How to Replace Drum Heads

Much like cleaning a drum kit, the task of replacing drum heads with new ones is a little difficult at first, and it may take time before you can consider yourself proficient enough to do it unaided.

Nevertheless, the steps on how to replace drum heads are as follows:

Step 1: Buy new drum heads.

Of course, the first step is to purchase new drum skins to replace your old ones. It would be advisable to replace everything all at once if you can but consider your budget and consider how much flexibility is left with each piece of drum you have.

Step 2: Loosen the rods.

With the use of a tuning peg, loosen the threaded drum rods and remove them, as well as any washers, claws and anything else attached to the existing drum head.

Step 3: Remove the hoop.

Gently remove the hoop from the drum and lift the old drum head once you have removed everything using the tuning peg.

Step 4: Put on the new skin.

Get your new drum head ready and center it on the drum shell before placing the hoop back on top of it.

Step 5: Wax on, wax off.

Apply some oil or paraffin wax on the parts that you have removed to protect them from rust and to make them easier to adjust.

Step 6: Put everything back together.

Replace the pegs and other attachments to their respective places, and slightly tighten the rods using the tuning peg.

Step 7: Push it down.

With the palm of your hand, push the skin down until you hear some cracking or popping, which is normal. Do this for about five times. This will signify that the skin is set and ready to be tuned. Tighten the rods again, and this time tighten it fully.

How to Tune A Drum Set

Once you are done replacing the drum heads of your drums, it is now time to tune it.

The process is not that challenging, but you have to know what kind of tone or sound you are looking for to ascertain that you have the right tone.

Most drummers would start off by practicing with other drum kits until they get it right.

Newer drummers would use media sites to compare the tuning of their drums with. Videos and tutorials are available as to how you can perfectly tune your drums.

Here are the basics of drum tuning:

Step 1: Tighten the rods.

With the use of a tuning peg, tighten one rod and then move on to the next peg by crossing the surface diagonally.

Do the same step with each peg until you have completely gone around the drum and tightened each peg.

Step 2: Test the tone.

With your hands, tap the drums and test if the tone suits your liking. Use another drum kit or other sources to compare the tones.

Step 3: Tap around.

Give the drum a tap around the hoop to test its sound. This would also test how tight the rods are; adjust them as needed.

Step 4: Repeat as needed.

Repeat the previous steps with every drum that you need to replace the drum head with. Keep in mind these steps can also be used when de-tuning and re-tuning your drums.

How Drum Heads Evolved

The characteristic sound that drums produce comes from striking a membrane with drumsticks or your hands.

Traditionally, drum heads are made from the hides of animals that have been hunted down, with their meats eaten for food and their bones made into tools and what not.

Animal hides didn’t just serve as clothing before, but it also served as an implement for music making.

Hides have since become a thing of the past as they have now been replaced by more newer synthetic material that is more resilient and eco-friendlier.

Although there are still some drum kits and traditional folk instruments that have animal hides for drum heads, these are mostly collection pieces and souvenir items.

Kevlar, Aramid, and Mylar are the most common synthetic materials used for making drum sets for today’s modern drummer.

Taking Care of Drum Heads

Drum heads, being part of a drum kit as a whole, should be maintained at a regular basis to prolong its lifespan and continue providing a dependable surface for ages.

The task may seem daunting at first with all the screws and bolts, but like anything, it get’s easier as you repeat the process over and over.

Here are a few to-do things when it comes to taking good care of your kit.

• Wipe down the drums

After each use, wipe down all surfaces of each piece in the kit before moving to the interiors and everything underneath. Yes it’s work, but it will protect your investment.

• De-Tune them for storage

If you are not going to use your drums for a long period, then loosen the tuning bolts to preserve the elasticity of the skin. A skin under tension sitting in storage will become brittle, plus the compression can warp the shell.

• Keep them in the right environment

Keep your drum set away from direct sunlight and other possible sources of heat like radiators, stoves or heaters. Like any instrument, protection from severe conditions and natural elements will help it last.

• Replace the heads

The drum heads need to be replaced on a regular basis, especially when it gives out the telltale signs that it needs to be. Changing the heads can also rejuvenate the tone of your kit too.

When to Replace Drum Heads

Changing the skins or drum heads is really a matter of preference, but a sure sign that you need to replace it is when you feel, or rather hear them producing a less resonating sound as usual.

This means that the flexibility of the material used for the drum head has reached its maturity and will likely keep producing that low-quality sound no matter how many times you tune it.

Professionals who often use their drums would have the heads replaced every month, depending on how much abuse their drums get.

Famous drummers would change the drum heads of their kits before they record new songs so that they sound consistent from recording to recording.

Imagine how many skins Neil Peart of Rush would have to change every time they make a studio album. Whew!

Final Thoughts

Knowing the basics of replacing drum heads, tuning your drums, and general maintenance for your kit will go a long way as you progress as a musician.

Over time, you’ll build up experience for all the above mentioned processes to the point where they become second nature. That same experience will also build confidence and help define your overall abilities.

How to Tune a Drum Set

1. Start with the head

The drum head is where all the tuning takes place. Although this can be cheaply one in a music store, you can actually learn to do it yourself at home. This will save you the time needed to go to the store but so the money for each tuning.

For proper tuning, you will need your tuning key. This usually comes with the new drums. If you don’t have a key or purchased second-hand drums you will need to buy or borrow one from your friends. The good news is that these keys are inexpensive.

There is no secret at this stage; you will have to consider making opposing adjustments to the rods. This principle is used to get an even tension.

2. Loosen or tighten the rods in progression

The sample principle applies when loosening the rods. You would loosen one rod and then move on to the opposing one, instead of the closest one to maintain a circular rim which is not bent. This process should not be rushed.

You should only loose in small turns which would make the rim relax progressively.

These principles are not unique to drums as they are applied a wide range of instruments and circular products and taking your time with the process can actually improve the durability of the drum.

3. If necessary, replace and prepare a new drum head

In order to place the new drum head, you will need to remove the old head and check the inside of the drum for irregularities or small dents.

These can have a major impact on the overall sound quality and it is considered a good practice to check from time to time either with your hand or a fine cloth.

You should also repeat the process with the new drum head and check or early signs of irregularity.

Since it may be one of the situations in which you get a faulty head, you may want to try and replace it with the seller before using it.

Once you went through these steps you can proceed to install the new drum head. If you have an older drum, you can oil the rods before placing them back into position to ensure a smoother tuning.

You can begin tightening the rods progressively using your hands with the same technique from the loosening procedure.

To ensure the break in is as quick as possible you can even push on the center of the drum head with your palm. This can ensure the materials are set and you can even use some force as you may be required to press harder to break in the drum.\

4. Tune the drum

You are now ready to start tuning the drum. The process should not be rushed and you can experiment with various techniques.

However, it seems that the best pattern is to continue adjusting opposing rods which may help you achieve an even distribution and force impact. This is why you should only consider this technique.

You want to stay away from moving to the nearest rod and just move across for a mathematical approach. This can ensure a longer life for the drum and even a better sound.

And since the sound is the only variable at this stage, you want to continue adjusting the rods until you reach your desired result. This will involve a better sound and a better durability.

Your final results should have all the rods in similar tension which mean you can have precise results. You should continuously test the drum for optimum results.

Of course, for new drums, you will need to set the head higher and this can only mean you’ll need to break in the drum yourself by pressing hard on the middle of the drum.

Generally speaking, there are some other good tips or drum tuning. These involve maintaining snares and looking for potential issues at the bottom of the drum.

Since you will be using the drums intensely you should consider storing some extra drum head and drum rings. But the basic equipment also needs to include some spare rods and at least a tuning key.

Together with a fine natural fibers cloth, you can maintain your drums regularly.

5. Know how often to tune the drums

Although there are some general guidelines on the best times to tune your drums, you should simply do it whenever required. So if you feel the sound is not on par with what you expect you need to tune the drums.

But traditional tuning days are far behind and you can now find a dedicated smartphone app which will even indicate the smaller issues with your tuning.

Going too low or too high is immediately noticed by the app and it can be a good opportunity to learn how to tune your drums yourself.

Thus, tuning a drum is one of the simplest processes if you have the patience to do it in a correct mode.

This involves less rushed fine tuning and taking the time to check the drum for possible imperfections in which case you’ll need to take it to a professional for fixing.

But if your drum is fine and if you have a good drum head to setup, there are no reasons to think that this can’t be done by yourself.

It can actually make you a better drummer as it will give you the chance to improve your ability to instantly detect out of tune drums and out of tune playing.

Unless you are playing an electronic drum, you will need to learn to detect these sounds yourself.

This might be challenging, especially at the beginning. But this is why you can make the most of the additional tools like smartphone apps to improve the sound of your drums.