DRUMTECH
TUNING & REPLACING HEADS
To get rid of unwanted overtones I either use a little bit of gaffer tape, about 5cm long, pinch the middle of it and place it near the edge of the head (normally near the logo.) This works for both the batter and resonate heads of the drum. Another technique that I use is to fold a tissue up into a square and tape it to the head. There are also a variety of products on the market such as Moongel and various studio rings. They all have similar effects, it simply depends on the look and sound that you are after. When it comes to kick drums, once I have tuned the head and like the note being produced, I cut a hole in the front head and fold up one of mum's best shower towels and place it nice and flat on the bottom of the drum, making sure that the towel is touching both heads. This cuts out the boom in the drum and creates a nice thud. The more you place in the kick the shorter the note and the more muffled it will be.
GLOSSARY OF DRUM TUNING: 1. B atter-Head: The skin on the top of each drum (the one that you strike). 2. R esonant Head: The skin on the bottom of each drum. 3. M uffling: The process of reducing 'ring' emitted from a drum. 4. T ension rod: The long threaded rods that secure the rims and drum head to the drum. The tensions rods are adjusted directly with a tuning key. 5. S ustain: The length of sound produced from a strike. 7. A ttack: The sound made instantly as the stick strikes the head.
ISSUE TWO ISSUE
TWO
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