Read Time: 7Min
The goal of this article is to teach you how to take off and replace the drum heads at your campus.
Part 1: Terms
Part 2: Drum Parts
Part 3: Changing Drum Heads
Part 4: Best Practices
Part 5: FAQ / Troubleshooting
Before you start: It is important to have all of your parts ready to go. Have your replacement heads set to the side, a microfiber cloth, and a drum key. Set the drum on a clean flat surface, preferably carpeted. Make sure you have the right size and type of heads before starting.
Part 1: Terms
- Full turn: The drum key does a full 360-degree rotation on the tension rod and ends up facing the same way as it was originally facing.
- Half turn: The drum key does a 180-degree rotation on the tension rod and ends up facing the opposite direction to where it was originally facing.
- Quarter turn: The drum key does a 90-degree rotation on the tension rod and ends up facing perpendicular to where it was originally facing.
- Finger tight: Having all the tension rods as tight as your fingers can get them by rotating using the shaft of the tension rod.
- Star Pattern: A method of changing the tension that will promote equal tension on the rim and shell of the drum. Once you change the tension on one lug move to the lug opposite of the one you just adjusted. Then move to the lug two to the right of the one you just adjusted. Repeat until all the lugs have been adjusted.
- Bearing Edge: The edge of the drum shell that the drum head sits on.
Part 2: Drum Parts
- Drum Key: Tool used to tighten or loosen tension rods
- Tension Rods: The long screws (sometimes short) that attach the drum rim to the shell of the drum with the drum head in the middle. You tighten the tension rods (or screws) to tune the drum.
- Washers: Metal disks with a hole in the center. They go on the tension rod to put in-between the rim and the tension rod. Meant to keep metal from rubbing together.
- Lug Casing: The lug that the tension rod screws into the shell of the drum.
- Batter Head: Head of the drum you hit. Usually coated (covered in a white bumpy substance).
- Resonant Head: The head of the drum that is on the bottom. The head that the snare wires touch when engaged.
- Rim: The metal hoop that holds the snare heads to the drum shell.
- Throw Off: The mechanism on the side of the snare drum where the snare wires are attached. It activates and deactivates the snare wires.
- Butt Plate: The plate and screws that secure the snare wires to the drum. On the side opposite the throw-off.
- White Lithium Grease: Grease used on the tension rods if they are starting to stick when tuning the drum.
- Moongel: Blue gel-like rectangle. Commonly used to dampen a drumhead and kill unwanted frequencies.
Part 3: Changing Drum Heads
Step 1: Remove the old batter head.
Start by loosening the tension on the batter head. Loosen a full turn in the star pattern until all lugs are loose enough to twist using the fingers. Do not remove the tension rod and washer from the rim. Then, use your hands to loosen each tension rod until they come out of the lug casing. Remove the rim with the tension rods still in place and set to the side.
Step 2: Prep and place the new head.
With your microfiber cloth, wipe down the bearing edge and the inside of the rim. Inspect for any damage or warping with the drum shell or rim. Make sure the inside of the drum is clean and nothing is loose inside. Place the drum head on the bearing edge. The orientation of the head does not matter so long as the head is seated well to the bearing edge. For a clean look, most people place the logo in the same orientation as the badge. Try to replace the rim on the drum head preferably in the same orientation it was in originally.
Step 3: Bring the head up to tension.
Screw in the tension rods using your hands until finger-tight to the hoop. Once finger-tight, use the star pattern and turn each lug a full turn. Do this twice. Inspect the tension. By this point, the drum should be fairly tight. Place your hands on the center of the drum head and press like giving CPR. No need to strain too much, the point is to simply pre-stretch the head so it holds its tuning a little better. Raise the pitch again using the star pattern, this time turning only a half turn. If not still up to pitch, repeat the star pattern using only quarter turns until the head is to the desired pitch.
Part 4: Best Practices
- Once a year, add a dab of white lithium grease to each tension rod before replacing it.
- This keeps the tension rod free to move with less friction, extending the life of the drum.
- Keep the old head if it is still in good condition and you are out of spare heads.
- If you are out of spare heads and the one you’re replacing is still functional, hold on to it. This will be your fail-safe until your order of new heads comes in.
Part 5: Frequently Asked Questions / Troubleshooting
- How high do you tune the head?
- Depends on the drum. High enough to have the head resonate, but not high enough to ring at a high pitch.
- The bass drum should usually not be brought up more than a few turns on the batter side.
- What if the tension rod is not tightening down when I turn it?
- First, try removing the tension rod from the lug and then replacing it--tightening carefully to make sure the threads catch.
- It’s possible that you stripped the lug or the tension rod. Contact Central about getting the drum checked out.
- What type of heads do I get?
- Toms usually use a two-ply head on the batter side (G2, Emperor, etc.) and a single-ply head on the resonant side (G1, Ambassador, etc.).
- Snares will use a coated single or double-ply head on the batter side (G1, Ambassador Emperor, Genera Dry, etc.) and a Snare Side head on the resonant side (Ambassador Hazy, 300 Snare Side, etc.).
- Bass drums will usually use a clear two-ply head for the batter (Emad, Powerstroke 3, etc.) and a black two-ply head for the resonant head.