In this 2-part article, I'm going to detail some general guidelines to help you select the right drumheads that will match your particular needs.
Drumheads are one of the most important elements of your drum. The type of drumhead that you select will determine the overall sound that your drum will produce. By installing a new drumhead, you can bring a drum "back to life" by adding tone and projection that were lost by using a worn, old head. You can also improve the sound of a less expensive drum by replacing its stock head with a new, professional-quality one.
Prior to the mid 1950s, drumheads were made of animal hides, like calfskin. This all changed when the DuPont Company created a polyester film they called Mylar. By using this plastic film instead of an animal skin, drumhead manufacturers such as Remo and Evans made amazing sonic options possible for drummers while adding consistency in quality and tone that wasn't previously available. With calfskin heads, drummers had to deal with the frequent need to retune their drums due to weather and temperature fluctuations. Plastic drumheads virtually eliminated this inconvenience.
Today, plastic drumheads are utilized not just on drum sets but also on timpani, marching drums, and timbales, as well as hand drums like congas, bongos, djembes, darbukas, frame drums, surdos, pandeiros, doumbeks, tambourines, and caixas.
Number of Plies
The first thing to consider when selecting heads for your drum set is head weight. Single-ply drumheads offer a lively sound with longer resonance and sustain, while 2-ply drumheads yield a darker, thicker sound with better durability. If you're a heavy hitter and want a lower, more controlled tone out of your drum, you may want to go with a 2-ply drumhead. If you're a finessed player and want to hear more overtones, you might use a single-ply head.
(NOTE: There are variations to this approach. For example, you might play heavy rock but prefer the sound that a single-ply head produces. I personally use single-ply drumhead and hit pretty hard - which means that I need to switch my heads more frequently than if I was using 2-ply heads.)
Other types of drumheads include:
Dot - This drumhead features an additional dot-shaped ply (approx. diameter 5") in the center. The dot can give you the durability of a 2-ply head, but with a sound more like that of a single-ply drumhead because only one layer of plastic sits on the drum's bearing edge. Drumhead manufacturers like Remo, Evans, Aquarian, Ludwig, and Attack all build their own versions of a head with a reinforcement dot.
Three-ply - Aquarian recently introduced a three-ply head for players who require the ultimate in durability. Obviously, this drumhead produces an extremely dark and lower fundamental pitch.
Next week in Part 2, I'll go over drumhead muffling, coating, and bottom drumheads. In the meantime, if you have any questions or need specific advice regarding your drumhead decisions or dilemmas, feel free to reach out. I'm always here to help!
Drumheads are one of the most important elements of your drum. The type of drumhead that you select will determine the overall sound that your drum will produce. By installing a new drumhead, you can bring a drum "back to life" by adding tone and projection that were lost by using a worn, old head. You can also improve the sound of a less expensive drum by replacing its stock head with a new, professional-quality one.
Prior to the mid 1950s, drumheads were made of animal hides, like calfskin. This all changed when the DuPont Company created a polyester film they called Mylar. By using this plastic film instead of an animal skin, drumhead manufacturers such as Remo and Evans made amazing sonic options possible for drummers while adding consistency in quality and tone that wasn't previously available. With calfskin heads, drummers had to deal with the frequent need to retune their drums due to weather and temperature fluctuations. Plastic drumheads virtually eliminated this inconvenience.
Today, plastic drumheads are utilized not just on drum sets but also on timpani, marching drums, and timbales, as well as hand drums like congas, bongos, djembes, darbukas, frame drums, surdos, pandeiros, doumbeks, tambourines, and caixas.
Number of Plies
The first thing to consider when selecting heads for your drum set is head weight. Single-ply drumheads offer a lively sound with longer resonance and sustain, while 2-ply drumheads yield a darker, thicker sound with better durability. If you're a heavy hitter and want a lower, more controlled tone out of your drum, you may want to go with a 2-ply drumhead. If you're a finessed player and want to hear more overtones, you might use a single-ply head.
(NOTE: There are variations to this approach. For example, you might play heavy rock but prefer the sound that a single-ply head produces. I personally use single-ply drumhead and hit pretty hard - which means that I need to switch my heads more frequently than if I was using 2-ply heads.)
Other types of drumheads include:
Dot - This drumhead features an additional dot-shaped ply (approx. diameter 5") in the center. The dot can give you the durability of a 2-ply head, but with a sound more like that of a single-ply drumhead because only one layer of plastic sits on the drum's bearing edge. Drumhead manufacturers like Remo, Evans, Aquarian, Ludwig, and Attack all build their own versions of a head with a reinforcement dot.
Three-ply - Aquarian recently introduced a three-ply head for players who require the ultimate in durability. Obviously, this drumhead produces an extremely dark and lower fundamental pitch.
Next week in Part 2, I'll go over drumhead muffling, coating, and bottom drumheads. In the meantime, if you have any questions or need specific advice regarding your drumhead decisions or dilemmas, feel free to reach out. I'm always here to help!
About the Author:
Vic Salazar is the proprietor of Vic's Drum Shop, an internationally famous drum and percussion store in Chicago, Illinois. The vast knowledge of drum gear that he's accumulated over his forty year career has made Vic a valuable resource for beginning drummers, drumming hobbyists, professional drummers, and many of the world's top drum superstars.
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