I don't know the size of the drum head! ｜Trivia about drum heads ~Part 1~

*This article is based on a post on the Drum City Facebook page on August 20, 2012, with additions and corrections.

"Excuse me, but I would like to replace the heads on my drum set, so I would like to get a new set of heads."

I sometimes hear things like this at stores. . .

“What does the drum set look like?”

“It’s just a normal thing!”

........., hmmm, this is tough.

Even if it's in centimeters, it would be a hint if I knew. . .

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Although a drum set has a certain standard set of contents, it is originally a collection of various percussion instruments, and only the person who uses it can grasp the actual contents.
If you go to the store to buy something without knowing the size, the store staff will be in a bit of trouble.

It's best to have them fully understand the details of the drum set they're using, but if you don't know, I think it's best to have them actually measure the size of the head (drum) if possible.

How to measure the size of a drum head

"Maximum diameter inside the rim"

or

"Maximum diameter on the outside of the shell without the head"

You'll be replacing the head anyway, so there's no problem with removing it.
If you are not confident in the measurement results, take the removed head to the store.

“Please give me the same size!”

The best thing to do is to say that!

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Here's some trivia about the size of heads, etc. in inches!

Inch is a unit of measurement for drums, cymbals, and heads.

JapanIn Japan, we generally use the metric system as a unit of length, but for some reason we suddenly use the yard-pound system when it comes to the size of musical instruments! ← I recognize inches as a matter of course, but it's kind of confusing (lol)

So, how to convert inches to meters

1 inch = 25.4mm (2.54cm)

Let's remember this.

The most popular snare diameter is 14", which is 35.56cm, and the 22" bass drum diameter is 55.88cm.

If you measure the diameter of your snare drum and find that it's approximately 35cm, then 35÷2.54=13.779527, so it's definitely 14 inches! That's what it means.

In manufacturer's catalogs, size notation for bass drums, cymbals, etc.

20 inches (51cm)

I think it is often written as , but in fact, this cm notation is written as an approximate value for easy understanding, but in reality it is

20 inches x 2.54cm = 50.8cm

That's it!

By the way,

If you look at the drum catalogs of each company, you will see that the pipe diameters of the stands are listed as "lower pipe 25.4 mm", "middle pipe 22.2 mm", etc., but for some reason this is actually a notation that converts the inch size to millimeters (lol)

25.4mm = 1 inch, 22.2mm = 7/8 inch (actually 22.225mm)

On a side note, more trivia about inches!

Many of you may have seen or heard that "mil" is used as a unit to indicate the thickness of a head, but the mil is actually a unit of length in the imperial system.

1mil=1/1000 inch(0.001 inch = 0.0254mm＝25.4μm)

It is also a unit that is often used when designing dimensions such as IC legs and printed circuit boards.

REMO's Ambassador, the largest head company, is 10mil, Diplomat is 7.5mil, Emperor is 7mil+7mil, and the snare side Ambassador is 3mil.

The skintone film, which is popular for concert snare drums, is quite thin at 5mil, which is the same thickness as the Emperor on the snare side! (← 5mil film is laminated with 3mil fiber and the total is 8mil)

 Sometimes I see medium gauge drum heads listed as 250μ and light gauge drum heads as 188μ (such as ASPR heads), but this is a vestige from the time when 1 inch was equivalent to approximately 25mm, and in reality, 250 = 10mil, 188 = 7.It represents 5mil.
(It seems that the thickness of PET film used in the printing industry etc. is generally expressed in μm/micrometer, where 1 inch = 25 mm.)

If you are interested in various things and research them, you will find out a lot of fun things.

It is no exaggeration to say that the heart of the drum sound, which is a membranous instrument, lies in the drum head!
Don't you think that knowing the characteristics and characteristics of the head itself will help you create sound? ?

Check out the drum head collection on eJPC
A collection of drum heads that represent the sound of membranous instruments!
We have a variety of drum heads, including those for snare drum hitting surfaces!
 

*The title says "Part 1", so there may be a sequel (lol)

About drum head film....｜Trivia about drum heads ~Part 2~
A drum set is a membranous instrument. The part that makes the direct impact and produces the sound is the drum head. . . It's safe to say that the heart of a drum sound is the drum head. This time, we will tell you a little bit of trivia about the film used in the drum head.