How To Fix A Broken Drumhead

One moment you’re happily pounding out beats, the next you’re looking at a hole in your drumhead. While this is something that will eventually happen to every drummer, it’s usually a bit of a scare for beginners. In this article, we’ll take a look at some quick-fixes that can get you up and drumming again in no time.

Don’t Panic

Don’t worry, a hole in your drumhead is not the end of the world, nor the end of your drum kit. Like the strings on a guitar, every drumhead wears out and loses its original sound over time. Eventually, you’ll get to a point where a half-power hit is enough to slam right through it. While a hole in a drumhead can usually be patched up to get you through your gig, drum lesson or rehearsal session, remember that what we’re about to tell you is just a temporary fix. Fortunately, we stock a wide range of fresh drumheads to choose from. If you’re not sure what you need or if you don’t know how to fit and maintain a new skin, be sure to check out our dedicated Drumhead Buyer’s Guide.

Gaffa Tape: Your New Best Friend

If you’re well-prepared for when disaster strikes, you needn’t even panic when the batter head of your snare tears in the middle of an important gig. Our advice: always bring a roll of gaffa tape wherever you and your drum kit go. While it won’t make a ripped drumhead sound as new, gaffa tape can easily fix small holes and tears, not to mention it’s far less expensive than bringing a spare snare drum – which by the way is never a bad idea since even a cheap snare will still sound better than a patched-up drumhead.

Quick-Fixing Kick Drums

Punching a hole in a kick drum is a bit of a different story. Tape usually won’t work and lugging a spare kick drum around isn’t very practical either. Luckily, there’s a solution called the KickPatch. Developed by Aquarian, the KickPatch is basically a big plaster that you stick on your ‘wounded’ bass drum. Again, this only serves as a temporary fix but should allow you to finish your gig. After all, the show must go on.

We hope this humble blog has proved useful. Got any questions, remarks or tips? Drop a comment below!