If the drum kit is the backbone of an ensemble, then drumheads are the nervous system. And just like shell construction, this nervous system depends on a myriad of factors to develop the right tonal effects for your percussive objective, from recording studio fine-tuning to performance space adaptation. Besides tone, stick response and playing feel have an equally important role, and finding a head that feels just as great as it sounds will make you feel more comfortable and confident behind the kit. Plies, construction types, and custom features — we’ll take a gander at the lot of it! Having a better understanding of the ins-and-outs of different drumhead types, and how mixing and matching construction can completely personalize your sound, is a knowledge that transcends experience level. So, whether you’re a veteran wanting to brush up or branch out or you’re a first timer just looking for some guidance, you’ve got a front row seat for this one. Let’s get started!
Plies: Single vs Double
The best place to start is with a quick breakdown of what exactly it is that makes up a drumhead. In short, most modern drum kit heads (since the mid-’50s) are engineered with either single-ply or double-ply plastic film, typically Mylar, as opposed to the calfskin heads from the days of old. The result is a stronger head with more consistent features to meet modern standards such as reliable tuning stability and easier sound customization.
Single Ply
For drummers looking for a brighter sound with greater sustain, single-ply heads are definitely the way to go! Their thinner construction allows for a much more brilliant sound, which additionally improves the resonance of your drum. For this reason, you’ll find that resonant heads are almost exclusively single ply. Their bright nature, however, also makes them a great choice for snare drum batter heads, as this design promotes the crisper and snappier snare response that drummers frequently desire. You may find that, especially in the case of a snare head, you’ll need to replace single plies more often — that’s just par for the course. But for lighter-playing genres, such as jazz, bluegrass, and country, you won’t find that to be a problem!
Double ply
Conversely, a double-ply drumhead will afford drummers better control over the toms. With more depth to its sound, too, you can expect a much warmer and overall punchier tone from your shells, making it a nice change of pace for your tom configuration. The shorter sustain of double-ply toms cleans up your kit’s lingering resonance, making rolls and solos much darker and momentous. For the heavier-handed drummer, a double-ply head is going to be the best friend! Rock, metal, pop, house — whenever a more defined punch is a priority! With that in mind, double-ply toms come in handy as studio drumheads where control of percussive vividity, as opposed to the openness of the drum, is usually more of a central focus. And if tonal depth and performance durability is a concern for your kit in a live situation, don’t hesitate to bring double-ply heads onstage with you, too!
Construction Types: Clear vs. Coated
Similar to plying, clear and coated construction offer lighter and darker tonal effects for your sound as well. As opposed to purely internal darkening, like ply construction, coating introduces a dampening effect to the exterior of the head, hence the name. So, regardless of how much tone control you’re chasing, this is a can’t-miss step in your journey to find the right fit for your kit!
Clear
Like a single-ply head, a head with clear construction will provide a much brighter sound that reflects the more natural tonal effect of its makeup. Its clarity is just as present in its resonance as in its attack, responding with more of an edge than a coated head. This louder approach makes it a fantastic choice for when projection matters most and in ensembles where the drums are a major focal point of each performance. The more forward and in-your-face sound of a clear head combined with its increased sustain is an instrumental consideration when crafting your drum tone.
Coated
On the other hand, there are coated drumheads, which respond more like a double-ply head because of their natural muffling. Sonically darker and more muted by design, these heads offer a textured approach, which can function as an excellent foundation for easier accenting — a must-have for jazz drummers. This also means that if you’re looking for a snare head, coated is almost always the way to go. The warmth you can achieve with a coated head also unlocks the door to a world of softer applications, too. This makes adapting to different performance spaces, including the recording studio, a whole lot easier! Of course, your own personal tuning preferences factor into the sound of your kit as well, but generally speaking, for that warmer and tubbier tone, coated heads are the place to turn.
Customization
So now that we’ve broken down the function of these options, it’s time to get a little more creative! Outside the basic construction of drumheads, there are a surprising number of design variations that contribute to sound focus, tonal control, and playing feel. From patterns to colors to calfskin replication, we’ll take a look at five of the most common types of specialty drumheads for customizing your tone beyond ordinary composition and tuning adjustments.
Stripes
Of the various methods and degrees of dampening your drumhead sound, stripes are the most common solution. What the stripe design does is essentially build a concentrated muffling agent into your drumhead, working to gather control of overtones without having to drastically change the overall degree of dampening of the head. Available with both coated and clear construction, stripes are just as useful for reducing the level of overtones of a clear head while preserving its attack as they are useful for fattening up the sound of your coated head. As a result, this warm and controlled tone is perfect for pop and rock genres. A couple of tried-and-true striped heads to look for are the REMO Pinstripe series and Evans EC2 series!
Dots
When it comes to finding a focused sound, especially with a snare, dotted heads are just the tool to do the trick. The outer area of the drumhead contains the midrange punch you need for solid strike response, but the internal dot focuses the sound for a totally controlled tone. This construction process makes center dot heads a preferred snare method for recording sessions, as it keeps lingering resonance and overtones to a minimum, providing a reliable and consistent sonic effect when struck in the center. The same goes for toms, too! Outfit your entire kit — even your bass drum — with a set of dotted heads, and experience midrange focus like never before! And with a range of intensity degrees to choose from, your tone adjustments can get as particular as you need them to be.
Dark Heads
Darker drumheads do exactly what you’d expect — they darken the tonal focus of the head! With tremendous low-end emphasis, these punchy heads see a lot of use on bass drums. Their design consequently improves the stature of your kit’s presence, giving you a huge sound that heavy-hitting drummers of hard rock and metal genres fall in love with. And the neat part about dark heads is that they function just as nicely as resonant heads as they do batter heads, effortlessly absorbing the energy of each strike and filtering out the top end to really give your playing lots of body.
Fiberskyn
The attraction of traditional calfskin heads is the much more natural, sensitive, and open response as opposed to modern coated heads. Contemporary Fiberskyn construction, however, emulates that response incredibly well, both improving durability and tuning stability while keeping costs down. REMO has an insurmountable grasp on the fiberskyn game, offering a terrific selection of traditional and Felt Tone models to suit that warm and elusive vintage sound. On top of playing incredibly well, many of these heads are manufactured with narrow hoops, allowing for easier application to your older and out-of-round shells. For a truly vintage jazz and rock tone/feel, Fiberskyn heads are an absolute must!
Exterior Muffling
Aside from internal construction or coating as a dampening mechanism, there are other drumheads that offer more physical exterior muffling traits. REMO and Aquarian in particular offer great felt-strip drumheads, which are ideal for bass drum applications. Deadening the overtones of the kick keeps your back beat pure and reliable and also adds an old school look to your setup! Additionally, models like Evans’s GMAD series have developed adjustable dampening mechanisms with interchangeable muffling rings that fit easily and efficiently right onto your bass drum, affording drummers more freedom to customize the attack of the kick.
It’s More Than a Drumhead!
That’s a lot to consider just for drumheads — but then again, they aren’t just drumheads. They’re an ambassador for your sound, your playing feel, and your love for the craft! We could nerd out for days on the intricacies of every specific, but what’s more important is that you get playing on a set of skins that really fits your vibe. Every drumhead type we’ve explored is available right now at Sweetwater, and we’ve got experts standing by to help you narrow down the ideal fit. Just give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700, and your journey to pinpointing that perfect percussive sweet spot awaits. Hammer on!
