What kind of music will you be playing?

Mike Curotto

"Brico-swing" ;-)

Basically, 20's to 60's standards in a rag-swing mode.

Growing older, I tend to look more for nuances and finesse than hit like mad, so nothing extreme in terms of aggression.

So, it's not a Slayer cover band right? Stage Band2

Well, if Slayer songs could be re-arranged into ragtime, why not ;-)

Hi Pascal,

I've played calf skin heads for about two years now, regularly, in a jazz context. I'd say that calf is more prone to breaking than plastic, but only marginally so. I wouldn't worry about them breaking.

Calf is very sensitive to humidity, so need constant tuning and re-tuning. This may or may not be a problem for you. I don't mind it, and have played outdoor gigs in very humid conditions. There is a reason why Remo called their plastic heads Weatherkings.

So, durability should not be an issue if you are considering calf. Humidity is, but that only requires tuning.

I still use plastic heads on some of my kits. In my experience, it is difficult to dial in a good calf sound on kits that I use only now and then. On a kit that I use on a daily basis, I prefer calf to plastic.

I should add that I only use calf on batter sides, not as resos - except on bass drums.

/Magnus

Thanks, Magnus.

So, in what specific context would a calfskin break? I mean, I've never broken any plastic head so if calf is at least as resistent as plastic, I wouldn't worry.

The question mark is around humidity, especially for the snare drum, as it has more tension.

I've seen djembe's heads break even in my studio environnement and I would be very sad if this would happen to those beautiful Radio King calfskins...

Hi Pascal,

You should always detune calf heads when you are done playing. Next time you have to tune them up again. I detune my calf heads by one complete turn of the rods - except for kick drum heads, which I just leave.

I have broken two calf heads, both new and rather thin. I think it was the thinness that was my problem, but I don't know that for sure. My other calf head seem about as resilient as plastic heads. As I said, I wouldn't worry too much if you are not an extremely heavy hitter or use exceptionally heavy sticks.

/Magnus

Thanks, Magnus.

I'm more of a 7a than a 2b player :-)

So, you're advising to detune snare and toms' heads like everyday? Sounds a bit of a hassle... but if this extend the life of my calf heads, why not.

That's the general wisdom on the subject. I think basically everyone agrees on detuning after use, otherwise changing humidity may cause unpleasant surprises, overtensioning heads to breaking point over night.

/Magnus