Tea towel muffling

Rockdrill

Active Member
Was watching a DrumDotPizza post on YouTube re; tea towel muffling Ringo Starr style. I'm going through a dry muffled old school drum sound phase at the moment so it caught my eye/ear.
I learnt a few things from the video but mostly that Americans call tea towels 'flour sack towels' (which is fair enough as tea towels is actually quite a silly name... and I'm English).
However, suitable inspired I decided to try out a few things as cheap alternatives to the BFSD. First to hand rather than tea towels were some microfiber clothes I got for cleaning the bikes. They're about the size of a 14" head, so not too large. Covering the head completely and playing directly on them was wasn't that great but folded into a triangle and put over the top half produced the desired effect brilliantly. With a coated head they also seem to grip on and don't need tape to hold them in place. A pack of 6 is only a few quid and I think I prefer them to the BFSD solution!
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Flour sack towels? Really? New one on me. I thought we called them tea towels, too. But I just googled and we apparently do call them flour sack towels. Who knew?

I just use a head I cut off the hoop.
 
Gonna have to A - B them ;). Got some old fashioned English tea towels at my Dads that used to belong to my Grandad pretty sure they're the same type Ringo would have used. They're indestructible and last forever!

The "tea towels" we get now are the microfibre ones
tea towels is actually quite a silly name... and I'm English).

They were invented to dry bone china tea cups without damaging them in the 19th century. Back then drinking tea and beer back then was safer than drinking water. Probably why we still run on them to this day.
 
Gonna have to A - B them ;). Got some old fashioned English tea towels at my Dads that used to belong to my Grandad pretty sure they're the same type Ringo would have used. They're indestructible and last forever!

The "tea towels" we get now are the microfibre ones


They were invented to dry bone china tea cups without damaging them in the 19th century. Back then drinking tea and beer back then was safer than drinking water. Probably why we still run on them to this day.
Microfibre vs cotton tea towel tone test! Bring it on. Where I live they still use old fashioned towels, so might do a similar test. Although actually loving the sound of the partially covered head with the microfibre.

PS I think I prefer the idea of a beer towel and beer drinking to that of tea!
 
Was watching a DrumDotPizza post on YouTube re; tea towel muffling Ringo Starr style. I'm going through a dry muffled old school drum sound phase at the moment so it caught my eye/ear.
I learnt a few things from the video but mostly that Americans call tea towels 'flour sack towels' (which is fair enough as tea towels is actually quite a silly name... and I'm English).
However, suitable inspired I decided to try out a few things as cheap alternatives to the BFSD. First to hand rather than tea towels were some microfiber clothes I got for cleaning the bikes. They're about the size of a 14" head, so not too large. Covering the head completely and playing directly on them was wasn't that great but folded into a triangle and put over the top half produced the desired effect brilliantly. With a coated head they also seem to grip on and don't need tape to hold them in place. A pack of 6 is only a few quid and I think I prefer them to the BFSD solution!
View attachment 150811
Speaking of tea towels, I believe that Ringo Starr did that.

Recently I bought a pre-owned Pearl steel shell drum and gave it to my son to tune to his liking. He wasn't too happy with the sound so I was telling him about the tea towel. In the end I gave him a wide o-ring and he said "that's it"! Even though he preferred his Maple Pearl Master snare over steel.

Then Sunday when I went to church I was talking to the drummer there and he took me over to his drum kit and said here's an old trick and took out his wallet and laid it on his Supra and I couldn't believe how simple that was in a pinch.

You have to try different things to get the sound that you're trying to achieve.

Now the reason why his wallet never slid down was his tilt was opposite than what I do I don't know what you called that but his wallet did not slip down to the front of him because his tilt was down towards the base kick.
 
The wallet is an old muffling trick that works well. I sometimes open mine and pinch one flap between the mounted Tom and the snare to stabilize it.

Micro fiber clothes are a necessary part of my equipment. Those and a few binder clips can muffle toms, snare, cymbals but mostly bass drum. Just a slight muffling which is usually enough. Plus they are handing for wiping up spills or sweat.
 
Microfibre vs cotton tea towel tone test! Bring it on. Where I live they still use old fashioned towels, so might do a similar test. Although actually loving the sound of the partially covered head with the microfibre.

PS I think I prefer the idea of a beer towel and beer drinking to that of tea!
There is such a thing as a beer towel. They're like an elongated micro fibre towel that lives on the bar in pubs. They've changed to rubber bottomed ones at most pubs now.
 
Micro fiber clothes are a necessary part of my equipment. Those and a few binder clips can muffle toms, snare, cymbals but mostly bass drum.
Yes to this^^. I presently use a microfiber cloth on my gig snare, attaches with a binder clip. It does the job and I can flip it off when I need to use brushes. Handkerchiefs can work too.
 
I've always known them to be dish towels because you use them to dry dishes. either or I guess. I have used them on occasion to get a dry muted 70s snare and Tom sound for "I Can't Tell You Why" buy the Eagles. When I tried to recreate the sound Don Henley used on the recording by hitting the snare and my tom at the same time, my open full sounding tom didn't lend the right sound. I compromised putting the dish "Tea" towel on my snare and called it close enough. Some things you just have to compromise on! LOL!
 
Was watching a DrumDotPizza post on YouTube re; tea towel muffling Ringo Starr style. I'm going through a dry muffled old school drum sound phase at the moment so it caught my eye/ear.
I learnt a few things from the video but mostly that Americans call tea towels 'flour sack towels' (which is fair enough as tea towels is actually quite a silly name... and I'm English).
However, suitable inspired I decided to try out a few things as cheap alternatives to the BFSD. First to hand rather than tea towels were some microfiber clothes I got for cleaning the bikes. They're about the size of a 14" head, so not too large. Covering the head completely and playing directly on them was wasn't that great but folded into a triangle and put over the top half produced the desired effect brilliantly. With a coated head they also seem to grip on and don't need tape to hold them in place. A pack of 6 is only a few quid and I think I prefer them to the BFSD solution!
View attachment 150811
Oh ya i love my "Hand Towels" and Hankies! I ,like to use Them For 70's Thud Sounds ALA Eagles.I use my Pork Pie Hip Pig Mahogany snare tuned Low , like a B (123.5 on a Tune bot) I fold the Hand Towel over a few times and tuck it into the curves a bit( Saw Bernard Purdy do that with Paper towels!) and The Hankie i just triangle it once. Then i totally back out 1 tension rod between my Legs. Boom! Thats the sound.
 

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Speaking of tea towels, I believe that Ringo Starr did that.

Recently I bought a pre-owned Pearl steel shell drum and gave it to my son to tune to his liking. He wasn't too happy with the sound so I was telling him about the tea towel. In the end I gave him a wide o-ring and he said "that's it"! Even though he preferred his Maple Pearl Master snare over steel.

Then Sunday when I went to church I was talking to the drummer there and he took me over to his drum kit and said here's an old trick and took out his wallet and laid it on his Supra and I couldn't believe how simple that was in a pinch.

You have to try different things to get the sound that you're trying to achieve.

Now the reason why his wallet never slid down was his tilt was opposite than what I do I don't know what you called that but his wallet did not slip down to the front of him because his tilt was down towards the base kick.
Yes a wallet works great .I have an old Leather Wallet with old Business cards and expired credit cards all on the right half for weight. That keeps it from bouncing off. Sometimes i will Gaff the light half to the side of the Shell.
 
All you folks who are searching for "that" snare sound. I guess it's falling on my deaf ears, so call me the odd fella. "That snare sound" is different for every song I've ever heard (if I listen close enough or even care). For me, that time would be better spent looking for the leprechaun guarding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 🤪

Tongue pressed firmly in cheek.

So, you folks Keep On Tryin' to find "that" sound. In the meantime, my snare drum is gonna sound like my snare. ;) And I'm okay with that.

 
Oh ya i love my "Hand Towels" and Hankies! I ,like to use Them For 70's Thud Sounds ALA Eagles.I use my Pork Pie Hip Pig Mahogany snare tuned Low , like a B (123.5 on a Tune bot) I fold the Hand Towel over a few times and tuck it into the curves a bit( Saw Bernard Purdy do that with Paper towels!) and The Hankie i just triangle it once. Then i totally back out 1 tension rod between my Legs. Boom! Thats the sound.
Doesn't anyone use O-rings anymore?
 
Doesn't anyone use O-rings anymore?
I do but I’m starting to sour on them. Occasionally I hear them fluttering against the head. It’s small potatoes in the grand scheme of things but it’s making me appreciate gels just a little more. Then again, they can flutter as well.

All you folks who are searching for "that" snare sound. I guess it's falling on my deaf ears, so call me the odd fella. "That snare sound" is different for every song I've ever heard (if I listen close enough or even care). For me, that time would be better spent looking for the leprechaun guarding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 🤪

Tongue pressed firmly in cheek.

So, you folks Keep On Tryin' to find "that" sound. In the meantime, my snare drum is gonna sound like my snare. ;) And I'm okay with that.

You are ultimately correct, but I learned a lot about sound trying to cop the sounds that I admired. It ultimately serves you in good stead to try and cop your favorites because you may need something similar one day.
 
I used Remos, Donna, but soon came to an agreement with my snare (and toms), something like "Live and Let Live." I'm not gonna buy another drum set, so we better come to some sort of relationship concerning who's gonna be the boss. It was a compromise, but I think I won! ;)

"Ultimately correct?" @JimmyM, pretty big shoes to fill. 🤪

I can't discount the search for the sound that makes you sound like you. I can always agree with that! But I've chosen to not wobble with every band/song. I'm just gonna sound like me, and I'm okay with that. Originals have a bit more latitude, but us folks who play covers? I'm sorry, everybody else is gonna have to "suck it up" if I'm playing.
 
Doesn't anyone use O-rings anymore?
Oh sure.

I still see them in live and studio situations.

I saw a drum channel kit tour of someone's kit a while back (Dirty Honey IIRC.. ) that had o-rings taped to the heads.

I also see occasional in-studio concerts like KEXP where drummers use different types of muffling.
 
Doesn't anyone use O-rings anymore?

Yep.

O-rings, chamois, tea towels… I’ve got them all in my bag. The O-rings are my go-to when I need to quickly damp my snare & both toms, but I use a variety of things in my floor tom when necesssry.

Much more versatile to have an open sounding drum, plus damping options, than to have a pre-muffled head.

:)

Edit- I even have a black dot that I cut out of a CS head, which I can drop onto the snare when needed.
 
The wallet is an old muffling trick that works well. I sometimes open mine and pinch one flap between the mounted Tom and the snare to stabilize it.

Micro fiber clothes are a necessary part of my equipment. Those and a few binder clips can muffle toms, snare, cymbals but mostly bass drum. Just a slight muffling which is usually enough. Plus they are handing for wiping up spills or sweat.
I can never FIND my wallet and the idea of leaving it somewhere hold me back. Has anyone tried the Big Fat donuts? I bought a set of these and the work nicely. But even then it's not the tea towel. I'm also using the microfiber cleaning clothes...though can't decide if I like them. They actually kind of adhere to the batter head but can also start bunching up.

One other thing I've been trying is my Boston Bruins hockey puck!
 
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