Drummers sometimes use glass around them to control problems with the sound of their drums. This article will discuss why drummers use this and some tips for making your drums sound great.

This is a good time to go back to the list of equipment used by drummers. Glass can have several functions and benefits.

Some drummers use glass as reinforcement or to adjust the weight of the drum, while other use glass to simply dampen the sound of their drums.

Before we jump into the details, there are some things to note about glass and drumming.

The bottom line is, glass or not, your drum can still make a sound. What you use it for is an important consideration.

Glass can be used to dampen the sound or dampen and improve it. You can use glass to reinforce sound dampening or to even increase the dampening effect.

Also, it is not recommended to use glass to equalize the sound.

Some drummers choose to wear glass around their drums as a safeguard against high impacts.

This is also a good option, but only if you are confident in the integrity of the glass and that you can take a hit.

1. Glass maintains stability

A drum can start with some hefty rocks inside, some of which have settled into the bottom or are sharp. A large impact with a hard object like a stone can break the glass and possibly send an object through the glass.

As long as the rock is not sharp, the glass will usually hold. The point is, it can be frustrating to try and smash something that is in place and is not going anywhere.

That is why you often see glass at the bottom of most drums to hold it in place and even to reinforce the bottom.

When the weight is applied and the surface of the glass is ground down by the rock hitting the drum, it remains stable and does not fall apart. It also holds a lot of weight and can make a great asset to the drum itself.

Glass can be added to the bottom of your drums to make them durable and harder to hit or just to help the sound.

2. Glass makes less vibration

Drum vibrations are less damaging and do not usually cause real damage to the body of the drum. The depth of the vibrations depends on several things.

When you first start playing, it is often a smooth ride because the diameter of the rim of the drum is small and the inside diameter is only a couple of inches.

As you learn to play and push harder and harder, you create more pressure and thus create more sound. This is why you can sometimes hear rattling in the drum when it is first made.

This rattling is because the sound goes through the walls of the drums and makes an echo. The sound of the rattling sound is the sound that comes back through the walls of the drums.

Now, when you take the vibration out of the drums, the sound is different. The sound actually has a bite to it and it is less dramatic but it still gets the job done.

3. Glass helps dampen sound

This is where the glass comes in. The vibrations are no longer shaking the inside of the drum.

The body of the drum is now stable and is being shielded from the outside sound and vibrations.

Now, you are no longer exposed to the sound and vibrations coming from your environment.

You are protected from both the physical and mental vibrations. This is why some drummers wear glasses around their drums when they are in a loud environment.

It helps mute the sound and makes the music sound better.

The same effect happens when you put glass in the bottom of your drums.

4. Glass stays wet longer

At the end of the day, you will still need a waterproof drum lid to keep the inside of the drum dry.

While it is not a necessity, having glass around the inside of your drums will make the inside of your drums stay wet longer.

The weight of the glass also makes the inside of the drum last a lot longer. The glass creates a surface that stays wet longer and creates more grip when you try to kick it down.

5. Glass will not scratch the skin of the drum

When you hit a hard object on a drum, the edges will likely begin to scratch. These scratches are painful and can cause damage to the surface of the drum.

When the edges are exposed to the inside of the drum, the surface of the drum will not be scratched because of the glass.

These scratches will not scratch the skin and damage the drum’s outer membrane.

You will be able to play and hit it much more comfortably.

The only thing you will do is get a larger drum cover.