What You Need to Know About…Snare Drums

By Ben Meyer of Modern Drummer Magazine

This article originally ran in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of Drum Business.

Snare drums are easily the most recognizable voice in the drumkit. The practice of studio drummers using a different snare for every song, in order to change the overall voice of the kit, shows this theory in action. Some players have signature snare sounds that identify them immediately, where others aim for less-distinct tones that blend into the music. Drummers also tend to bring their own snare when playing backline kits, further illustrating the crucial role of the instrument in creating a distinct artistic voice. Here’s what you’ll need to know to help you choose the drum of your dreams.

First, let’s have a look at the different parts of a snare drum and what purpose they serve.

SHELL

Aside from giving the drum most of its general appearance, the shell also has a huge impact on the sound. Shells are typically made of single or mixed wood species, including maple, birch, mahogany, bubinga, ash, and poplar, or metals, including brass, bronze, steel, and aluminum. More adventurous materials, like carbon fiber, titanium, acrylic, and even glass, are fairly common, as are many rare, indigenous wood species from around the globe.

While most wood shells are made from multiple thin plies formed into a rigid shell through heat and compression, others are made with a single thick, steam-bent ply. Some custom drum makers also use staves, or segments of wood, that are glued together to form the shell. Reinforcement rings are sometimes added to the top and bottom of thinner shells and can be made from the same wood species as the rest of the shell or from a different material.

Looking up what kind of snare was used on a few of your favorite recordings can help you nail down some of the sounds that different shells will yield. There are also tons of snare-demo videos on YouTube, as well as on most drum manufacturers’ websites. There’s a lot more than just shell composition that goes into creating a great snare sound, but this is certainly the foundation of the perfect drum.

RIMS/HOOPS

Along with a few anomalies, die-cast and triple-flange metal hoops are what you’ll find on most snare drums today. There are a few differences between the two, aside from aesthetics. Die-cast hoops provide a sturdier feel, especially for loud rimshots. They also tend to make the drum ring less and produce fewer overtones. Conversely, triple-flange hoops will allow the drum to ring longer, produce more overtones, and yield greater snare sensitivity. More flexibility and less overall material contacting the drum accounts for these differences. Manufacturers often match hoops to shell designs depending on the characteristics of the shell, but ultimately it’s a matter of personal preference.

Wood hoops are another option and will generally warm up the sound of the drum and change the spectrum of overtones that it produces. They won’t hold up under heavy rimshots the way that metal hoops will, but they’re a nice aesthetic and tonal alternative. Yamaha, Taye, PDP, Gretsch, and others offer production models featuring wood hoops.

LUGS AND TENSION RODS

Lug designs can have an impact on the overall sound of the drum, but not as much as they did in years past, due to advances in design. Tube lugs place less metal in direct contact with the shell than split or long lugs, thus improving sustain and providing a slightly different sound. There’s a multitude of inventive split-lug designs, and these are often the most recognizable visual aspect of a particular manufacturer’s drums. A few cool innovative designs to check out are Yamaha’s Hook lug, O’Neill’s Kwik lug, Ego’s Quick Release lug, and lugs by Quick Action.

Other methods of tensioning a drumhead, such as rope systems, are used now and then, but tension rods are still the usual choice for drum designers. The rods themselves are fairly standardized, though DW uses a different thread count from everyone else, so be aware of this when selling replacement rods.

Some cool tension-rod locks are available if you’re having trouble with lugs backing out under heavy playing. Rimshot-Locs, Tuner Fish, or Gibraltar Lug Locks could help solve this problem.

SNARE WIRES

These thin, fragile strands give the snare drum its characteristic sound by interacting with the snare-side head when the drum is stuck. Drumset snare drums typically use snares made of coiled wire, also known as snappy snares. These give the drum a bright sound, are very sensitive at all dynamic levels, and don’t muffle the sustain as much as other wire designs do.

Orchestral/concert band snare drums typically employ cable or imitation gut wires for a darker sound with less sustain. Marching and Scottish pipe band snare drums employ a synthetic gut wire made of plastic and sometimes include a second strainer that contacts the batter head for extreme snare response and a very dry sound.

If you’re looking to upgrade an existing drum, look at aftermarket wires, and try thirty- or forty-strand sets if you’re seeking a wider snare sound.

STRAINER

This contraption holds the snares against the snare-side head and provides a means to finely adjust the wire tension. While there are many innovative designs out there, all strainers include some type of mechanism for engaging/disengaging the wires, a fine tension adjustment, and a butt plate to anchor the snares on the side of the shell opposite from the strainer. Trick, Ngage, DW, and Dunnett offer unique replacement strainers that can be easily retrofitted to most drums.

SNARE BEDS

These subtle yet crucial features are contours cut (wood shells) or bent (metal shells) into the bearing edge on the snare side of the shell to allow the wires to lay flat against the head. Without these, the snares would be buzzy and uncontrollable. Some snare beds, especially on vintage drums, are deeper than others. While exact specs vary by manufacturer, all snare drums should include them.

HEADS

There is no shortage of options in this category, but here are a few guidelines that are helpful in suggesting the best heads for your musical and durability needs. Most players use either single- or double-ply coated batter heads on snare drums, while some prefer pre-muffled models to cut down on the need for dampening materials. Standard go-to models from Remo include Coated Ambassador, Coated Emperor, Emperor X, Coated Controlled Sound (CS) Reverse Dot, and Coated Pinstripe. Popular Evans models include G1 Coated, Genera HD Dry, EC Coated, and EC Reverse Dot Coated. Aquarian’s Texture Coated, Studio-X, and Triple Threat are also popular choices.

MUFFLING

Muffling plays a key role in how the snare drum will end up sounding. Some players don’t use any, while some people muffle their snares to death. RTOM Moongel, gaff tape, Drum Magnetic, and RemOs are all good products to try.

MOUNTING

There are many variations on the classic three-leg, basket-style snare stand, and some auxiliary snares come with L-arm-style mounting brackets. There’s also a plethora of suspension-mount models that will work for smaller snares. Positioning is very important to most players, as it helps them play consistently from gig to gig, so be sure to add a good-quality stand or mount when you purchase a new snare.

Now let’s look more closely at some of the different types of snare drums that you are likely to be interested in.

CONCERT/ORCHESTRAL

Often featuring wood shells, these drums typically feature metal cable snares. Strainers that offer individually selectable cable, snappy, and synthetic gut snare elements are also available, like the Grover G3. Coated or calfskin-type batter heads are standard, and players often employ a healthy amount of muffling.

DRUMSET

These drums often employ snappy snares with an array of drumhead choices. A coated single-ply batter, with a few strips of gaffer’s tape or a Moongel, is a great place to start for general playing. Both wood and metal drums in various dimensions are possible, so there’s really no right or wrong. A 14″ drum between 5″ and 6.5″ deep is a great general choice, as it will cover most musical genres.

MARCHING

These high-tension drums are deeper than orchestral or drumset models and usually feature heads made of Kevlar so they can hold up under the extreme conditions of heavy playing, along with temperature and humidity fluctuation from outdoor use. Synthetic gut wires are found on most marching snares, and the hardware is typically made of lightweight aluminum. Most modern marching snares employ a free-floating design, where the hardware doesn’t touch the shell at any point. This helps protect the shell from damage due to the high head tensions used on marching percussion.

PIPE BAND

These drums are identical to most marching snare drums, except they feature a second set of snares that contact the underside of the batter head. This yields a very dry, crisp, and highly responsive sound.

FIELD

These drums are primarily used for orchestral, concert band, and percussion-ensemble applications. Designed to resemble the sound of military drums from the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, these models usually feature larger diameters and much greater depths than typical orchestral snare drums. Synthetic gut or cable snares are standard, and the drums are usually played at lower tunings. Pearl currently offers two outstanding field models.

PICCOLO

These drums feature a shallower shell than standard snare drums and are used mostly in kit applications. Common piccolo depths range from 3″ to 4.5″. These shell sizes tend to have a higher pitch and faster response than drums 5″ in depth or greater, and generally produce less body and thump.

SOPRANO/POPCORN

Like piccolo snares, these drums feature nonstandard shell dimensions. Common soprano snare shells measure between 5″ and 7″ deep and 10″ or 12″ in diameter. Generally these drums have a high-pitched sound with more body than what you get from a piccolo. Popcorn snares often come in shallower sizes.

MINI/MICRO

The smallest and highest pitched of the lot, these drums can get down to 6″ in diameter and only a few inches deep. Some feature a traditional two-head design, while others have only one head and use a fanned snare that contacts the underside of the batter head. These drums can also be used to create convincing timbale-like tones when the snares are disengaged.

MAINTENANCE

It’s a good idea to have the basics of changing drumheads and tuning at your fingertips. Here are a few tips.

Remove the old head by backing off the tension evenly around the drum to avoid warping the hoop.

Clean drumstick dust, dirt, and grime from inside the shell and around the bearing edges. Take a few seconds to feel around the bearing edge to be sure that there aren’t any defects. A serious dent in the bearing edge can make tuning more difficult.

Center the new head on the shell and finger-tighten all lugs before using a drum key. This helps prevent stripping and will help you tune the head more evenly.

Tighten each lug no more than a half turn at a time, using a crossing pattern. Once the head reaches a medium tension, place the drum on the floor, your lap, or a table to mute the opposite head, and begin tapping with your finger at the edge of the head near each tension rod. Even out the pitch of each lug until you get an even, ringing harmonic without wobbling overtones. Pressing firmly on the head between tunings will help ensure that the plastic is properly seated against the bearing edge.

Generally you’ll tune the snare-side head for snare response and the top head for feel and pitch. Tune the tension rods on either side of the snare beds a half turn looser than the rest of the head for the best snare response. Tune and muffle the top head to taste while keeping the pitch at all lugs the same.

SUMMING UP

Don’t forget to consider common add-ons, like extra heads, sticks, muffling materials, spare tension rods, and cases. Look up the specs on your favorite players’ snares and test out similar instruments, heads, and accessories that fit your budget. Good luck, and happy drumming!

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What You Need to Know About… Drum Tuning

By Ben Meyer

My snare just doesn’t have the “crack” I want, and my toms don’t sound like they do on the radio. How do I tune these things, anyway? You’ve probably said something like that to yourself at some point over the years. Never fear—we’ve got some tuning tips to make your life a bit easier. For this piece we consulted renowned drum tuning guru and Modern Drummer Pro Panelist Bob Gatzen for some gems on the subject. A good first step, he says, is to “Get your ears together and practice tonality. Play a secondary instrument [such as piano, vibraphone, marimba, or guitar]. If money is an issue, pick up a melodica. It’s an inexpensive, mobile tonal instrument.”

Let’s address some of the elements of drum tuning that you need to know.

Head Selection

Loads of heads are available these days, but there are some general axioms that can assist in helping you choose the best models for your musical purposes. There’s a certain amount of experimentation that drummers need to do in order to find “their” sound. If you’re not sure where to start, make a list of your favorite drummers, and look up what heads they use.

Let’s first examine a few generalities of head selection for snare drums. Most drummers use coated batter (playing-side) heads on snare drums, for a few reasons. Coated heads provide the textured surface necessary for brush playing and help to temper some of the wild overtones that snare drums can produce. Most drummers use single-ply coated batter heads, though some prefer double-ply models. There are many innovative heads designed for snare drums, including pre-muffled ones. These heads feature additional or partial plies to help dampen some of the overtones that can prove challenging to control with snare drums.

Bass drum head choices are somewhat limited to models in common sizes. Introduced over the past twenty years, pre-muffled heads designed specifically for drumset use have taken some of the individuality out of bass drum sounds, but they’re an easy go-to.

For toms, there are tons of choices, but generally rock and funk players like the punch and attack of clear batter heads, while jazz, folk, world, and some rock drummers prefer the warmth and fatness of coated batters. Heavy hitters will find more durability in 2-ply models, and quieter players tend to appreciate the added dynamic sensitivity of 1-ply heads.

If you’re looking for heads for non-drumset instruments, like timpani, concert toms and bass drums, or marching drums, there is a host of options designed specifically for them, though some general models are also usable. Each major head manufacturer offers timpani, concert bass drum, and marching-percussion heads. It’s perfectly rational for a band director or drum-line instructor who’s not sure what he or she needs to choose a manufacturer and get its full line of marching snare, multi-tenor, and bass drum heads. Concert toms can be outfitted with a variety of general-use heads, though single-ply coated or clear models are used most commonly.

Batter Versus Resonant

The general rule on the relationship between top and bottom heads on a given drum (or front and batter heads for bass drums) is to use thicker models on the batter side and thinner (usually clear) models for the resonant side. Snare and bass drum resonant heads are specially designed for these roles. Each company makes corresponding batter and resonant versions of its bass drum models, so these are easily matched.

Head Seating

This is an important step in preparing new drumheads to be properly tuned. The conventional wisdom here is to uniformly tighten the head past the point at which you intend to play it and then let it stretch so it can conform to the drum’s bearing edge. Be careful not to go overboard, though, as you can break heads by overtightening them. Seating the heads properly first helps you to quickly and effectively “clear the head”—even out the overtones—once you start tuning it.

Head Clearing

This is the most challenging and crucial element of drum tuning. Bob Gatzen’s advice of learning a pitched instrument is a great way to develop the ability to differentiate pitches from one another. The key to clearing a head is to match the pitch at each lug, in order to eliminate wobbling overtones. Once you’ve matched the lugs, you can adjust each until you reach the desired overall pitch.

A good place to start is to detune all the lugs (after the head has been seated), finger-tighten each tension rod, and then begin tuning in half-turn drum-key increments in a crossing pattern like you would use on lug nuts when changing a car tire. With the drum on the floor or your lap, tap the head with your finger near the edge in front of the lugs, to compare the pitch of the overtone produced at each. Adjust rods that seem higher or lower than average until the pitch is the same all the way around the drum. You should notice that the wobbling overtones start to disappear as you even out the tension. The goal is to hear one pure, ringing pitch. Repeat this process for both heads, and then adjust all the lugs by the same amount to make overall pitch changes.

Give It a Whack

Sometimes you’ll see more experienced drum tuners use a drastic technique of smacking the head in the center to help quicken the tuning process. The metal hoop that the Mylar material of the head attaches to, known as the flesh hoop, can become trapped between the shell and the rim. So sometimes when you detune a lug, the pitch of the head might not actually go down. By giving the head a good, solid whack with your fist frequently while clearing the head, you can prevent this from happening. The technique also helps stretch and seat new drumheads. Just don’t use it on snare-side heads, as they’re easy to break.

Pitch Relationships Between Heads

Opinions differ on this subject, but most drummers either tune the batter and resonant heads to the same pitch, or they have the bottom head of the toms and snare a bit tighter or looser than the batter. Ideas include tuning the snare batter head a minor third or a perfect fourth above the resonant, and tuning resonant tom heads a whole step higher than the batter heads. Experiment and see what works for you, your customers, and the drums.

Gatzen says, “Here’s how I check out a new snare drum. Step 1: Pitch the resonant and batter head to the same note. ‘A’ is a good choice. Step 2: With the resonant head set on A, tension the batter head upward in half-step increments (A to Bb to B to C, etc.). Play the drum at each setting to experience the pitch, rhythm, and sound of the drum changing as the head increases in tension. Step 3: Reverse the process by detuning the batter head in the same fashion.”

Muffling

Showroom: Weighted KickPro Bass Drum Pillow Now AvailableSome players use gaffer’s tape to muffle drums, while others use less-permanent products such as Moongel or muffling rings. This is largely determined by personal preference, but every room poses different muffling challenges. Experimentation is the key here, but encourage your customers to check out what their drumming heroes do for muffling. In most cases, less muffling is better for live situations, while in the studio you can go as far as to tape up the entire head for a fat, thuddy ’70s rock sound.

Maintenance

How often you need to tune your drums is largely determined by how often they’re played and how hard they’re hit. I give each drum a whack when I first take it out of the case, and if it sounds good in the room, I let it be. But there’s usually one drum that sounds a bit off, for whatever reason, so I’ll quickly check each lug tuning, make adjustments to ones that are out of tune, and then decide if the overall pitch needs to go up or down to bring out the best tone for that room.

Drumhead Life Span

Heads should last for several months under normal playing conditions. If your customers are breaking or denting heads often, suggest that they change to a heavier model. As heads wear, they stretch out and become dull and dead sounding, even if they don’t show any visible dents.

Tuning Aids

Pearl Partners With Tune-bot for USA DistributionThere are several tuning aids on the market, including a few different models of tension gauges and the digital Tune-bot. These devices aid in clearing the head by providing a diagnostic method of evening the pitch or tension at each lug, so they can help make the process more exact. They are not, however, a substitute for learning to differentiate pitches, as Gatzen points out. “But as far as gear goes, every drummer should own a metronome/tuner,” he says.

Learning to tune your drums for their various musical adventures is a long process, but one that we all must experience. Gatzen says, “First and foremost, develop your style. The connection between musical style and personal style is like a fine-tuned recipe. Ask Emeril Lagasse!” For more info, check out Bob’s many YouTube videos on tuning, as well as his DVD Drum Tuning: Sound and Design.

What You Need to Know About…Effects Cymbals

By Ben Meyer

The term effects, or FX, is applied to a wide array of cymbals, from tiny splashes to giant, oddly shaped sheets of metal to cymbals with tambourine jingles riveted to them. The key to finding that unique voice you’ve been missing in your setup is to know what’s out there. To follow is a rundown of the common categories of effects cymbals.

Splash

This small, generally thin accent cymbal has been around as long as the drumset itself. In fact, as the drumset first developed in the early twentieth century, the splash may have been the only cymbal, as hi-hats and larger cymbals were not yet in use. Splashes are typically available in sizes from 6″ to 14″, though the line between a splash and a small crash becomes blurred between 12″ and 14″. Splashes are available in a variety of weights and different alloy compositions, all of which will affect the sound of the cymbal. Buddy Rich, Neil Peart, Manu Katché, Stewart Copeland, and Carter Beauford are a few well-known purveyors of the splash cymbal.

China 

(Including Chinese, China Type, Lion, Pang, Swish, and Swish Knocker)

Known by many names over the years, China cymbals are also older than modern rides, crashes, and hi-hats. First imported to the U.S. and Europe from China in the early twentieth century, these trashy-sounding, staccato cymbals usually feature an upturned edge, or flange, that drastically affects the sound. The term swish refers to large, rounded-flange China cymbals with a more mellow sound, and a swish knocker is a swish with rivets installed.

Stacker

A stacker is a combination of different sizes and/or weights of cymbals. Drummers began to stack splashes and Chinas on crashes to create staccato effects sounds in the early 1980s, and the trend continues today. Dave Weckl and Terry Bozzio were early users of stacked cymbals and helped to popularize their use. These days, most manufacturers sell cymbals as stacks or offer single pieces intended to be stacked on other cymbals.

Crasher (Ribbon Crasher)

This instrument is typically constructed with a number of loosely overlaid metal ribbons held in place by a pair of vertical posts. Available in a few different sizes and types, crashers provide another staccato accent sound and are often favored by heavy metal and experimental drummers. Rhythm Tech and Pete Engelhart Metal Percussion are two brands offering crashers.

Cup Chime

This instrument is similar to a splash, but it’s much thicker and produces a pure, chime-like sound rather than a short crash. Cup chimes aren’t tuned to definite pitches and are often used in fills by hard rock and metal drummers. The Zildjian Zil-Bel, LP Ice Bell, Sabian Alu Bell, and Meinl Classics Bell are examples of cup chimes.

Finger Cymbals

These small, high-pitched models resemble tiny hand cymbals and are usually mounted on lengths of string or small nylon bands. Used commonly in orchestral and band literature, finger cymbals are not tuned to a definite pitch and are played by striking the edge of one cymbal against the other in a downward motion.

Perforated Cymbals

A recent trend among cymbal makers is to offer models with holes or notches cut into them, which creates a China-meets-crash-type sound. The Sabian O-Zone, Zildjian EFX, and Meinl Trash Crash are current favorites among many drummers.

Cymbals With Attachments

The practice of attaching objects to cymbals to modify the sound goes back to the development of the sizzle cymbal in the 1930s. Jazz drummers looking for a smooth, soft pad of sound began to drill holes in their cymbals and insert rivets of different weights and compositions to create a sizzling effect. The placement of the rivets has varied over the years, from being equidistant around the cymbal to the more modern practice of placing a few rivets near each other to temper the sizzle effect. Attaching tambourine jingles to cymbals is a recent innovation that produces an interesting variant of the sizzle cymbal.

Gong (Tam Tam, Chau Gong, Wind Gong)

Gong is a generic term for an instrument made of a similar alloy to common cymbals but that is typically thicker, larger, and much lower in pitch. These pieces vary widely, from the tuned nipple gongs of Southeast Asia to the large, partially lathed tam tams, or Chau gongs, that many of us remember from band or orchestra class. A tam tam is generally an unpitched, flat gong with a rolled edge, that’s mounted on a stand and played with a mallet. This is the type of gong used by classic-rock drummers like Neil Peart, Carl Palmer, and John Bonham. Tam tams produce sounds from deep and roaring to brief and trashy, depending on the instrument’s thickness, diameter, and lathing. Wind gong has been used as a product name by Wuhan and others and most often refers to a thin, fully lathed gong that produces a shorter, higher-pitched sound most commonly used for accents and large impacts. (Dream calls its wind gong Feng.) Tam tams and wind gongs are often used in school band and orchestra programs.

Crotales (Ancient Cymbals)

These are small, pitched disks made of cymbal alloy that are arranged chromatically in the same manner as a keyboard percussion instrument or piano. Crotales are usually arranged in one-octave sets, and most manufacturers offer two full octaves that range from C6 to C8. Crotales are most often played with hard plastic or brass mallets, though they may be bowed using cello or double bass bows to produce haunting metallic sounds.

Sound Plates, Sheets, and Other Effects

To be found among the percussive offerings of many manufacturers are rectangular and ovoid plates made of cymbal alloy, thin sheets of hammered metal, spinning alloy disks, and other oddities. These items are designed as special effects and can be used in drumset, classical percussion, and commercial settings. Paiste’s Sound Plate and Rotosound, Zildjian’s Earth Plate, and many products by Hammerax and Factory Metal Percussion are examples that are included in this family of instruments.

Trashiness Defined

Trashiness is a term used often to describe cymbals that have a less pure and more aggressive sound. China cymbals are the archetype of trashiness, though they can range from mild to downright epic in their level of offensiveness. Trashiness can be added to cymbals by cutting holes or notches in them or otherwise altering their shape. The Sabian Rocktagon, an octagonal crash cymbal first introduced in the 1980s, was an early example of a model that blurred the lines between a China and a crash. Many other innovations have since followed, including flattening or depressing the bell of a cymbal to add trashy overtones. Hand-hammered cymbals, like those offered by Dream, Istanbul Agop, Istanbul Mehmet, Bosphorus, TRX, Turkish, and UFIP, usually have a trashier sound than more modern, factory-made cymbals like Zildjian’s A Custom, Sabian’s AA series, Paiste’s 2002s, and Meinl’s Soundcasters. (Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, and Meinl also offer hand-hammered selections with trashier, darker tones, in the K Constantinople, HH, Traditional, and Byzance series, respectively.)

When you’re looking for an effects cymbal, be sure to consider what its application will be, in order to find the right model. And don’t forget about common add-ons, like sticks, mallets, cymbal bags and cases, stands, boom arms, felts, washers, cymbal sleeves, and drummer survival kits, to go along with your new gear.

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What You Need to Know About…Drumheads

by Fran Azzarto

Drumheads (or “skins,” as they’re sometimes called) have a history as old as the drum itself, although for thousands of years that history went pretty much unchanged. Take an animal hide, dry it, stretch it over the shell, secure the hide, and you have a drum. This worked fine until the early twentieth century, when the drumset came into vogue and offered drummers the ability to use a complete setup of multiple pieces in a variety of situations, indoors and out. Every time a drummer went from playing in a hot club to an outdoor setting, the skins were affected by the change in temperature. And playing on a drum in the rain was practically impossible. In the early 1950s everything changed. The DuPont company of Delaware trademarked a new product called Mylar polyester film. According to our sources, one of the many original possible applications for Mylar was a drumhead.

In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the different types of drumheads on the market and how they affect the sound of your drums. Of course, there are no hard-and-fast rules about which heads to play for any type of music, but there are certain sonic qualities, as well as performance characteristics, of the various types of drumheads that you can reference as you figure out what would work best for your needs.

Single Ply

The most commonly used drumhead is the single ply. These heads are made from a single sheet of Mylar and usually come in 7, 7.5, and 10 mil thicknesses, with a few 12 mil models entering the market in recent years. (One mil equals one-thousandth of an inch.) The thinner the head, the more overtones and high-end ring—i.e., brightness—will be heard, while the head’s sustain will decrease. Single-ply heads are generally quite sensitive, but they’re the least durable of all batter heads. They are ideal for lighter playing styles (jazz, light rock), but they can also produce a big, boomy sound for louder and more ambient situations.

Single-ply examples: Remo Ambassador, Evans G1, Aquarian Classic Clear, Attack Thin Skin

Double Ply

Most double-ply heads consist of two layered 7 mil plies, but some models are made with different thicknesses to produce distinct tones (for instance, Remo’s 7.5/3 mil Vintage Ambassador and twin 7.5 mil Vintage Emperor, Evans’ twin 7.5 mil black-coated Onyx, and Aquarian’s 7/5 mil Super-2). In general, double-ply heads have a deeper and more controlled sound with fewer overtones, a more defined attack, a shorter sustain, and a fatter punch than single-ply heads. Durability is also increased. Double-ply heads are preferred in heavier, louder musical styles, and their pronounced attack makes them a great choice for players needing a more articulate sound, like what you often hear in extreme metal, fusion, and R&B.

Double-ply examples: Evans G2, Remo Emperor, Attack 2-Ply Medium, Aquarian Super-2

Coated

There are many different types of coatings used on drumheads. Some models are sprayed with a translucent coating, some are sprayed until coated solid black or white, and some are etched to create a textured surface.

Simple physics applies here. If you add more mass to something that’s supposed to vibrate, a dampening effect occurs. Non-coated heads will produce a brighter, less controlled sound, and they will have more attack. Coated heads have a warmer tone when compared side by side with non-coated heads, even when tuned to the exact same pitch.

Coated examples: Aquarian Texture Coated, Attack Bozzio 1-Ply Coated, Remo Coated Ambassador, Evans G1 Coated

Pre-Muffled

We’ve all seen batter heads covered in duct tape and other substances in order to muffle unwanted overtones. To help drummers achieve this effect without additional treatment, many drumhead manufacturers have produced models that have varying degrees of built-in muffling. The main purpose of these heads is to eliminate overtones and focus the overall tone of the drum. The most commonly used methods for pre-muffling a head include adding a layer of Mylar or other material to the top or underside of the outer edge. There’s also Evans’ 2-ply, oil-filled Hydraulic head, which produces the ubiquitous damp ’70s drum sound.

The most commonly used application of a pre-muffled head is on the bass drum.

Pre-muffled examples: Attack No Overtone, Evans EC2, Remo Powerstroke 3, Aquarian Studio-X

Specialty Heads

Every manufacturer offers its own line (or lines) of specialty heads, and each one is designed to serve a specific musical purpose. The center-dot head is one of the more common specialty models. These heads produce a more focused tonality than their standard clear or coated counterparts, and they have additional durability.

Specialty heads include those made with Kevlar (or other aramid fibers) and those featuring pinhole vents around the edge. Kevlar heads are the strongest models on the market, making them ideal for extreme hard-hitting playing situations, like heavy metal and drum corps. They can also handle extremely tight tunings and are good choices for players looking to replicate more “synthetic” drum tones.

The downside of Kevlar heads is that they produce a very one-dimensional sound. While you can adjust the overall pitch via tuning, Kevlar heads always have a dry sound with almost no sustain.

Vented heads feature little holes around the edge. These holes allow for the release of the air that’s produced by striking the drum, resulting in a sound that has a bit more attack and projection than that of a standard head of similar construction.

Let’s not forget about the original specialty head: calfskin. These heads sound dark and warm with a big, chubby attack. As previously mentioned, the problem with calfskin heads is that their tone and tuning are greatly affected by changing weather conditions. There are various versions of this type of head, made with synthetic materials that have a similar look to real calfskin but won’t be affected as much by climate changes.

Specialty examples: Aquarian Hi-Energy, Remo CS Black Dot, Attack Bobby Rondinelli signature, Evans Hybrid, Stern Tanning and Earthtone (calfskin)

Resonant

The main purpose of a resonant head is to react to the moving air column that’s set into motion when the batter head is struck. The two most common thicknesses for resonant tom heads are 7 and 10 mil. Bottom snare heads are often very thin, ranging from 2 to 5 mil.

The thicker the resonant head, the more sustain and the deeper the tone. Thinner resonant heads have less sustain and a brighter tone. (Less mass and less energy equals less sustain.) Also, thin resonant heads will need more tuning maintenance because they vibrate more rapidly and are less rigid than thicker versions. If you use a coated resonant head, the overall tone warms up significantly. Some resonant heads are also available with a dampening ring such as Evans’ EC Resonant, which helps focus the overall tone and increase the lower overtones.

Resonant examples: Evans EC Resonant, Remo Hazy Ambassador, Aquarian Regulator, Attack Extra Thin Snare Side

Wrap-Up

The bottom line when it comes to picking out new drumheads is to consider what sound you’re looking for and what type of music you play. A heavy hitter may need a double-ply head for extra durability, while a drummer with a lighter touch could get plenty of life out of single-ply models. Also, someone looking for an open, bright sound should start with a non-coated single-ply head, while players preferring a fat, dark sound may need a double-ply or pre-muffled version. The options are out there; you just have to ask yourself a few questions in order to “head” in the right direction.

from: moderndrummer.com

What You Need to Know About…Drumsticks

by Fran Azzarto

Drumsticks aren’t overly mystifying, yet there is information that you should be able to draw from when choosing a particular size or model. Here are some of the questions you might be asking.

WHAT DO THE NUMBERS AND LETTERS MEAN?

The history behind the numbers and letters stamped on drumsticks is a little foggy. The letters originally stood for styles of music, while the number was related to the stick’s diameter. The larger the diameter, the lower the number. Some of this coding still applies to today’s basic stick models. Here’s a breakdown of what the companies used back in the early 1900s, when this system was first established:

• The letter A stood for orchestra.
• The letter B stood for marching and concert bands.
• The letter S stood for street band.
• The letter D, used by Gretsch, stood for dance band.
• 2B is the most common size for a thick stick.
• 7A is the most common size for a thin stick.

Most stick manufacturers still offer the classic models: 2B, 5A, 5B, and 7A. As Pat Brown of Promark puts it, “Beyond that, most companies have adopted their own individual systems for naming or numbering sticks, and usually those names or numbers are little more than generic part numbers that bear little or no relevance to the size or shape of the stick.” So in order to keep your customers from getting overwhelmed by the options as they search for the right stick, consider having pairs in the basic sizes nearby to help guide you in the right direction.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STICKS MADE OF HICKORY, MAPLE, OAK, AND PLASTIC?

The most common types of wood used today are hickory and maple. Maple is 10 percent lighter than hickory, which allows drummers to use a larger-diameter stick without it being too heavy. Maple also plays a bit faster. It wears out pretty quickly, however. Hickory is a harder wood and will last longer than maple. Hickory is also fairly resilient and can absorb the shock of a hard-hitting drummer. Oak is the heaviest wood option. Promark’s Japanese Shira Kashi white oak sticks are 10 percent heavier than those made with American hickory. The extra density means oak sticks can withstand more intense playing styles.

The bottom line is that oak will last the longest. Hickory has a natural feel, takes an average amount of punishment, and is the most versatile of the three wood types. Maple will allow for more sensitivity and may be better suited to lighter playing situations.

For extreme durability, check out the aluminum/ plastic sticks by Ahead. These drumsticks are made of aerospace-grade aluminum tubing, and the upper half has a replaceable polyurethane cover with a threaded tip. These sticks are designed to last, while still offering a comfortable playing experience. According to Ahead, “Our sticks have up to 50 percent less shock and can last up to ten times longer than most similarly sized wood models.”

Hickory is of medium weight and durable.

Maple is lightweight and quick.

Oak is heavyweight and durable.

Aluminum/polyurethane sticks provide extra rebound and are extremely durable.

HOW DOES THE STICK’S TIP SHAPE AFFECT THE SOUND?

There are five basic shapes of drumstick tips, and each one produces a different sound and has a different feel, especially when it comes to playing cymbals.

Oval: largest spectrum of sound

Teardrop: warm with focused low tones

Round/ball: clean, bright, and crisp

Acorn: full, rich, and fat

Barrel: punchy and loud

When choosing sticks, consider the type of music you play. Do you need to be heard over a couple of Marshall amps? If so, a barrel-style nylon-tip model could work best.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WOOD AND NYLON TIPS?

According to Mark Dyke at Vic Firth, “The drummer will choose between a wood- and nylon-tip stick based on the desired sound color of the cymbal. Nylon tips create a brighter sound than wood.” Also, nylon tips are virtually indestructible, so nylon tips will far outlast wood tips. Regal Tip’s unique E series nylon tip is designed to offer the durability of plastic with the warmer sound of wood.

• Nylon: long-lasting tip, bright sound
• Wood: full and warm sound
• Regal Tip E series: durable tip, warm sound

WHAT EFFECT DOES LACQUERING HAVE ON THE STICKS?

Lacquer seals the wood and stabilizes moisture content. It can also help provide a more comfortable grip. Regal Tip’s three-step lacquer process is designed to take the comfort level one step higher. According to Regal Tip’s Carol Calato, “This lacquer finish will actually get a slight tacky feel when your hand heats up as you play.”

Some lacquers are too thick for certain drummers; those players will need a model that’s closer to raw wood. If your hands sweat very easily, a stick with a lot of lacquer can be very difficult to hold on to. A “specialty grip” stick may be the best choice; these models feature non-slip coating toward the butt end.

• Lacquered: slick feel, moisture resistant
• Unlacquered: tight grip, susceptible to moisture-content changes
• Grip stick: no slippage, moisture resistant

WHAT’S THE BEST SIZE AND MODEL FOR A BEGINNER?

One size does not fit all. If a student has small hands (either because of age or stature), the most logical recommendation would be a smaller stick than one used by someone with a larger hand. But some experimentation is required to find what feels most comfortable. A 7A is a good choice for someone with small hands, like a young student. A 5A is the most common model for average-size teenage or adult hands. Some companies offer a stick that is specifically made to fit the small hands of a young drummer. Those include Vic Firth’s SD 1 Jr., Vater’s Junior Sticks, and Promark’s SD1F Future Pro.

Consider the size of your hand, and play a couple of hits on a rubber pad using different sticks. If the stroke looks a bit out of control with a thin stick, try a thicker model. Control is everything for a beginning drummer, and finding the correct size of stick is a crucial element in developing proper technique.