Have any of you broken a drumhead like this before?

J

JLoveDrums94

Senior Member
I'm sure we're all familiar with that metal ring that the drumhead needs in order for it to be held in place by the rim. Well, how many of you have ever had a drumhead just "disconnect" (snap off) from that metal ring? Also, how many times can you recsll breaking a drumhead like that, in your whole history as a drummer? I can't help but feel like that happens to me a little more offten than it should. I've only been drumming since early-mid May of 2011, and I've broken 3 drumheads like that, in that amount of time.

The first one, I broke because I wasn't very good at tuning drums, and that was durring my first year.
The second one broke about two weeks ago. It happened as I was playing. The head was probably about 3-4 months old.
The third was an older, used drumhead from a little more than a year ago. I just kept it as a spare, and I tried to use it to quickly replace that second head that broke. However, this head broke today. Luckily, I had a second spare drumhead, that was actually rather new.
 
And I should mention, if the head pulls out of the metal collar, Remo/Evans/Aquarian will usually replace it under warranty.
 
If your drumhead material is being pulled out of the aluminum rim that usually means that the head is being overtightened or unevenly tightened.
Please describe how you are tuning.

When you are installing a snare batter you should be finger tightening and evening out the tension rods to level the head before using the key.
Next you should be using the key in a tightening pattern that alternates between opposing lugs. When you hear the new head make a cracking sound you are near the limit of what the head can withstand. That sound is the glue cracking loose where the head film meets the rim collar. You should never have to go much more than 1/2 turn beyond the cracking point.
 
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That cracking sound isn't the glue. It's the head forming to the shape of the drum's edge.

If you're breaking heads regularly in the manner you describe, it probably means that you're not installing them properly. I suggest you have someone with more experience show you how to do it, or bring the drum to your local drum shop and have them show you.
 
I think it's most likely because of too much tension.
I do start out by finger tightening, then i use a pattern to go on from there. Then once i get close to where i need to be, i start tapping along the rim on the drumhead, and tightening where ever it sounds loose, and loosening where ever it sounds too tight, so that i can get an even sounding drumhead. The thing is, is that the style of music that i play, requires that i tune the batter side of my snare drum really tight. I mean, it's crazy. It's almost like a marching snare drum sound.
 
You should probably try a marching head. They are made for super tight tensions.
 
If you need that high and poppy of a sound, maybe a smaller diameter drum would be better suited? They naturally sound higher. Like a 13" or even a 12".
 
I'm glad you asked. I play a style of regional mexicn music called "Banda Sinaloense." The style of music breaks into many "sub-genres." One of which (Ranchera) might sound very similar to polka. A lot of live performances recorded on youtube sound a little choppy due to the volume. The best clips I can put up as examples are:
(Fast forward to 1:10)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yz9rob3n8oM
(This next clip was recorded with same set, with the same band.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=08lWLTbbCOs

Hopefully this is enough for you guys to make out the kind of sound I'm looking for. Keep in mind that I use a clear remo pinstripe, just like they use in that band, and really, in every single band that plays this style of music. I don't know why, but clear remo pinstripes were always so popular among these percusionists.
If the links don't work because they're mobile, let me know, and I'll change them for the standard links.
 
No matter the style, the head should never pull out of its hoop. Something is wrong with the drum, or with the method of installation. No way it can happen that many times, unless you're using really worn out heads. I don't care HOW tight you have them. The lugs would pull out before the head does.
 
I've had my snare head cranked down to the point where the plastic washers on my snare are starting to deform since I started playing and I've never run into a head pulling out of the hoop. The only time I've ever had a head fail like that is with a cheap "stock" head that came on my friends cheap kit, I've seen food packaging that was tougher than those.
 
Well, now that i remember; my snare drum is a project snare of mine, that i accidentally made with the wrong size tension rods. I dont even know how i tuned it to high tensions with tension rods that were actually smaller in diameter. So, what would happen, was that every other month, under high tension, one out of the 10 other tension rods would blow the lug, and cause it to totally unwind, losing all that tension in one area, and perhaps damaging the drumhead by putting too much tension on the whole snare, minus one loose tension rod. Maybe that's what lead to the second head blowing out.
 
drumming sort of person said:
That cracking sound isn't the glue. It's the head forming to the shape of the drum's edge.

If you're breaking heads regularly in the manner you describe, it probably means that you're not installing them properly. I suggest you have someone with more experience show you how to do it, or bring the drum to your local drum shop and have them show you.
Click to expand...

Typically, it comes from the glue. Our heads are already designed to fit the drum from the moment you set it on the shell.

I should mention that, due to our hoop and collar design, our heads can take in excess of 3,000 lbs of pressure per square inch- far more than other drumheads. I think you'll find what you're looking for in Evans. I'd start out with a clear Evans G2. That will be the most "open" sounding option for that tension. The presence of more overtones will provide the perception of higher overall pitch too.

If you want to go with something ultra-durable and you're using a metal snare, I'd recommend checking out the Evans Hybrid Coated Drum Set Snare head.
 
If you're looking into trying an Evans head on your snare and you are really happy with the clear pinstripe (without any other muffling devices), try the clear EC2. I had to use an old clear pinstripe off my floor tom as a snare batter when a dumb girl busted my powerdot and I was pleasantly surprised. It sounded great cranked and I got a really good "City Of Evil" sound out of it. Also I'm pretty sure that at least some of the cracking sound that's associated with Remo heads is from the glue. The glue in the hoop is very hard and goes up the collar a ways like a sort of meniscus; I've had plenty of old remos where the glue separates from that part of the collar. Evans' glue seems a bit more rubbery and doesn't go up the collar like that so I can't imagine that happening.

I've seen one head partially pulled out of the hoop, and it was this ANCIENT ambassador that had been abused by schoolchildren on this 12" tom for who knows how long. Pretty sure it was like that before I got it. Anyways, it could still be "tuned" since the epoxy was still intact and wide enough...tuned to sound like a nice resonant bucket.

EvansSpecialist said:
I should mention that, due to our hoop and collar design, our heads can take in excess of 3,000 lbs of pressure per square inch- far more than other drumheads.
Click to expand...

Hey EvansSpecialist, how does that 3000 psi thing actually work out? Like on a 14" snare, how much total weight could be put on the drum hoop/carried by the tension rods before a G1 breaks? I'm thinking that if the bearing edge-head contact point is 1/16 wide (a very rough guesstimation), then 3000 psi should work out to a little over 4 tons on about 2.7 square inches of bearing edge, or over 800 pounds per rod on a 10 lug. That seems a little much, but I could be way off on the contact point width, and I don't think anyone tunes up to the breaking point. Also the lug or threads would probably give first.
 
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