Bass Drum Maintenance
To keep the wooden hoops from cracking and to keep the bass drum pedal in place, secure some kind of rubber pad between the bass drum pedal clamp and the hoop. While the bass drum is considered a non-pitched instrument, it can be tuned to a wide range of acceptable tension to achieve the desired sound. Usually, jazz drummers tune the drum higher to get a broader sound out of the drum, while rock drummers tune it much lower to get an aggressive, shorter attack. Regardless of tension used, one of the most important elements to get a good sound is how the drum is dampened. The sustain of the drum head is determined by how and where the head is dampened. Typically, smaller bebop size bass drums have little to no dampening: one common method is to fasten a 3-inch strip of felt between the bearing edge and the head. The felt is usually off center, roughly one quarter of the way into the head, to dampen the outer area of the head where tone is shallower. The tension between the head and the bearing edge keeps the felt in place, lightly resting against the head. Larger rock drums can have some kind of fabric resting inside the drum, gently pressing against both heads simultaneously. Some drum heads have a muffling ring fabricated into the design of the head. The general goal in dampening is to let the center area of the head vibrate while muffling the outer few inches of the head.
