Thus, to heave out a grand sound as a drummer you should at regular intervals change the drum skins of the drum kit. This change should be irrespectively carried out whether you play the drum regularly or not.
Since this part is the main striking point on a drum set, you as a drummer should keep it in tact and tight to get the best sound out of it. When it is uniformly tight, the tension on the skin is throughout even. As you strike on it, the tightness weakens and as this happens the tension changes. In certain cases the weakening of the heads will lead a form a dent. Sometimes the drum heads may even puncture when the hit is hard. If all this still does not provide you with good reasons to go for a new one at regular intervals, then you should realize that once it becomes weak it is difficult for you to play the roll or the fast chops.
As a drummer you should change your drum heads after every six months. However, six months is not an ideal time. If you have been playing the drum too often lately, consider changing it even though you may have changed it four months back.
Signs that should tell you it is now the time for you to change are indents and cracks. Be aware of the bumps in the drum heads, they may make your drum kit sound out of tune. In this case you should immediately change. At the end of a day also make sure that your beater is not digging a hole or dent right, where it is hitting.
There are a variety of drum heads available in the market. However, choice is a personal matter since perception of sound differs from person to person. You can choose from two ply, one ply, coated or non coated are just few options. There is more availability and what you choose is entirely dictated by the sound you demand from your drum kit. However, most of the drummers choose the ones that provide sustainability, a good quality tone, excellent durability along with a great blend of depth and attack.
A few drum heads may consist of a ring or a dot in the middle. These are considered excellent for tonal focusing. They also help in longevity of the drum skins by straightening the head from the middle. This type of drum skins is mostly used in snare drums to extract a better quality of sound.
However, whatever type of drum skin you choose for your drum kit, first experiment with the variety. Also, remember that maintenance of your drum heads is the key to great sound.
One of the most important things to do regularly is change the drum heads. In time, the skin will eventually weaken where you strike it the most, causing the tension to change. A weaker skin is more likely to dent, or even puncture with harder hits. In addition, a weaker skin will have little rebound for your stick. One of the best guidelines and knowing when you should change your drum heads is just by feel. When the sound changes or the rebound changes to good indication of the new to change the heads.
Snare drum heads usually need to be changed twice as often as tom heads. The reason for this is common sense. You spend more time on your snare drum head than any other surface except maybe your high hat cymbals or you ride cymbals. Just like your other drum heads you'll know it's time to change the snare head when I feel changes or the sound changes. You may want to carry a spare head in your kit at all times because the head tends to crack at the worst possible time.
Once the drum heads have been removed check the bearing edges for cracks in the shell or bearing edge deformities. It does no harm to take a candle and gently rub a bit of wax around the bearing edges to help smooth movement of the skin over the edge. Always ensure that all lumps of wax are removed before fitting the head.
Before you begin to play, rub a little bit of clear water into the back of the skin. This lets the skin stretch a little. If you are playing in a warm place the skin will tighten up again as you play, so you will probably need to do this more than once. If the skin has become a bit too damp and is very slack, it can be tightened by vigorous rubbing with the palm of your hand.
Know that the skins or the heads will shift and change in the first few weeks of ownership, so you will probably need to readjust attention and tuning while you're at heads adjust and stretch.
Lastly, when choosing drum heads there were a few things to consider. There's much debate as to whether clear drum heads or quoted drum heads are better. Neither are coated better. It just depends on what sound you're looking for. Clear heads will give you a brighter harder attack while coated head typically use you all warmer denser sound. Rock and hip-hop typically uses clear heads while jazz and big band opts for the coated heads.
Both Victor Epand & Matt Chang are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Victor Epand has sinced written about articles on various topics from Shopping, Trucks and Interest. Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: