The kind of drumheads you use can make a dramatic difference in the sound of your kit. Heads come in many varieties--coated, clear, single ply, and double ply. The heads used for the top of the drum, the side you play, are called batter heads, while resonant heads are used on the bottom side of the drum to give the sound resonance and sustain.

The overwhelming majority of drumheads these days are made of a thin plastic called Mylar. Mylar heads today come in various colors and are available with or without a sprayed-on white coating or without. Coated drumheads, for decades the main type available, have a bit less ring and projection and are still favored by many jazz players for their more subtle sound. Coated heads have a warmer sound than clear heads and are considered excellent for studio use.

Drumheads come in various degrees of thickness, in single or double plies, with each type having a markedly different sound. Thick heads generally sound best tuned to a higher fundamental tuning range, and have a quicker decay with more pronounced attack than thinner heads. They are also more durable and dent-resistant. Two-ply heads have a more controlled sound, and sometimes come with material sandwiched between them to focus and dampen the tone, as with Remo Pinstripe and Evans Hydraulic heads. Pinstripe heads have an epoxy ring sealed between the plies, which limits overtones and gives a "wet" sound. Evans Hydraulics have oil between the plies for an extremely dampened sound with a very dry tone.

Many jazz players prefer the livelier sound and quick response of thinner heads, while rock players generally like the fatter sound of two-ply heads. However, there are no strict guidelines for what kind of head to use--drummers have very personal responses to the way different heads sound, so let your ears be your guide. Felt Strip

Snare heads are of two types. The bottom or snare side head is very thin for sensitive response to the metal snare wires that are held across it. For the top of the snare drum most drummers prefer to use a coated head, as it serves to slightly attenuate the very lively response of the snare drum. The fine grain of the coating is needed if you play brushes. Techniques drummers use to dampen excess bass drum ring and resonance include using a felt strip on the bass drum batter head, cutting a hole in the front bass drumhead and placing a pillow against the inside of the batter head, or using a specialized muffling bass drumhead. Bass drumheads are available that provide many degrees of muffling.