Shibari Academy

The Drum Harness gets its name from the way the ropes are arranged around the hips, creating a triangular pattern that resembles the straps or ropes around a drum. The ropes are cinched in such a way that they look like the tensioned straps found on the sides of a drum, which are used to tune and maintain the drum's shape. 

The Drum Harness has the special characteristic that it can be self-tied, so you don't need anybody but yourself to practice and master this tie. Tying yourself is a great way to develop empathy for the person being tied as well as to gain a deeper understanding of how the ropes feel against the skin and how tension is felt around the limbs. 

You will start tying with a 30ft rope. When it runs out, you get to make the decision of continuing with a 15 ft rope so that there is no rope left, or choosing another 30 ft rope. If you choose the long rope, you will have lots of rope leftover. This provides a great opportunity to continue tying a chest harness that's attached to the Drum Harness. This is a valuable lesson about planning your ties. You can choose to have leftover rope on purpose, it can be a good thing. 

Whenever you are planning your ties, make sure to consider the size of your partner and whether you will connect multiple ties so you can choose the best rope lengths for you.

Have fun tying!

Eve