| there's a million of them:
cut out a o- ring from an old head and just lay it on top of the actual head
commercial versions of the above o-rings are also available
moongel- goopy stuff in a jar, plop it on, pull it off to get the desired amount of muffling
sound control heads- esp the "dot" type. some have the dot glued on underneath, so as not to interfere with the coating and brush work. there are also hydraulic heads with oil inbetween two layers of plastic but those are more popular for toms, you don't see them on snares as much.
have the drummer take out his wallet and set it on the snare head
tape a small square of tissue paper to the head
same as above but use a sanitary napkin, tampon or pantyliner
glue a quarter to the head. unlike the extra-click technique for kick drum, do NOT put it where it will be hit.
place shredded garbage bag "confetti" inside the drum. it will bounce on impact and allow a short ring before it falls down.
tape a dead mackerel to the head. smelt, pike and trout will also work. or so I am told.
the only thing to avoid is cranking up any kind of internal muffler. The ones that come inside older drums and have a felt pad and knob you twist to tighten them. these are pushing against the head in a single spot, effectively detuning the head- no good.
I usually use the tissue paper or the moongel, as I am usually looking for just a little bit of taming. Place it near the edge and adjust how much contacts the head to fine tune the muffling.
I know I am forgetting some, they will come to me after I hit the 'submit' button. |