How to choose a drumhead

Every drum set needs to have a proper drumhead that goes with the music style you want to play. Between all the different types of drum heads and all of the different drumhead manufacturers it’s very easy to get confused between all the different options. When you purchase a drumhead you’ll need to decide what kind of material you want to use and the thickness of the drumhead itself. Each of these factors influences the sound of the music greatly. For a very nice light and bright sound for your drums you can use the single one ply drumhead. If you’re looking for a fuller deeper and darker sound then add more heads or use heads with special coatings. Some of the two layer heads provide special fluids between the layers to provide extra sustainability for your tones. The special coating used on these drumheads does provide a warmer sound than leaving the drumhead without the special coating. This is because it muffles a vibration somewhat and doesn’t allow the high-pitched ringing sounds to drown out your music. So after all of this you are probably wondering what does a nice average drumhead that I can use for my drums look like. Let’s set up a basic situation and describe the type of drumhead that I would like to use. I like to play rock on a pure wood (stave) drum. I have a medium-sized music room with acoustically dampened walls. I’m trying to set up a basic situation using a basic music style divide you with a basic drumhead that you need. So assuming that you have chosen what drumhead you want you will want to apply it to one of your drums. Let’s assume that you’re going to apply it to your Snare Drum. When you take the drumhead out-of-the-box you may want to apply your band logo to the drumhead. Be very careful you do this because you will not be able to take the sticker off again once you place it firmly on your drumhead. Be sure to check the way it looks in various positions and at various angles to make sure that your band’s logo is visible from all positions in the way that you wanted to be seen by the public. Use your fingers to press gently on the sticker evenly placing it around the drumhead. Once you are done applying your bands logo to your new drumhead you’ll want to tune the new drumhead. Use your drummer’s key and turn the lugs clockwise to change the tone and pitch of your drums. You’ll want to make sure the balance your tuning process by crisscrossing your lug pattern. Many drum companies recommend that you do not over tighten your drumhead because this can cause your drumhead to break. In the end you’ll need to check to make sure that your drum plays well according to your music style. Dampening and Muffling Drum heads If you find that the musical style you want to play calls for a sound that does not include a high-pitched ring noise then you may want to muffle or dampen your drumhead. The high-pitched noise is a common feature among many drumheads from many different manufacturers you will need to test them out beforehand to make sure you know the sound that you are purchasing. To be able to eliminate that high-pitched noise you’ll need to apply special muffling foam that is available at your local music store. Many people also apply medical bandage and tape to a portion of the drum to provide a muffling and dampening effect to the drum set. The size and thickness of what is used to muffle your drums will have a big impact on the sound and degree of dampening of the drumhead. The thicker the muffler the more dampening you will have. Also depending on where you put the muffler on the drumhead it can also change the amount of dampening that your drumhead experiences. If you put the muffling pad close to the center of the drumhead it will provide more dampening effect. Also, if you use a larger piece of dampening tape it will increase the dampening effect. Start with a half inch square of bandage tape and work your way up to 1 inch and 1 ½ inches to see how it sounds. Place the pad anywhere from one to 2 inches from the head of the rim and see for yourself if it provides the sound you want. Today we’ve gone over the steps you need to properly tune your tom-tom, bass drum, and other parts of your drum set. Your personal music style will be the ultimate factor in deciding your musical needs. Ultimately, you will need to go down to your local music store to try out the entire different drumhead selection yourself. Once you do come back to drumsets.org to find the lowest price on the drumhead you want. To help you make a better decision when you purchase a drumhead we have compiled a list of the top drumhead manufacturers visit each one and compare to determine which one best matches your unique musical style.