Marching

Percussion
Survival Guide
by JimBailey
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#19954-BACFIg
Hybrid White/Gray
The i nherent gi ve i n t hese bat t er heads
are t he resul t of a combi nat i on of t wo
uni quel y di f f erent f i bers whi ch al l ow t he
ai r col umn i nsi de t he drum t o be moved
wi t h great er ease. The resul t i s a more pro-
nounced snare sound, resonance, sensi t i vi t y
and dynami c range.
Hybrid Snare Side
Thi s head of f ers t he best of bot h Kevl ar
and t radi t i onal pol yest er bot t om heads by
i mbeddi ng hi gh-t ensi l e f i bers i n an open
weave pat t ern bet ween t wo ul t ra-t hi n
l ayers of cl ear f i l m.
Selecting Marching
Percussion Heads
Copyright 2008 DAddario & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. DAddario, Evans, HQ and PureSound are trademarks
of DAddario & Company, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.
SNARE HEADS
TENOR HEADS
MX Black Tenor Heads
The M X Bl ack Tenor Heads are desi gned
wi t h an advanced hoop concept t hat pre-
vent s pul l -out , and are made usi ng t wo 7mi l
pl i es t hat provi de a dark cont emporary l ook
wi t h a bri ght at t ack and an open t one t hat
proj ect s wel l .
MX1/ MX2Marching Bass Heads
These heads are equi pped wi t h a uni que
t one dampi ng syst em t hat enhances
art i cul at i on and f ocuses l ow-end. A seri es
of f el t dampi ng arcs can be mani pul at ed f or
i ndoor or out door marchi ng.
MARCHING ACCESSORIES
Marching Staccato Disk
The St accat o Di sk i s a f l at ci rcl e of Ret ro
Screen mesh f i t t ed t o t he i nsi de of a
marchi ng snare si de head. It el i mi nat es
unwant ed overt ones and excessi ve snare
buzz, whi l e mai nt ai ni ng proj ect i on.
Marching X-Treme Patch
The X-Treme Pat ch i s t he t i cket t o drawi ng
several sounds what we cal l zones of
expressi on out of a si ngl e drumhead.
A bl ack Pol ycarbonat e pat ch adheres t o t he
head, ef f ect i vel y di vi di ng i t i nt o di st i nct
pl ayi ng areas, each of f eri ng i t s own f eel
and sound.
ToTheStage.com
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Heads.com
Check out t he new Evans
M
archi ng webpage t o see t he
l at est i nnovat i ons and wat ch
vi deos of your f avori t e art i st s.
HQPercussion.com
Check
out
t he
new
HQ
websi t e t o see t he l at est
pract i ce i nnovat i ons and get
t i ps f rom your f avori t e pros.
BASS HEADS
PureSoundPercussion.com
Check out t he new PureSound
websi t e and f i nd t he snare wi re
opt i on
t hat
best
sui t s
your
pl ayi ng st yl e and pref erred sound.
EVBR_MPSG07_Marching_Percussion_Survival_Guide:EVBR_Marching_Percussion_Survival_Guide.qxd 2/13/2008 11:54 AM Page 1
Tuning the Snare Tuning the Tenors Tuning the Bass Drums
1) M ount t he t op head and f i nger-t i ght en al l
l ugs t o equal t ensi on.
2) Usi ng t he appropri at e sequent i al t uni ng
met hod, cont i nue t uni ng unt i l t he drum
i s wi t hi n general marchi ng snare
t uni ng range.
3) Sel ect a pi t ch f or your t op and bot t om
heads. I suggest usi ng an A f or t he bat t er
head and a D f or t he snare-si de head. Tune your
t op head up t o pi t ch usi ng a chromat i c t uner.
4) Usi ng t he same t echni ques l i st ed above i n st eps 1-3, t une t he
bot t om head.
5) Di sengage t he snare st rai ner and t urn t he drum upsi de down as
i l l ust rat ed. Pl ace a pen bet ween t he snares and t he drumhead so
t he snares can resonat e f reel y.
6) Usi ng a smal l screwdri ver, t une
t he i ndi vi dual snares up unt i l
t hey resonat e and produce t he
same pi t ch.
7) Remove t he pen. Engage t he
snare st rai ner, t urn t he drum
over, and rest on a st and.
8) Use t he snare t ensi on knob on
t he si de of your drum t o adj ust
t he snare response unt i l you
reach your desi red sound.
Tuning Tip:
Beware of over-t i ght ened snare drums. Asi de f rom damage t o t he pl ayer s
hands and t he i nst rument , marchi ng snares t hat are t uned t oo hi gh do not
have a l ot of proj ect i on and don t bl end wel l wi t h ot her i nst rument s.
1) M ount al l heads and f i nger-
t i ght en al l l ugs t o equal t ensi on.
2) St art i ng wi t h t he l argest drum,
use t he appropri at e sequent i al
t uni ng met hod and use t urns
on each l ug, unt i l t he drum i s
wi t hi n i t s general t uni ng range.
As you bri ng t he head up t o range, use a st i ck t o t ap i n f ront of
each l ug t o ensure t hat each l ug produces an i dent i cal cl ear
t one. Sel ect a speci f i c pi t ch and t une usi ng a chromat i c t uner.
3) When sel ect i ng speci f i c pi t ches,
ref er t o t he chart bel ow as
a gui del i ne.
6" F#
8" C#
10" A
12" F#
13" D
14" Bb
4) Repeat st eps 1-3 wi t h t he rest
of your drums, t uni ng al l drums
i n reverse order of si ze. Use a
chromat i c t uner t o ensure t he
correct i nt erval .
Tuning Tip:
Be sure t o use a t uni ng devi ce t o ensure pi t ch accuracy.
Tuni ng usi ng t hi s met hod wi l l not onl y ensure proper
t uni ng, i t wi l l decrease damage caused by
over-t i ght eni ng.
1) Rest t he drum on a t abl e so you can access bot h heads at t he
same t i me.
2) Bef ore mount i ng heads, be sure t o cl ean ri m and beari ng edge
of any debri s.
3) M ount bot h heads and f i nger-
t i ght en l ugs t o equal t ensi on.
4) St art i ng wi t h t he l argest drum,
use t he sequent i al t uni ng
met hod t o bri ng each head
wi t hi n i t s t uni ng range. Use a
mal l et t o t ap i n f ront of each l ug
t o ensure t hat al l l ugs produce
an i dent i cal cl ear t one.
5) Worki ng bet ween t he t wo drum heads bri ng bot h heads up t o
t he desi red pi t ch.
6) Recheck pi t ch by t appi ng i n f ront
of each l ug t o ensure t he head i s
cl ear of overt ones and i n t he
cent er t o ensure bot h heads are
at t he same pi t ch.
7) Once you have t he l argest drum
t uned, f ol l ow st eps 2-6 f or t he
remai ni ng drums. Pi t ch i nt erval s
bet ween drums depends on t he si ze of t he drums used.
Experi ment and sel ect a t uni ng scheme t hat provi des t he best
bal ance of art i cul at i on and resonance.
Tuning Tip:
It i s i mport ant t hat t he drums share a pl easi ng i nt erval l i c rel at i onshi p wi t h
each ot her t o enabl e t he sect i on t o resonat e t oget her. Al t hough t he pi t ch of
t he drums wi l l sound di f f erent , t he t one shoul d be consi st ent . Try t o avoi d a
choked sound on t op drums and an overl y resonant l ower drum.
8-Lug Drum 10-Lug Drum 12-Lug Drum
6-Lug Drum 8-Lug Drum
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Visit www.EvansDrumHeads.com/Marching
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