In part one of my article about drumheads, I shared details about the number of plies in drumheads and how they affect their durability and sound. This week, I'll cover 3 additional elements of drumheads: muffling, coatings, and bottom drumheads.
Pre-Muffled or Wide-Open Drumheads
Heads now exist with built-in muffling to reduce unwanted overtones, which is achieved is by applying a ring of material like Mylar to the drumhead's top or underside. Evans, a leading supplier of drumheads, offers a version with tiny-sized holes or vents along the perimeter that get rid of overtones by moving air through the membrane. Evans also offers a unique drumhead that employs a thin layer of oil between the 2 plies of their Hydraulic series to achieve a muffled tone.
Keep in mind that these pre-muffled drumheads don t change the pitch of the drum when it's tuned: they only remove unwanted superfluous frequencies. Pre-muffled heads can also help to prevent the need for other means of muffling, like gaffer tape.
Clear or Coated Drumheads
Coated heads are spray-painted clear heads. While clear heads have more sustain than coated drumheads, coated heads have a sharper attack that accentuates the sound of the stick striking the head surface (this is the main reason why drummers traditionally use a coated drumhead on their snare drum).
If you're playing with brushes, you definitely need to use a coated head for brush response. A coated drumhead also has a more dampened tone than a clear head - which makes sense since a coated drumhead has an extra layer of materiel applied to its surface.
Resonant or Bottom/Front Head
You get your pitch from the top or batter head and your sustain from the bottom drumhead, so you'd usually only use a single-ply head on the bottom side of your tom and snare and on the front of your bass drum.
Snare drum resonant drumheads are specifically made for the underside of your snare. They're ultra-thin and not intended to be struck. This thinness helps to amplify vibration and sensitivity to your snare wires.
(FYI, never install a single-ply batter head on the underside of your snare drum - unless you want it to sound like a choked cardboard box!)
Have questions about drumheads? Feel free to reach out. I'm always here to help!
Pre-Muffled or Wide-Open Drumheads
Heads now exist with built-in muffling to reduce unwanted overtones, which is achieved is by applying a ring of material like Mylar to the drumhead's top or underside. Evans, a leading supplier of drumheads, offers a version with tiny-sized holes or vents along the perimeter that get rid of overtones by moving air through the membrane. Evans also offers a unique drumhead that employs a thin layer of oil between the 2 plies of their Hydraulic series to achieve a muffled tone.
Keep in mind that these pre-muffled drumheads don t change the pitch of the drum when it's tuned: they only remove unwanted superfluous frequencies. Pre-muffled heads can also help to prevent the need for other means of muffling, like gaffer tape.
Clear or Coated Drumheads
Coated heads are spray-painted clear heads. While clear heads have more sustain than coated drumheads, coated heads have a sharper attack that accentuates the sound of the stick striking the head surface (this is the main reason why drummers traditionally use a coated drumhead on their snare drum).
If you're playing with brushes, you definitely need to use a coated head for brush response. A coated drumhead also has a more dampened tone than a clear head - which makes sense since a coated drumhead has an extra layer of materiel applied to its surface.
Resonant or Bottom/Front Head
You get your pitch from the top or batter head and your sustain from the bottom drumhead, so you'd usually only use a single-ply head on the bottom side of your tom and snare and on the front of your bass drum.
Snare drum resonant drumheads are specifically made for the underside of your snare. They're ultra-thin and not intended to be struck. This thinness helps to amplify vibration and sensitivity to your snare wires.
(FYI, never install a single-ply batter head on the underside of your snare drum - unless you want it to sound like a choked cardboard box!)
Have questions about drumheads? Feel free to reach out. I'm always here to help!
About the Author:
Vic Salazar is the owner of Vic's Drum Shop, an
internationally recognized drum and percussion emporium in Chicago, Illinois. The vast knowledge of drum gear that he's
gathered over his forty year career has made Vic a resource for
beginning drummers, drumming hobbyists, pro drummers, and many of the
world's top drum stars.
internationally recognized drum and percussion emporium in Chicago, Illinois. The vast knowledge of drum gear that he's
gathered over his forty year career has made Vic a resource for
beginning drummers, drumming hobbyists, pro drummers, and many of the
world's top drum stars.