Learn What Drum Heads To Use On Your Drums

Drum heads are the most important part of your drum kit. Without propper drum skins, your kit may sound terrible. So how do we make sure our drums sound the best they can? By selecting the best skin for your style. The market for drum heads are very competitive and can easily confuse you with complex descriptions and words you don’t understand. In this article I will explain the terms and styles of drum heads so you will be able to select the best one.

Variety Of Drum Heads

With drum heads, there isn’t one that is better then the other. Most brands, be it Evans or Remo, all create high quality drum heads. It’s a very personal choice, one that you may want to experiment around with. Two-ply, One-ply, Coated, and non-coated are just some of the examples of the different variety of skins you can get.

Like I said before, drum heads are extremely personal. If you are a rock drummer, you may want a more durable skin with a louder brighter sound. Or, if you are a jazz drummer you may want a more warm sound. For the brighter sound, you will want to stick with single-ply drum heads. These offer maximum sustain, and bring out the natural tone of your kit. If you are looking for more of a warm tone, two-ply may be for you. These offer excellent durability, and have a great blend of depth and attack.

Some drum heads may include a ring, or dot in the middle. These skins are great for tonal focusing. Usually costing you more, they are great for strengthening up the middle of the skin, increasing the life of it. These are more common in snare drum heads to get the most out of their sound.

Coated Drum Heads

You may have wondered what the difference is between coated drums and non-coated drums. Non-coated skins give you more of a bright, clear sound. They are more commonly used over coated heads. Coated skins give you more of a warm, focused sound. In addition, a coated skin will give you a bit more texture and grip your stick better. All in all, it comes down to what you are looking for in a head.

Remo and Evans Drum Heads

The two most common manufacturers of drum heads are Remo and Evans. The both provide excellent quality heads and competitive prices. Unfortunately there are too many varieties to explain every one in detail, so you will have to try them out and decide which ones work for you. Evans has a chart to help you compare their skins. This is very handy if you are trying to find a specific tone, or a skin for a certain style of playing.

With all this said, you should be able to select the right drum head for yourself. Be sure to experiment with different varieties! Try and see what different kinds of sounds you can get from your kit. If you would like to learn how to tune your drums, check out Jared Falk's Rock Drumming System DVD.

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