No Cost Bandana Drumhead Hack | Season Five, Episode 41

Great news! We've got custom Sounds Like a Drum bandanas! Get yours here: sladl.ink/bandana
We’ve covered lots of setups that involve placing things on top of drums but what if we sandwich them between elements of a drum? Maybe you’ve done this with a felt strip on a bass drum but have you ever tried it with a full piece of cloth on the snare? The results are quite cool and the cost is $0 if you’ve got an old t-shirt lying around. We’ll show you how to set it up and demo the sound at different tunings.
PATREON:
This season is made possible by our Patreon supporters. Join us on Patreon for access to exclusive content such as Cymbal Sounds, our long awaited cymbal series, and MUCH more: sladl.ink/Patreon
PRODUCTION PARTNERS:
GIK Acoustics (sonic treatment): sladl.ink/GIK
AKG Audio (microphones): sladl.ink/AKG
Evans Drumheads: sladl.ink/Evan...
ProMark Drumsticks: sladl.ink/ProM...
Signal chain:
Mics - Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB & OctoPre - MacPro w/Pro Tools 2022.5
Recorded at 48kHz / 24bit
Overheads: (Matched Pair in Glyn Johns - Cardioid) AKG C314 sladl.ink/C314...
Snare, Toms: AKG C518M sladl.ink/C518M
Kick Drum: AKG D12VR sladl.ink/AKGD...
No EQ or compression in use with drum demos unless otherwise noted
Acoustic Treatment:
GIK 242 Acoustic Panels: sladl.ink/GIK242
GIK 4A Alpha Pro Series Diffusor/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIK4...
GIK Evolution PolyFusor Combination Sound Diffuser/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIKE...
GIK Tri-Trap Corner Bass Trap: sladl.ink/GIKT...
Drums:
Pearl Masters Maple Custom Extra, Ludwig LM400 Supraphonic.
Cymbals:
22” Jesse Simpson clone of old Zildjian A, 15" Zildjian “Fat Hat” Prototype Hihats
Drumheads:
Snare: Evans G12 / Snare Side 300
Toms: N/A
Kick Drum: Evans UV EMAD / EQ3 Coated White Reso
Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production & Consulting: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media
👂🏼👉🏼🥁
Leave your questions, comments, suggestions, requests down below and don't forget to subscribe!
*NOTE: Troll comments will be deleted. You're welcome to disagree with whatever you like but let's keep the conversation civilized and focused on drums.
--------------------------
Sounds Like a Drum is a CADENCE INDEPENDENT MEDIA production
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[@SoundsLikeADrum]

You asked and we've delivered! Sounds Like a Drum bandanas are now available for purchase here: sladl.ink/bandana

[@jonathanreddish8590]

that cross stick is def the steely dan sound...

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Right?! So focused and with plenty of articulation.

[@nate6692]

I've chased low fat for years and always hated it - it's almost impossible to kill that wonky low note without sounding like there's a handful of wet clay on the drum. This was a lightbulb moment.

[@user-nh9bt5ji1t]

I'm from Spain. This has been done in the Carnaval in Cádiz for ages. Even with thicker ones like cleaning cloths and such. These snare drums in Cádiz are used to accompany singing ensembles called Chirigotas, or Comparsas. The muffling of the cloth makes it easier to play softer and even to perform a buzz roll, for those percussionists with less touch or technique. It's also a way to make a cheap drumhead or drum sound more "expensive". :)

[@joelalexander4513]

Interesting, thank you!

[@michalostv9725]

Thank you guys for making these legendary videos, we are so fortunate for this content.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks for the kind words! Many thanks to our Patreon supporters- we quite simply couldn't do this without them.

[@limeydrums5185]

Used to see Reggae drummers in the 70's using this to get that perfect cross stick sound, but I had forgotten about that. Great video!🙌

[@alsdrumhang]

Thinking for my classic rock band I might have one of these set up on the left side for that distinctive sound. Nice! And yes, please do a whole kit like this. It'd be cool to hear!

[@DrummerRIP]

AWESOME! DO THE KIT! DO IT!

[@482jpsquared]

Doooo iiiiiit!

[@JoeTheOriginalOne]

I remember seeing this done on a touring drummer for Paul Simon, accept he did it on all the drums, and the snare sound was almost like a field drum, which was perfect for "50 ways to leave your lover."

[@rogerbishop5516]

My first drum kit at 13 years old - my mom couldn't stand the noise so she cut bandanas and t-shirts, in a circular pattern to fit over each tom, sewed elastic around the edges so you could pop them on/off effortlessly and they would stay in place without having to remove the rims. The greatest hack ever to this day now 25 years later :)

[@snickpickle]

But did the fabric get full contact with the heads? As a non-drummer (string/electric bass and horn layer here, and recording studio guy), I'm curious about how rebound strokes in particular would have worked with that setup? Obviously with direct contact with the under-hoop setup, it doesn't seem to be a problem. Just curious...

[@rogerbishop5516]

@snickpickle that's a great question- it didn't receive full contact with the head as you surmised, leaving approximately 1/4 inch or so of distance between the fabric & drumhead. When you struck the drum, it would receive a muffled response as the fabric obviously made contact upon hitting the toms - as muffled as the response was, I would imagine it would have had slightly more resonance than the method of applying directly under the hoop as in this video. It would be interesting to try both ways and see what the difference is between them.

[@ItsABOUTflamTIME]

My old high school did this with the marching snare drums- although with the shirt below the drumhead rather than on top. We called it "sheeting" the drums, and it was entirely to control the volume. On a marching snare, it's fairly subtle, since the drum is so dry to begin with. On a drumset, though, the tone change is drastic.

[@mchaggis622]

Man this is a game changer. I’m absolutely doing this. I’ll likely keep one snare dedicated to this now. Thank you for your awesome work.

[@TheTargetedScapegoat]

I have always used T shirts over the snare and the tons - even on the hats and the ride. It made it easier to practice without too much bother on others in the house and made improving and writing with others easier, since the lower volume forced everyone to listen to what was happening.

[@danspiller87]

I've always been a fan of a heavily dampened kit. Especially snare and bass. Look forward to trying this idea 👌 Also high tuning wins for me!

[@DZNTZ]

Sounds like a Vulf! Great sounds. Gotta love a free hack that really works and has plenty of uses. Thank you 🙏

[@brianpeterson6481]

I love this sound. I almost always record with a tea towel on top, but this is genius! Thank you!

[@that70sdrummer]

What a simple hack that I've never seen anywhere else. Thanks a bunch.

[@wilkinsnl]

Definitely go further down the rabbit hole

[@doughawkins7983]

8:32 I use a bedsheet, under the bass drum reso head. It is pure “Old School”, but definitely something to try. Try the bandana, under the snare batter head, and see if brushes work.

[@mr.anderson70]

You just gave me an idea for that old flannel sheet set I've got. :)

[@colinredmond4499]

Hey man when you mention you use bed sheet under reso head on bass drum do you meant the sheet is up against the reso head of bass drum only .or am I missing something here 🤔? Cheers .greetings from Brisbane Australia 🦘🌏

[@doughawkins7983]

@@colinredmond4499 Tap the bedsheet to the shell, across the entire front opening and past the bearing edges, then put on front head. Trim excess sheet after putting on hoop claws, & T-rods. I have also, and currently using the sheet stretched between the head and hoop, similar to the video. Single ply, no holes. Try it out, it may be what you’re looking for.

[@Eurodrummer666]

I am repeating myself, but this is yet another brilliant video! You never lack inspiration for new stuff to try. And never disappoint.

[@nylonnerves8422]

I play drums in Hardcore Punk bands and I’ve always loved pingpong-snares but lately I was asked into a band that is more of a pop rock/punk-band. This trick worked perfectly in that band. Thanx a lot!

[@0tf850]

I had to pause after three minutes to go set this up. I love it! thank you!

[@bigl6322]

I’ve got a ‘dana across part of my snare… gonna hafta try putting it under the hoop… I’m a child of the 70’s so that sound is totally my jams…

[@jimatyeo]

Brilliant guys. I have been using a tea towel like Ringo did. This is much better. Reminded me of the sound of a couple of Boz Scaggs songs.

[@wheels845]

I literally studied Frank Zappa’s bands from late ‘70’s through the early 80’s. Had the honor to have met Frank n band quite a few times. It was certainly a Zappa lovers dream! Anyway I always found FZ’s drummers to be the top of the drummers world. Bozzio,Wackerman, etc. Long live Zappa music,

[@sullysullster8217]

Great idea! I went and cut up an old t shirt and did it! Ill check it out tomorrow when the neighbors arent home. Thanks

[@markbeharrell5817]

OMG i am having so much trouble with my snare drum sound this is brilliant!!!

[@JDavidBrown]

I started playing drums in in 1963. I played actively through the 70s. “Ring” was not wanted in a snare drum, in my circles. Almost all of them had permanent muffling to eliminate the ring. In the early days, we did something similar to this, but only along one edge of the drum, similar to a felt strip in a bass drum. But definitely under the head and held in place by the counterhoop. Later on, I started cutting a rectangle of cotton cloth about 2 x 3 inches and taping it near the edge of the head, but underneath. I realize in hindsight (and by watching your videos) that the tape probably did much of the actual muffling. And, yes, every bass drum had felt strips on both heads! 😎

[@naught101]

I have small snare with a mesh head for practice, and wanted to try this for a bit of dampening. It was too quiet to be fun, but then I tried it with the cloth UNDER the mesh head, and it sounds amazing and punchy, and the perfect volume for a practice snare.

[@stevenbarnard]

Please go down the rabbit hole!! Whole kit, toms even kick would be interesting!!

[@yelltempus]

The cross stick was a pleasant & unexpected surprise.

[@robertashmen9321]

This is just brilliant! It's a sound I don't think I'd have figured out how to achieve! Thank you!!!!!

[@BrownDrummernz]

Yes, further down the rabbit hole please 😊

[@daledanter7103]

worked wonders on my Pearl Short Fuse !!!! Works fantastic for small low volume gigs. Your still able to get that sound your looking for and maintain stick deflection.

[@danielshegog4811]

😲, I am blown away by this easy hack. The first song that came to mind when I heard that sound is, Rosanna, with the tight punchy beat with no over tone. I'm going to make a dedicated snare with this hack, for dropping some old school rhythm beats.

[@asdf072xxp]

"I keep, forgettin', I'm not in love anymore...." Thanks. Can't get that sound out of my head now.

[@funkybassguy68]

I used to just drape a piece of t-shirt on top but now I’m going to setup one of my snares like this. Thanks for the idea! 👍

[@irafair3015]

I grew up in the late 60s and 70s. We did this on many of our drums.

[@tonymilone5458]

Excellent suggestions. I have used a bandana many times myself, but just laid it over the head and used some small binder clips on the rim to keep it in place. That works okay except sometimes the head can bunch up and get in the way. It never occurred to me to actually install the bandana such as you have. I will definitely be trying this. Thank you.

[@weschilton]

I was born in the 60s and love the music of the 70s. It's definitely a very cool sound---surprising to me that its all the rage today though. There is definitely a different tone between a thin cloth vs something like the Big Fat Snare Drum muffler... all fun and different crayons in the box! For myself, I use homemade cloth muffler's like the Drum Torillas (my wife is an excellent seamstress) so I can use them on any drum or the whole kit and quickly change them out. They stay put pretty well.

[@jonathanreddish8590]

@Teddy Ray it comes with salsa and guac....

[@davesiringo7147]

You have no idea how many years and how many things I've tried to achieve that sound. A true "light bulb" moment. Thank you

[@martypants1]

Love it - I have been throwing a bandana over my snare for a while but locking it in is a great idea! I'll just need to keep a side snare for brushwork

[@ROOKTABULA]

Towels were good enough for Ringo so this is a logical extension.

[@golflre7179]

👍

[@davegink9222]

It was probably around 1975 when a drum teacher showed me a trick of taking a strip of T-shirt, and putting it under the head, running it across the top third of the bearing head, and pulling it tight before putting the head and hoop on. So the strip of cloth was under the head not on top.

[@countingdrums4967]

This is the sound I've been searching for! 🤩 I play in a blues band & wanted a low, wet thud and this is it. 👏🏻 Definitely going to give this one a go.

[@canadiensjoe]

Been doing this with cheesecloth since the late ‘60’s. Love the sound. The openness of the fabric doesn’t change the sound as much as a tight fabric,like a bandanna would. The drum is a Ludwig Pioneer snare I got when I was 16. I’m 74 now.

[@snickpickle]

Interesting idea!

[@marty9464]

Whenever I wanted that sound I just draped fabric over the drum and tucked it behind the lugs and pulled it tight enough so where it wouldn't slide off the drum, but not so tight it raised up off the head. This method allows you to cover all of the head or only part of it and can be utilized temporarily without having to pull off the rim.

[@joc8]

Great video! Ringo Starr often played with tea towels on his kit, 'Come Together' is an example of using that technique. I love the sound, and surprisingly good cross sticks. Thanks, and look forward to what you have coming up next.

[@johnnybregar]

No we’ll see how many gigging drummers watch your channel. And also how resilient the supply chain is for bandannas.

[@dilankarun9172]

You've taken Ringo's tea towels to another level ! In the 70's my drum teacher had them on his snare & toms. As an 8yr old kid back then, I thought he did it so we didn't piss the neighborhood off ! Now I know, It was a 70's thingy 😀 PS: Amazing what you can do with the legendary Ludwig Supra. Sounded like an electronic drum. Awesome ! And yes, I'm on Amazon looking for a cool bandana 🤣

[@snickpickle]

"Sounded like an electronic drum." My, how times have changed! Haha! As an old-school guy, we based electronic drums on if they sounded like a real drum, or if the uniqueness of the electronic was enough to call it a "separate" sound.

[@marcosposse3750]

I just use a binder clip to attach bandanas all over the kit. I'll fold them up and clip them on the side of the toms and they sound punchy and amazing. Also, I have different thicknesses of bandanas for some reason and I'll use the thinnest for the snare usually bc they sound wildly different.

[@thetruthexperiment]

Wow, I never would have thought this have been loud enough. It sounds like this would make mixing 1000 times easier.

[@coryd4160]

Oh, memories. I used to practice with tshirts all over my kit like just to not anger the neighbors.

[@drumsNstuff79]

When I hear that low tuning I totally hear Baby Come Back by Player. Mid Tuning I hear the sound of disco. High tuning I hear Earth Wind and Fire funk, late 70's jazz fusion, and later period Bob Marley reggae (Could You Be Loved for example.) It's such a sound of it's time. I read a funny story from a British producer. He was recording the great Jeff Porcaro (sessions, Toto) and Jeff had just got his drums , especially his snare all muffled just right. It was the early eighties and this British producer thought the American producers had become too "married" to that muffled sound for way too long. "We needed to try something new and better.. not quite so.. boring.." He literally made Jeff take all that muffling off. "Take it all off, Mate. All of it.." Porcaro protested very loudly that they had just got it all on there tuned just right, but this producer would not budge. "Trust me me, Jeff. Take it all off. We'll tune them wide open and compress them and it will sound huge and bright.." They did just that and in the control room during playback Jeff was blown away by how cool his drums sounded. Next thing you know all the American producers wanted that big open sound he had got and he never went back to muffling much again. But for awhile close mic'ing and muffling was THE sound.

[@markospolar1577]

Hi, very cool trick! I'll remember it, thanks! What I did to get something similar: 1) I put a rag/cloth over the entire drum and fastened it with a clip to the tuning screw on the upper side of the drum. But I don't remember how cross-sticking sounded, which probably means 'not good'. :) 2) I've made a bigger snare drum (16x5.5) by cutting the floor tom in two. It does sound surprisingly good! Cheers, M

[@SoundsToBlowYourMind]

That is really cool, love the mid range to high tunings. Would like to hear this on a tom, but maybe you could also try putting the cloth underneath the head instead of on top to see what that is like... I might just try some of these ideas for myself!

[@jsalts]

I tried doing something like this with an old t-shirt when I lived in a dorm room in college. I also put a bunch of socks around the beater of my kick pedal and used a cajon as my bass drum. it was still too loud and I got some complaints, but stuff like this is really good for low-volume set ups if you're playing at a really small venue or you wanna be able to teach and play the drums at a low volume.

[@rankin1289]

I love the sound of a bandana on the bottom head or top

[@backalleybusinessman2276]

Drum Rundown had an episode with Robby Staebler of All Them Witches a few months ago, and he showed off this technique as well. great idea

[@SeanLaMontagne]

That cross stick literally made my jaw drop

[@pastorkev777]

This is my favorite drum hack yet. I have a super sensitive snare that I can't get any fatness from, but this will solve that!!!! That snare with my staple 70s acrolites will be great.

[@jagerkennethify]

Sounds great, but that high hat is amazing!

[@jimjamjom1]

Amazing! Please do more with rest of the kit!!!

[@TheGuitologist]

Mick Fleetwood comes to mind.

[@flippinheck]

Love the sound, just what I'm after, I'm currently experimenting with old heads, sanding and coating etc, all give very impressive changes, some actually improve, good way to save lots of money and buy cheap heads then custom sound shape them, but this one is impressive to me, one I will be trialing, one suggestion is there will be a significant difference with weight of cloth,

[@the6ig6adwolf]

Better 5 months late than never, would love to see this idea tested on a bass drum.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Muffling Under Tension - Full Kit | Season Six, Episode 4 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYS2mZmgmZmFrbs

[@the6ig6adwolf]

@@SoundsLikeADrum 😲 y'all are good

[@Avetorro]

In the old days we used a tea towel. But for that super-extra muffled sound, swap the snare drum for a pillow and put the bandana on top to reduce overtones.

[@chromebull884]

It's almost like scooping all the mids in the EQ

[@calebfunkner5910]

Love the warmth of the mid tuned version. Would def wanna see some experiments with this on other parts of the kit!

[@kunaikai]

I used to do this on my tunable tambourine. It was a neat way to have a portable snare. I eventually clipped a half snare to the back side. On a frame drum I did this and put felt under the bandana to get a bass sound.

[@WadeParish]

Yes, do the toms next!

[@SpirusFilms]

great tip, thank you! Would be interested to try with a thinner fabric to dial it back a little bit more and let a little more controlled ring back into the sound

[@thomasking5025]

Yep use to do this, mostly on my floor toms.

[@DDandrums]

A guy at my school did exactly the same thing on his snare but with a yellow duster. This was around ‘76.

[@Defensive_Wounds]

I used to just throw an old tee on my snare for that tone! Not done that in a decade...lol Forgot about that hack...lol

[@TheColdHarshTruth]

That sounds absolutely lush! Def gonna try this! Thanks! Liked! Subbed! Shared! Cheers! Greetings from Scotland! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🍻

[@jcdrums2798]

very good ! to reduce snare sound for little space

[@kyleolin3566]

Nice! I’m definitely going to try this.

[@christhedemocrat]

Love it for the same reasons you do. Thanks brother 💯

[@TeslaNick2]

Christopher Cross.... The king of "yacht rock".😍😍😍

[@unclerhombus]

This is fascinating. Can’t wait to try it.

[@lightfootmusick]

ahh the good ol days b fore you tube and we tried everything we could to get the perfect head sound. don't know if you all did this one: multiple layers of paint on inside of heads, resonant and batter or just one or the other. i used to put a chain inside a loose tuned floor tom for a good rattle effect. the list goes on and on. keep up the good work

[@dipietrodrums]

not quite the same, but one of my early drum teachers showed me how to do something like this on a bass drum - both batter and reso, to get a sound akin to calf. The process was: coated single play heads on both sides, muslin underneath. On the batter, a center hole cut out about 12-14" in diameter, and on the reso the hole was much bigger, leaving about 2-3" of fabric left on the edge. I used this method on my bass drums for years, until I discovered the powerstroke 3 and Emad heads.

[@vanphinazee994]

I’m definitely digging this sound! Great tip.

[@vegadeth]

I once watched Pete Locket cut up a section of a thin T shirt to fit underneath a drum head so it was between the bearing edge and the head. This was on a DW piccolo tom. After he put tension on the head, he then cut a circle out of the center of fabric so it acted like a muffle ring, like a Remo P3. It made that piccolo tom sound huge! I think it was a 10" tom but it sounded like a 14" or bigger floor. he did that since he only had room for a small drum but wanted a thuddy, bigger drum sound.

[@JacobWutzke]

Awesome! I use the same technique on the reso side of my bass drum. Haven't found another method of dampening that removes some of the overtones (16" bass drum) without sacrificing any attack. Love it.

[@Sundaydrumday]

We could always just cut some holes out for the tension rods too!!! This is actually a cool idea to try, thanks fellas!!

[@failedcreation1]

This is great; I'll definitely try this, and also trying it with the shirt under the head might be interesting.

[@stixxnstonerz3450]

It sounds like an electronic drum sound that a lot ppl complain about in the cheaper ekits. Ppl saying that it’s too generic, not sounding enough like a real acoustic snare drum. But it’s definitely a great knowledge to have.

[@DRUMSandBUBS]

My dad wh was not a drummer would get frustrated with the noise from my room when I was little and he came up with the idea to put stips of bandana on each drum but he put it under the head. It muffled them alot and I got used to it. I still doit. Gives the classic rock sound

[@christiansloat]

I’m definitely going to try this.

[@nelldogcf]

Would love to hear a whole kit (and yes I also mean bass drum)

[@bailey1138]

I have an old slingerland snare I have a piece of old t-shirt taped to the top that I use for a super low sound. I never thought about putting the shirt through the hoop, too, and I'm absolutely going to give it a try ASAP.

[@zeichner42]

Interesting sound. I will definitely keep this in mind for future reference.

[@djevlhelvete]

I've seen "faux" leather used for this. Cool sound. Go for the whole kit!

[@rafaelalvarez2440]

Love the video thank you looking forward to trying this out have a nice day👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@GargoyleBard]

Definitely interested in seeing this applied to the other drums. Also, combining this with the extremely high tensions of your recent video ("We're gonna break this drum").

[@sterlingpratt4901]

I love this channel I love these videos I love you guys love love love love love

[@michaelpacinus242]

Please show us the rest of the kit done up in this manner! Sounds really good

[@shadowsymphony1]

Back in the day I can remember in the Nashville studio sessions it was always putting a wallet on the snare LOL