RhythmArt Blog

Here’s a pic of one of my latest projects – mounting a calfskin on a snare drum!

Though it used to be the standard, I’ve never actually had the opportunity to play on calf. I do like the Remo Fiberskyn, which is supposed to emulate calf, though, and I use them on everything! So, when someone asked me to mount a calfskin on an antique drum (more on that later), I figured I’d do a test-run on an old “Export” snare I had sitting in the closet!

First reaction – I love it! It has a totally different sound and feel than plastic. I now see what they’re going for with the fiberskin, but of course, it’s quite a bit removed from the real thing! This may become my new go-to drum (I’ve done a couple other mods to this drum too, so it’s sounding better and better!). I haven’t really been able to put it through the paces in an ensemble context yet, but I’m liking what I hear so far!

The real test, though will be this summer adn seeing just how unplayable it becomes when the NC humidity sets in! I’ll give an update when the air starts to thicken!