playing without bottom heads

so i was reading how to tune drum heads since i want them to sound perfect for when i try out for my schools talent show tommorow and i read somewhere that some drummers play without their bottom heads.

i was wondering what effect this has on the drums,how it sounds and would you prefer it and why or why not?
thanks.

joe182 said:

so i was reading how to tune drum heads since i want them to sound perfect for when i try out for my schools talent show tommorow and i read somewhere that some drummers play without their bottom heads.

i was wondering what effect this has on the drums,how it sounds and would you prefer it and why or why not?
thanks.

Click to expand...

I don't recommend it. We did it alot in the 70s, but had no idea what detrimental effect it had on the roundness of the shell. Also, the drum loses alot of resonance, particularly the shallower depths. You will find out eventualyy that what sounds good while you are playing it sounds horrible in the audience and vice versa. There's some good advice for tuning in the Tom Tuning thread. Snares, well that's a trickier subject. Keep the bottom heads on, though.

thanks alot for the reply espicially this fast.
i will look through the threads and see what i can find.
thanks again:]

Playing with the bottom heads off of your drums or as "concert toms" will shorten the sustain, and, IMO, take a lot of the depth and complexity out of the sound of your toms...

What you will get is a more defined fundamental pitch and possibly a more "melodic" sound if tuned properly from drum to drum.

Also - if your kit was designed for bottom, or resonant heads, then you may experience some rattling from your lugs with no tension on them holding them tight.

I don't know too many players these days that play concert toms other than Phil Collins and I believe Neil Peart may have used them at some point....

My recommendation would be to learn how to tune your toms to sound good with both heads on as it's likely a necessary skill for your future as a drummer.