Abstract: A drum having improved acoustic characteristics includes a rigid annular bridge at one or both ends of a thin resonant annular shell attached to the bridges. A drum head is mounted on the bridge by a tension mechanism attached only to the bridge, and the drum is mounted on a drum stand by mounting hardware attached only to the bridge, leaving the shell free of load bearing and tensive and compressive forces and making the shell resonate more effectively. The bridge is machined from a solid block of wood formed of horizontal laminations. A microphone can be mounted on the inside of the bridge, with electrical leads exiting the drum through the mounting hardware. A snare drum having a thick body instead of a resonant shell is machined in the same way and has internal head tension members that make it possible to have a thicker body.