Drumhead Care For Most Skin Head Drums

If your drum head is too tight, playing in too high a pitch, try putting it in a cold place and when the pitch is stable, wax with a thin layer of beeswax.

More likely you will have problems with your drum head being too loose, flabby and dead sounding. First try putting the head side down on a cloth heating pad on medium heat for 15 minutes. If this fails to tighten head to proper level it's time for more drastic measures. With a cloth or your hand, wet the skin head both inside and out, avoid getting the rim wet. Now place a wet 2-3 inch square of cloth in center top of head. Let dry in a warm place, keeping the wet cloth in middle of head (5-10 hours). Once the outer edge of head is dry lift your small wet cloth off the head and let the drum dry in a warm place another 5 hours or so. Never try to play your drum during this process.