Why do drums sound so different from each other?
Drum Voices
Why do drums sound so different from each other?
Bang a snare drum. Boom a bass drum. Tap a tabla. Each one sounds completely different, even though they're all just vibrating circles of material stretched tight. What makes one drum go CRACK and another go THOOM?
Every drum sound starts with a vibrating surface called the drumhead. When you hit it, the whole circle bounces up and down super fast, pushing air molecules outward in waves. Those air waves hit your ear, and you hear sound. The question is: what shape does that vibration make?
