Drum Maintenance Basics
This kit recently came to us in pretty bad shape. the maintenance of any instrument can be daunting if you are not used to the instrument, but for many people drums remain the most mysterious and difficult to work on.
But they are really not that hard to maintain; just take it one step at a time, and before you know it you can have your set looking and playing better than ever!
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| Drums that are in need of some TLC at the newest music store in Lincolnton As you can see, these drums were in pretty bad shape. Almost all drums, with some variations, are put together the same way. The tom drums (the smaller drums that attach to the kick drum or stand alone on the floor) usually attach to the kick drum by hardware poles that go through the kick, and then the tom slides onto the pole. |
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| The Tom post is attached to the kick drum here; you can see the retaining ring at the bottom that sets the height of this post! |
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| The other end of the tom, post inserts into the tom drum, and has the same type of ring. Set the retaining rings on the posts so that the drums are in the position you want when everything is put together. There is no right or wrong position, it is however the drummer feels the most natural! To begin with, take all of the pieces out of the drums. Once everything is taken apart, it is easier to clean the drums. A light duty cleaner such as Windex usually makes a good cleaner for the shells, and paper towels or a cotton cloth will work fine to [polish the drums. The bottom heads on this kit are in pretty good shape, so we are just going to replace the top heads, which have seen a good amount of abuse. |
when a head is broken, you have to replace it. But excessive dents or simply age can also make replacing the heads a necessity if you want to get the best tones out of the drums.
Using a drum key, loosen all of the hoop bolts to remove the top head. On this kit, we are replacing all the drums with coated heads. I am using Remo Ambassadors for the toms and kick and an Evans G2 for the snare drum.
Match the sizes, make sure the wooden rim of the drum is clean and free from debris, then set the drum head and place the hoop on top of the head, making sure that it is even on top of the drum shell.
Start by starting all the screws in the hoop - DO NOT TIGHTEN THEM YET, JUST START THE SCREWS!.
Once all the screws are started, screw them down until they are just touching the hoop. Once all the screws are tightened to this amount we will start using the drum wrench to do the final tightening and tuning of the head.
Just like the wheel on a car, you want to tighten the bolts on the drum head gradually using a cross pattern. Go in order of the numbers above, starting with just one turn to each head.
This will ensure that the head is seated and tightened so that it goes evenly onto the drum shell. Once everything is tightened, you want the head and the hoop to be seated squarely on top of the shell, otherwise the drums will not tune properly.
Tighten until all the wrinkles are out of the head, final adjustments will be made later!
Using a drum key, loosen all of the hoop bolts to remove the top head. On this kit, we are replacing all the drums with coated heads. I am using Remo Ambassadors for the toms and kick and an Evans G2 for the snare drum.
Match the sizes, make sure the wooden rim of the drum is clean and free from debris, then set the drum head and place the hoop on top of the head, making sure that it is even on top of the drum shell.
Start by starting all the screws in the hoop - DO NOT TIGHTEN THEM YET, JUST START THE SCREWS!.
Once all the screws are started, screw them down until they are just touching the hoop. Once all the screws are tightened to this amount we will start using the drum wrench to do the final tightening and tuning of the head.
Just like the wheel on a car, you want to tighten the bolts on the drum head gradually using a cross pattern. Go in order of the numbers above, starting with just one turn to each head.
This will ensure that the head is seated and tightened so that it goes evenly onto the drum shell. Once everything is tightened, you want the head and the hoop to be seated squarely on top of the shell, otherwise the drums will not tune properly.
Tighten until all the wrinkles are out of the head, final adjustments will be made later!
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| The same drum as above after all bolts have been gradually tightened in the order shown. Keep going around the same order until all the wrinkles are out of the head and the head is seated squarely on the shell. |
Follow the same procedure for all of the drums including the kick drum. many people place a pillow or some other material into the kick drum to get more of a thump from the kick; the Evans EMad heads are also an excellent product to give the kick drum a good thumpy and less resonant sound.
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| With this drum, a clean but old sleeping bag made the perfect muffle for the drum, giving it a solid deep kick sound with very little resonance. |
Tuning and Resonance
Resonance is the amount of trail that your drum leaves after you hit it. The less resonance a drum has, the more the sound is a solid hit with no lasting trail. Sometimes, depending on the type of music, you will want some resonance on your drums. These help fill up space and make the sound warmer.
Once again, there is no right or wrong answer, but generally the faster and more 'busy' a song is, the less resonance you will want on your drums. Resonance is decreased by the amount of muffle you put on the drums, whether it is like the sleeping bag pictured above, or Moon Gel or the Evans E-Rings do a great job at reducing to large amounts of resonance.
Once all the heads are installed, you will begin tuning them. I personally like to start tuning my drums from the smallest tom. The tighter you make the head, the higher the 'Hit Tone' will be when the drum is struck. To be properly tuned, all of the drum screws should have equal tension. If you hit the head next to each bolt, they should all have the same tone. This is a great video by DW that is worth while to check out!
You will want the tom drums to have an even spacing in tone as you play from the highest to the lowest; some people tune their drums to specific notes, but most players do not go to that level of exactness. You do want a good, even change in tones throughout the drums though!
Once again, there is no right or wrong answer, but generally the faster and more 'busy' a song is, the less resonance you will want on your drums. Resonance is decreased by the amount of muffle you put on the drums, whether it is like the sleeping bag pictured above, or Moon Gel or the Evans E-Rings do a great job at reducing to large amounts of resonance.
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| The E-Rings are plastic circles that fit on top of the tom and snare drums, giving them a more solid 'thunky' sound, or in the case of the snare a tighter POP! |
Once all the heads are installed, you will begin tuning them. I personally like to start tuning my drums from the smallest tom. The tighter you make the head, the higher the 'Hit Tone' will be when the drum is struck. To be properly tuned, all of the drum screws should have equal tension. If you hit the head next to each bolt, they should all have the same tone. This is a great video by DW that is worth while to check out!
You will want the tom drums to have an even spacing in tone as you play from the highest to the lowest; some people tune their drums to specific notes, but most players do not go to that level of exactness. You do want a good, even change in tones throughout the drums though!
Snare Drums
Snare drums will usually be one of the tightest drums as you want a nice, solid snap from your snare drum with very little resonance. Make sure the snare itself (the strip of wires that goes along the bottom of the drum) is nice and tight, and add E-Rings or other muffles as needed to make the snare POP nice and tight!
Putting It Back Together!
Once all the drums are tuned, carefully reassemble the drums. If you set the retaining rings on the posts properly it is very easy to get the right formulation. If you didn't, take this chance to set the retaining rings so you can get the same drum position as you them up and tear them down.
You can see how the toms snug up tio the retaining ring, clicking in place!
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| Setting these retaining rings is essential for getting the drums in the right positions easily! |
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| it is the same with the kick drum - set the retaining ring so the Tom Mount Posts are always the right height! (this one still has to slide down to be seated properly, like in the pic below! |
Back Together Again!
Now our drum kit is back together, with new heads and tuned for a nice solid drum sound!
If your drums need heads because they are damaged or just old and worn out, do not be to intimidated at the thought of putting them on yourself - it really is not that hard. But, if you do need help, feel free to come to the newest music store Lincolnton offers, James House of Deals, and we can help you get your drums back in shape, as well as repairing any minor problems which may need to be fixed! When you need drum heads in Lincolnton, or hardware, cymbals or parts come down to James House of Deals!
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