in the hopes of inspiring you, the reader, to develop and pursue your own passion. I came up with the saying “Build what you play, play what you love” not just as a catchy slogan, but as a mission statement. My goal is to help as many people realize it as possible.

See all of our Vigent Hand Drums available now at CBGitty.com/Drums