How to Make Felt Strips for Bass Drums

Dampen the sound of your bass drum by adding a felt strip.

If you want to modify or dampen the sound of your bass drum, you can attach a felt strip to its membrane. Bass drums are struck in the center of the membrane -- with a soft mallet or petal -- to create deep, low sounds. If you cover the membrane with a felt strip, it reduces the resonance, effectively muffling the sound.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Fabric shears
• Two 3-by-1/2 inch female hook-and-loop fastener strips
• Two 3-by-1/2 inch male hook-and-loop fastener strips
• Thread
• Needle

Instructions

1. Measure the diameter of the bass drum membrane, using a tape measure. They usually range from 18 to 24 inches. For example, let's say your drum is 18 inches.

2. Add 1 inch to the length of the felt strip, to adjust for the hook-and-loop fastener strips. Continuing the previous example, cut a piece of felt to 19 by 3 inches, using fabric shears.

3. Cut two 3-by-1/2 inch female hook-and-loop fastener strips, using fabric shears. Remove the protective layer from the adhesive side of the hook-and-loop fastener strips, and attach them to the frame of the bass drums. Position the strips on the center edges of the bass drum frame -- at the far left and right, so the strip will run horizontally.

4. Cut two 3-by-1/2 inch male hook-and-loop fastener strips, using fabric shears. Attach the strips to the ends of the felt strip. Sew the strips to the felt, using a needle and thread.

5. Connect the hook-and-loop fastener strips to attach the felt strip to the bass drum.

References

• Georgia State University: Bass Drum
• Virginia Tech University: Bass Drum