The Transition: Mylar to Kevlar

[gumby5647]

I thought about putting this in the Perc. Forum...but i figured it would get a better discussion over here.

So what did everyone think about this seldomly discussed transition? Were you against it? Did you embrace it? Did you like the new Kevlar sound at first? Are you still a sucker for that old Mylar sound? Was this a big deal back in the 80's?

Personally, i wasn't into drum corps when i was like 6 so, i don't really remember it. :P

I've grown up where Kevlar was normal. It's funny though....I've gained a taste for Mylar heads now. Especially hearing corps like Crossmen 95, Star 89-90, Glassmen 02 (First half of season). They just sound so much more natural and "warm". Kind of has a "wet" feel to the sound. Unlike Kevlar which is crisp and "dry" and "cold" so to speak?

[ridgekuhn]

There was a topic about this earlier in the Perc. forum....waitaminute! Gumby! Didn't you start that thread? I think it was about XMen '95....

[FakeFlam]

A lot of people do prefer the wider tone of a Mylar head. When the snares were more of a lead voice in the activity, (1980 Spirit is a great example IMHO) the more full-bodied sound seemed ideal. From a later time, consider a show like 1991 Crossmen -- I can't fathom those guys playing on Kevlar -- mylar just afforded such an aggressive approach and sound quality.

The higher tensions made possible by the combination of Kevlar and free-floating snares did produce a markedly different sound, and did lead to some significant grip changes. Some believe that these changes have had an adverse effect on the level of demand attempted such as fewer singles, 32nd note rolls, intricate flam work. (I'm not sure I totally buy this as the typical pipe band grip is even 'looser' than DCI and there's no absence of complex rudiments in that genre.)

Instead, the activity was changing to more rewards for visual design and less for traditional percussion exposure, demand, and execution. It's the change in the judging system that changed the writing approach -- that Kevlar came on the scene concurrently is largely coincidental in my opinion.

[MikeN]

Moved to Percussion forum - for consistency's sake. :) (Better to keep like-subjects in the same area...)

Thanks!

Mike

[RobH]

Actually, I'm more interested in the "15 inch gut snare transition" from whenever the heck it was to this mylar/kevlar transition!

There used to be a time when snare drums could actually be HEARD - but I can't hear them and need to know when this changed and WHO was responsible for it!

[LancerLegend]

In the late 70's and early 80's, snare guys were going through heads like a hot knife thru butter. Crank them up and up and up. First, the white metal casing cracked and broke apart, then the heads would pull out of the rims, or the tension rods sheared. It was one misery after another.

Blue Devils would take a rim from a broken head and stack it on top of a new head to get additional rim space and crank down on that.

The free floater was a takeoff on that theme, but a mylar could not be cranked to keep paced with it. Kevlar enabled a line to tighten a head down. Players had to change their movement, the entire "rebound" of the stick was different.

I like both sounds.

[bigdaddy]

An interesting note about this:

Jeff Queen has the snares at Crown play on Mylar the whole winter and almost all of the Everydays camp.

The thinking is "if they can play clean on mylar...imagine Kevelar!"

[Hulka]

That philosophy has one major flaw, it's easier to play clean on mylar since the smallest dirt gets hidden in the "muddyness" of the sound. We found that out in '95 when we started the season with mylar on the Mars drums. When we switched to kevlar later in the season for durability and sound, we found out real fast we weren't playing nearly as clean as we thought we were.

I started my drumming career on mylar and made the switch to kevlar in high school. When kevlar hit the scene I loved having a head that you didn't have to worry about pulling and the sound was cool. The cool sound lasted up until lines cranked the kevlar as high as it'd go thus losing the "snare" sound. With the head so tight you're not pushing air through the drum to make the bottom head resonate which is a must if you want the guts to produce much of a sound. The tuning has gotten much better in recent years and heads like the Black/White Max give you the best of both the mylar and kevlar worlds all in one head.