At times, drum overtones can become a nightmare not only for the drummer but the whole band, sound engineer to the extent of the listening crowd as well. Although, overtones and sustain seem to go hand in hand, it can be annoying when there is too much but also makes your drum sound dull when totally killed. So, where to we draw the line?

Drums and drumming most times is subject to preference so it is hard to pinpoint what is really right or wrong because thereˊs almost none.  Instead, drums can be judged by whatever sounds good or bad, but then again, subject to preference.

Usually, it is wise to dampen or lessen overtones as much as possible because the notes from these overtones actually messes with the whole mix to the point that a song being played could sound out of tune. There are three basic ways to dampen drum overtones: first is by using the drum key, second is by placing a ring damper and third is by using masking tape and tissue paper. Although one can also tackle experimenting with room acoustics which does work, for now we discuss what would be the basic and immediate ways a drummer can use.

With the drum key, you need to adjust the bottom sides first or opposite the skins that you hit, called resonant skins or snare side skin for the snare. It should be adjusted just tight enough so that it can still have flexibility to move or resonate. After that, you go on to the batter side and adjust it according to your preferred note. Now, when you hear and think that itˊs got an intrusive overtone, try tightening or loosening the resonant side until you hear the overtone become weaker without losing your desired note. After that, adjust only one lug on the batter side while hitting the drum. Slowly loosen that lug until you the overtone is gone or at least minimal. It is important that you adjust only one lug.

For the second option, you can buy a ring damper which is actually the same material as the drum skins cut like a donut. Dampers are available in different sizes and usually it can solve drum overtone problems easily just by placing them on top of a drum. Although for some instances using dampers can become too much that it ruins the drumˊs natural sound, most times it works fine which is why as a drummer, I always bring dampers for the snare, tom 1, tom 2 and floor tom and use them depending on how the room acoustics affect the drum sound. This is a rule of thumb for drums or any music source for that matter: Same equipment and same players, set up at different rooms or venues equates to different sound each time.

Now letˊs go to what seems to be a more barbaric solution by using adhesive tapes and tissue paper. As crude as this may sound, this works on the same principle as the ring dampers that you can buy but actually more efficient. Yes, efficient because you actually have control of just how much damping you need to apply to achieve minimal overtone nuisance but enough sustain. Just make sure that your are using soft tissue and adhesive or masking tape that really sticks.

Although most times, our concern is to kill overtones, there are actually instances that we need them and some artists that want them.

I, in particular, love overtones as long as they are in tune. Of course this would depend on the Key scale of a particular song you are performing so using overtones is best used inside the controlled environment of a recording studio but not recorded when playing multiple songs of different keys in a live performance. I actually started using overtones for recorded work by accident. I was on a studio session run and my drum track had this terrible overtone on the toms which was colliding with the other instruments. I was struggling to lessen the overtones without sacrificing natural sustain since the song seems to ask for it. Our sound engineer recommended that I tune the whole kit to a scale within the key of the song and I did so with reference to a keyboard. It was a tedious task since unlike a guitar where you only turn one knob to tune, a snare or tom would has 12 to 16 lugs. After more than an hour of tinkering and tuning the kit, we were ready so we did another take, but this time, we did not dampen the drums to kill the overtones and instead highlighted it. It was amazing! The drumkit produced loud powerful notes with overtones which blended well with the mix. I was blown away and my perception of drum overtones totally changed after that.

Summary tip of the day: Drum overtones can be a nightmare which you may want to kill but it can also be your friend; the key is knowing the difference.

Should you play heel up or heel down on the kick drum?

This is another well debated topic which should not be debated at all. Iˊm confident to say that the answer is: Play with whatever you prefer that is comfortable to you. You can play heel up or heel down or even alternate both styles and youˊd still be right.

Drumming is a highly physical musical task and the uniqueness of each individualˊs physical attributes make most choices in drumming styles a matter of preference. Each player should be able to feel and know which is suitable for him or her that works best.

It has been said that playing heel up delivers more power. This is true and obvious since playing with the heel up means stepping on the pedal with the added weight of the thighs or even a portion of the body. Although heel down produces less intense kicks, Iˊve seen some players who have mastered the heel down position delivering fast and powerful kicks.


​As a drummer, I prefer using both styles alternating them depending on my physical condition or the riffs I need to deliver. I used to be in a traveling band for the past 20 years and doing 3 to 5 sets a night was just another ordinary day, 6 times a week. At first, It was physically draining and muscle fatigue from all parts of my body became the norm. Either I quit or I had to find ways to make each gigginˊday more easy.

When I feel that parts of my foot or lower leg is worn out, I shift positions but I wait for the right song to do it. Heel down for ballads and heel up for rock songs which need power.

Aside from shifting styles as you go from one song to another, you can also change inside a song as long as the difference in volume or texture of the notes you deliver are almost the same. By doing this, you can go on for hours and hours of playing non-stop without complaining.

Now, here is the good part - you can actually use the shifting of the heel up and heel down positions to achieve bass drum chops which are very hard to do with just one position. There are numerous chops but try to do fast kick triplets in a row or even continuously. Even if you can do it, the strain on your foot and lower leg would be felt hard.

An easier way would be to use both the heel up and heel down position within a riff. In sequence, it goes like this:

1. start with heel up starting slightly from the left side of the pedal for the first note

2. center pedal and slightly lower heel for the second note

3. almost flat foot for the third for the completion of one triplet

4. move on quickly to a heel down for the fourth note or first note of the second triplet

5. mid and center position for the fifth note and lastly,

6. back to heel up and the original position for the third note of the second triplet or the sixth note of the whole sequence.

Youˊve done two fast and powerful bass drum triplets in a row!

Try to do this very slow at first making sure that the positions and how you attack the pedal is right. With the proper disciple and hardwork, youˊll be surprised at how accurate you can deliver such chops.

Summary tip of the day: Heel up or heel down? - Play with what youˊre comfortable with.