Drumhead

Details Drumhead Drumhead

1998-08-17

2001-01-16

Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)

Music

Instruments

Drums

C084S41100A, C084S41100A

Reexamination Certificate

active

06175068

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to drums and similar musical instruments and, more particularly, to a head for a drum and a method for improving the sound and appearance of the drumhead.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Drumheads of various types and materials are well-known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,782 to Harty contains an informative discussion on the subject. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,091,248 and 5,581,044 to Belli are also pertinent to the technology.
Laminated drumheads, which are comprised generally of adhesively bonded sheets of synthetic fabric and plastic materials, are employed largely in conjunction with tom-toms and snares. Rarely are laminated heads used to produce a timpani drum, which is used primarily in an orchestral setting often joined by over one hundred other string, wind and percussion instruments. The laminate head simply does not produce the degree and quality of resonance and warm, rich and full sound required of a drum of this type in a symphonic setting.
Timpani heads are usually comprised either of a single plastic sheet material, such as MYLAR®, or ideally of a natural animal skin. A timpani head must vibrate sufficiently to produce the quality and volume of sound required to be an effective percussion instrument in a large orchestra. Plastic heads have their drawbacks as they do not resonate sufficiently or produce a full enough sound to perform at optimum levels in an orchestral setting. These heads are not susceptible to proper pitch control and consistently suffer from sound decay. They also have a characteristic plastic or “clicking” sound that many musicians, particularly timpanists, find distracting and unappealing. Laminate drumheads, principally because of the nature and complexity of their double layered construction, simply do not vibrate or resonate adequately enough to produce the desired timpani sound. They act as a poor substitute for a natural animal skin head.
Plastic drumheads may also include slightly roughened surfaces. But these surfaces constitute only mere umperfections in the material. These slight projections and depressions, when they appear, are inherent in the material and are not placed there intentionally for the purpose of achieving a specific look or sound.
In the rare instance where a drumhead surface is intentionally given some degree of texture, it occurs for the sole purpose of enabling the drummer to produce a shuffling or scratchy sound as the drumstick or brush is made to move along the head surface. Improved sound quality or appearance, such as a more natural look, is not the objective in these instances.
Absolutely nothing in the prior art has succeeded in creating a synthetic head to ideally match the sound qualities and appearance of a natural skin. Animal skins produce a more sophisticated, resonant sound, particularly in the lower ranges, which drummers of all disciplines generally prefer. The sounds are rich and warm and decidedly focused and the pitch is more centered. Pitch control is much easier with drumheads fashioned from animal skin. However, animal skins are much more costly than synthetic heads. Skins also have a tendency to absorb moisture, which can have a dramatically negative effect on the quality of the sound and the pitch produced by the drumhead. Depending on the climate, the humidity condition(s) and the extent of any moisture absorbed by the head, the sound generated by a head comprised of natural skin will differ from one location to another, often substantially.
The present invention solves the foregoing problems in the prior art by employing a relatively less expensive head comprised of only a single sheet of plastic material, which is fashioned carefully to produce a head that has the look and sound of a head made from a genuine skin. The plastic sheet material employed by the present invention is roughened up on both sides with various grits of sandpaper or emery cloth to control the depth and breadth of the texture and then coated with a resin. The resin coats the surfaces of the head and collects in the scratched and gouged areas produced by the sanding process. The areas where the resin collects tend to produce shades with varying intensity, giving the head the characteristics and appearance of an authentic skin. The improved head produces more resonance and has significantly more overtones than anything preceding it in the prior art. It also has the appearance of a genuine animal skin without any of the major disadvantages. A method of manufacture of the improved drumhead is also provided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The improvement of the present invention provides a head of a drum or a similar kind of musical instrument comprising a synthetic plastic sheet material, which contain s a surface with variegated color shadings to give the texture, character and appearance of a natural animal skin. The diverse shading effect is achieved through a process of sanding or roughing up the head surface with an emery cloth or any other suitable sandpaper—like material. Fine sanding generally produces minor surface scratches, while a more intense sanding using more pressure and a coarser grade of cloth or paper will produce deeper scoring or gouges in the surfaces of the head. A coating of resin, preferably epoxy or acryllic, is applied to the surface and collects in a more concentrated fashion within the scratched and gouged areas of the surface. The deeper and/or wider the scratch or gouge, the more resin is collected and the darker the shading in that particular area or spot. It is these specific shading variations of the drumhead surface that give the head the characteristic look of a natural animal skin. It is the distortion of the head, brought about by this specific manipulation of its structure, that gives the head the improved sounds that are more resonant, fuller and richer, with more overtones and pitch control, than the synthetic heads in the prior art. The present invention also provides a method of manufacture of the improved drumhead, including the steps of embellishing the top and bottom surfaces of a sheet of synthetic material comprising the head by forming a plurality of scratches and gouges, which vary in size and depth, and applying a resin to the surfaces to coat them and fill in the various depressed areas to achieve generally flat and even surfaces with the overall realistic appearance and sound of a natural animal skin.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic drumhead that has the appearance of a natural animal skin.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic drumhead that contains the more sophisticated sound producing qualities of a natural animal skin.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a single sheet of plastic material comprising a drumhead with the appearance and sound qualities of a natural animal skin.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic drumhead which enables the improvement of the tonal, tactile and visual qualities of the drumhead.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic drumhead that is easy, efficient and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacture of the drumhead of the present invention.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacture of a drumhead from a single sheet of synthetic material that has the appearance and sound producing qualities of a natural animal skin without the usual drawbacks of a genuine skin.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following specifications when considered in light of the attached drawings wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3626458 (1971-12-01), Zickos
patent: 4282793 (1981-08-01), Muchnick
patent: 5429108 (1995-07-01), Hsieh
patent: 5581044 (1996-12-01), Belli et al.
patent: 5864077 (1999-01-01), Gatz

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