Why Replace your drum Head?

Replacing drum heads is an important part of maintaining both the aesthetic appearance, and the acoustic performance of the drum. Over time, the drum head develops concavity from the repeated strikes of the drum sticks. The sound quality and the responsiveness decreases as the drum head deforms. Although some musical experience is useful in tuning the drum after replacement of the head, little technical ability is needed to perform the basic steps. This task may take up to 30 minutes the first time it is performed. These instructions are intended for someone with little background working with drums. Tuning a drum is a skill that is acquired with practice. These instructions will lead to the development of this skill. After some practice, this task can be completed quickly and easily.

Before you start

Gather all listed Materials:

□ New drum head

□ Drum key

□ Drumstick

□ Soft cleaning cloth

A. Removing the old drum Head

1. If the drum is on a stand then disassemble the drum from the stand.

2. Place the drum on a table covered with a blanket or a carpeted floor that will allow easy access to all the tension rods. The level surface underneath the drum protects the shell while turning and pushing on the rods.

3. Choose one tension rod to loosen. For example, refer to #1 in Photo 1. Any one may be chosen as the first rod.

4. Loosen the rod with the drum key in a counter-clockwise direction—loosen enough so that it can be turned by hand. Refer to Photo 2.

5. Next, loosen the opposing tension rod (directly across the diameter of the drum head). Refer to #2 in Photo 1.

6. Continue to loosen rods opposite from each other until all are free of tension. This keeps the rim from being subjected to needless uneven stress. (See Note for an explanation of the importance of loosening in opposing pairs).

How to Replace a Snare Drum Head

Photo 1. Snare Drum with 8 tension rods and a drum key.

Photo 2. Loosening a tension rod with the drum key.

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NoteThe rim is very strong and will not likely warp from tension. The specific order in which the rods are loosened will become more important when installing the new drum head. Warping the drum head during installation is easy to do and following the method laid out in part C of the instructions will avoid this.

7. Finish loosening the rods by hand. Remove them from shell housing and leave them in the rim. The order is not important here. Refer to Photo 3.

8. Remove the rim and tension rods by lifting it off the drum (Photo 4 (a)). It will lift easily. Wipe the rim and the rods clean of any wood splinters with a soft cleaning cloth.

9. Remove the old drum head (Photo 4 (b)) from the drum and clean out the inside of the drum. A simple wipe-down cleaning with a soft cloth is sufficient to remove the dust and wood splinters.

B. Installing the new drum head.

1. Seat new drum head over drum shell. Line up shell and drum head logos for aesthetic appeal. Make sure there is nothing between the head and the shell.

2. Place rim over drum head, align tension rods and ensure there is nothing between the rim and the head.

3. Firmly hand-tighten the tension rods in any order until it is hard to turn them any more.

4. Follow the tightening pattern shown below in Photo 5 and tighten each rod one full (360 degree) turn. Proceed around the drum following the pattern from 1 – 8. The idea is to keep the tension as even as possible around the head. See Caution Note.

Photo 5. Tightening method to avoid warping the drum head.

5. After the drum head is tightened onto the shell, strike the drum with a drumstick and listen to the pitch.

6. If the pitch is near the desired final pitch then proceed on to tuning, if not then go to step 8. The desired pitch is solely dependent on your preference and application.

Photo 3. Finish loosening the rods by hand.

(a) (b)

Photo 4. (a) Removing rim from shell with tension rods still in rim.

(b) Removing drum head from shell.

Photo 7. Warping depicted due to uneven tightening of tension rods.

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Caution NoteWarping can permanently damage the head if left for a significant period of time. Watch out for warping (Photo 7) of the drum head while applying tension. Warping occurs when the drum head is subjected to uneven tension.

7. If the pitch is too low then repeat steps 5-7 with ¼ clockwise turns on each tension rod, instead of full turns. If the pitch is too high then turn counter-clockwise.

C. Tuning the localized drum pitch

Although a drum may have the overall pitch desired, it may have different pitches in localized areas of the face. This is due to uneven tension on the surface of the drum head from the tension rods. The following procedure will allow you to attain a uniform pitch on the whole drum head surface.

1. Place a finger on the center of the drum as shown in Photo 8. Just rest your finger and do not apply much pressure.

2. Tap the drum with a drumstick midway between your finger and one of the tension rods (Photo 8) and listen to the pitch.

3. Next, tap the drum midway between your finger and the opposite tension rod (Photo 9) and listen to the pitch.

4. If one pitch is lower than the other, the tension rod on that side needs tightened. Test each side again and repeat until a uniform pitch is achieved.

5. Continue around the drum in this manner, checking the tension rods in opposing pairs, until all the pitches are the same.

6. Remove the finger and tap the drum to check overall pitch.

If the pitch is not at the desired level repeat part C with small adjustments to the tension rods until the desired tone is acquired. If the overall pitch is too high, then the tension rods are too tight and they need to be adjusted counter-clockwise. On the other hand, if the pitch is too low, then the rods are too loose and they need to be adjusted clockwise. It is important that every part of the drum has a uniform tone.The replacement of the drum head is complete! Enjoy the new and improved sound. The new head will be more responsive and the sound more crisp. Regular care and maintenance, such as changing the drum head, will keep the drum in good condition and allow peak performance.

Photo 8. Tuning the drum by checking the pitch between a tension rod and finger.

Photo 9. Checking pitch between opposite tension rod and finger.

Photo 10. Snare drum with a dampener.

Troubleshooting: If there are any problems within any of the steps, the easiest thing to do is to start at the beginning of the section currently being worked on and proceed from there.

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Tip related to pitchSometimes it is desirable to muffle the sharp sound of the snare drum. Dampeners, as depicted by the white ring in Photo 10, are used to soften the sharp sound of the snare drum and provide balance for a band. They calm the movement of the drum head after it is struck.