Dimino519 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) I'm looking for recommendations for drum mutes - for marching snare drums in particular. The problem is - we don't want the sound 100% killed, but we have a small horn section and practice in a very small room (probably 20x 40) and the sound of the 4 snares is pretty killer. Does anyone make a drum mute that muffles but doesn't truly "mute" the drum - or does anyone have suggestions of what we could use/make to do the job of reducing the sound while indoors practicing? Also worried about playing on something that doesn't feel right... help! Thanks DCP community! Edited January 10, 2011 by Dimino519 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) I'm looking for recommendations for drum mutes - for marching snare drums in particular. The problem is - we don't want the sound 100% killed, but we have a small horn section and practice in a very small room (probably 20x 40) and the sound of the 4 snares is pretty killer. Does anyone make a drum mute that muffles but doesn't truly "mute" the drum - or does anyone have suggestions of what we could use/make to do the job of reducing the sound while indoors practicing? Also worried about playing on something that doesn't feel right... help! Thanks DCP community! I've actually tried several methods over the years (first at my mother's insistence, then for my wife's benefit (what is it with these women? ) and the most radical seemed to be the best solution, Although it is a bit more labor intensive it actually works well. The drum's sound is made of two components - the sound of the stick hitting the head and the sound of the snares vibrating, so you need to address both without affecting the playing technique. Here's what I did. I first took a bottom head (new, but cheaper than I'd normally buy) and cut holes in the bottom of it. If you cut round holes in a fairly symmetric pattern you can still tension the head without ripping it. To do this I placed the head on a flat board, rim up. Then I found a round cookie cutter about 1 1/2" in diameter and used it as a template to mark a roughly symmetric pattern on the head with a marker. Then place the cookie cutter on one of the marks, place a block of wood on top of it, and smack it hard with a heavy hammer (I use a 5 lb mallet). This punches a hole in the head. It's important to hit it hard enough to punch through in one strike, and you need a fairly-robust cookie cutter - the older aluminum type, not the cheap ones made out of tin (buy several, you'll undoubtedly destroy one or two doing 4 heads. I punched three holes on either side of the snare strainer and installed it as usual on the drum. For the top head I've found that a cloth draped and taped over the head muffles the tapping sound best. I've used everything from an old sweatshirt, to cloth diapers, to a T-shirt. What I found to work best in deadening the sound while affecting the "feel" the least is a kitchen dish-drying towel. They come in various thicknesses and are cheap so you can have your guys experiment with several types to see what retains the feel best. Masking tape the cloth rather tightly to the drum or it will bounce off. (I pull it tight over the head and drape the ends over the side of the drum to tape it to the shell.) Also, while the cotton material works best this also means that they'll wear through rather quickly. When this happens you only need to reposition the cloth and re-tape it. (I've also found that it reveals correct center-dot technique well - like a marksman punching a smaller hole in a shooting target.) Some experimentation with different materials and number of holes in the bottom head should solve your problem (the fewer the holes in the bottom head the less air escapes and the more snare strainer vibration occurs). While not particularly elegant this solution has worked well for me over the years and, even though my Mom still kicked me out, my wife let's me stay around. Hope it helps. Edited January 10, 2011 by garfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimino519 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Garfield: Thank you so much for the quick and detailed reply!! Your response is so helpful!! I look forward to trying this out in the coming weeks - great suggestions! I will let you know how it works out when I try it. Thanks so much again for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Your welcome, Josh. I hope it works for you. A further suggestion: You might try the cloth over the batter head first before you go to the length of punching the bottom head. That may provide enough damping for your purposes. I also got a PM from a guy who said he cut holes in the bottom head directly under the strainer to actually prevent it from vibrating against anything. I'd, frankly, never thought of this and have never tried it, but it seems to make rational sense. I can also see that the pressure reflection from the bottom head to the batter head would be reduced by using my "several holes" method and probably affects the rebound on the batter head. The PM suggestion would allow you to punch fewer holes in the bottom head and possibly keep the back pressure higher. Makes sense to me anyway. I'd explain the concepts to your guys and turn them loose to experiment on their own. You might be surprised at what they come up with! Please repost here after your experiments and let me know what ends up working best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarimbasaurusRex Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Try stuffing the drum with foam peanuts. Just take off the top head and overfill the shell with foam peanuts then put the head back on. If that's not enough, try using rolled up fiberglass insulation. With either of those methods you will reduce the volume without affecting the playing response. However... if your 4 snares overbalance your horns in a small room, they will be just as overbalanced in a large room or outdoors. First thing I would suggest is having the drummers play in balance with the rest of the ensemble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU GRAD 82 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Try a rubber Billy Gladstone practice pad. (I'm not even sure if they're still manufacured) They fit right onto the top of the drum head and cut down the sound a lot. You can also use it as a regular practice pad off the drum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Try a rubber Billy Gladstone practice pad. (I'm not even sure if they're still manufacured) They fit right onto the top of the drum head and cut down the sound a lot. You can also use it as a regular practice pad off the drum. I've still got my Gladstone and I can say from first-hand use that it won't work. Not only does it feel like rubber mush compared to a Kevlar head, it completely deadens the sound of my Sfz. The drum makes a mild thump under the Gladstone, and nothing more. And the rebound is especially bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doylejd Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 One thing that I have heard suggested before, though I've never tried it myself, is to stretch a sheet or t-shirt over the top bearing edge and then seat the batter head over it and tune it as you normally would. After, you simply cut away the excess material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.