Drumhead

A drumhead is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands so that it vibrates and the sound resonates through the drum.

Related Topics:
Membrane - Drum - Vibrates - Sound - Resonates

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Originally, drumheads were made from animal skin. In 1956, Chick Evans invented the plastic drumhead. These plastic drumheads are cheaper, more durable, and less sensitive to weather than animal skin heads, so they are used by a great majority of drummers. Despite the benefits of plastic heads, many timpanists and orchestral percussionists prefer animal (typically calf) skin heads because they tend to produce a warmer, more pleasant sound. Drummers in historical reenactment groups such as fife and drum corps also use animal skin heads for historical accuracy. Skin heads are used on most hand drums, including djembes and congas. Another common material used for drumheads is aramid fiber, such as kevlar. Fiber heads are used mostly in marching percussion, because they are much more durable than plastic, and they can sustain high tension required to get the high pitch sound which is desired.

Related Topics:
Skin - Plastic - Drummer - Timpanist - Orchestral - Percussionist - Calf - Historical reenactment - Fife and drum corps - Hand drum - Djembe - Conga - Aramid - Kevlar

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