Enhancing and Tweaking Your Drum Set Sound

Playing drums is one of the greatest ways to express creativity, reduce stress and anxiety and just discover the rhythm inside us all. A drum set gives a drummer the ability to fine-tune the rhythmic experience by adding different drums, kick pedals, cymbals and percussion accessories, allowing for a wide range of sounds and tones that increase the impact of the beat or songs being played. Of course, there are still more ways to fine-tune a drummer’s sound while not continuing to purchase more drums or accessories – through tuning and dampening the drums themselves.

Tuning a drum set may seem an obvious choice to perfecting sound, but, it can also be overlooked as a way to change up the tone of a favorite groove. Drums are naturally suited to different sounds through the pressure applied to the drum head, and the strength in which it is stretched over the shell. By understanding not only how to tune an individual drum, but also how each drum can be tuned to harmonize with the other drums in the rig, a new and exciting vibe can be created, simply through the turning of the keys on the rim.

Whether a drummer is concerned with the volume of the drum set, or he or she just wants to experiment with different sounds, drums can be muffled to change the tone or lower the volume. Typically, a bass drum can be muffled through placing soft items (pillows, blankets) into the drum, while toms and the snare can use tape or various products designed specifically for drum muffling. Whichever method is used will certainly make a difference in the volume and tone of the drums, and perhaps create a new, inspirational sound for the drummer searching for a new sound to master.

There are many different ways a drummer can discover and enhance his or her own personal playing style and the overall sound of the beat. Whether adding the perfect set of percussion accessories or playing around with drum muffling, a drum set is a true playground of expression for a drummer who cannot help but revel in the creativity of rhythm – in both style and sound.