I don't claim to be a tenor expert, so I need help! This is my first year teaching drumline and I'm having a problem with the tenor heads. They are Evans, black color but I'm not sure of the exact name of them. They are pretty high quality, 2 ply.

First, one player broke the spock drum, then the band director, who is a percussionist replaced it. About 10 minutes later it split on the side. He replaced it again and the same thing happened! He replaced another of the other tenor player's and it split right away. So I replaced one of them and didn't crank it all the way up because I thought maybe the band director was cranking them too tight, too fast. The one I replaced was ok, and still hasn't split.

So I finally replaced the other one and it split a few days later. Ahhhh! I told my tenor player not to wail on it, and really he doesn't play any harder than he should and none of the other heads are breaking. Could this be a bad batch of heads, or are we doing something wrong?

One suggestion I have is to check the actual wooden rim of the drum for any inconsistencies; dents, cracks, splits in the wood, etc. - anything that might be poking into the head. Check the space right inside the drum shell, as well as the exposed wood on the outside of the shell before the wrap starts on the drum.

Also, clear any debris stuck to the inside of the rim that may be there. At my high school, we would always have loads of crap such as wood chips from sticks and a whole host of other random things that would stick to the inside of the rim when it was taken off.

Additionally, make sure you're putting the heads on correctly; applying even tension to the head in a criss-cross or star pattern. Also like you said you're doing, don't crank the heads right away, let them stretch.

If the heads are consistently splitting on the side, I doubt it's your player hitting too hard, rather an inconsistency with part of the shell or rim that's contacting the head.

Best of luck!

Good observation, 'dude. A defect on the drum shell's bearing edge is a common reason for going through multiple heads. Dings and dents on bearing edges are pretty common on tenors because players -- especially inexperienced ones -- occasionally miss their target and whack bearing edges with sticks and mallets.

To check the bearing edge, take the head off and inspect the edge of the shell. Look at it really closely and run your hand around it to see if you can find any problems. If you find a part that's not smooth, use some very fine sandpaper to smooth it out.

Uneven tension is another possible culprit, either from poor tuning or from something like a bent rim. Improper head choice is another possibility. Not all heads are built to take the tension or beating inflicted on tenor heads -- especially the crazy high tensions on a 6" spock. You'll probably want to check the specific model of your heads. Are they Evans MX Black tenor heads, or are they something else like Evans Onyx drum set heads?

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I have thought of checking the wood shell, but wasn't sure what I could do to fix it. SO I guess a light sanding would be ok. Should I put any kind of lubricant on the wood itself to help with any friction? Or wax?

I just got back from rehearsal and the other tenor has now split his spock drum that lasted a few weeks. This is so frustrating.

I looked them up and they are the Evans MX black heads.

I ALWAYS wax the bearing edge before I put heads on drums. I also recommend lubing all of the tension rods with something like lithium grease. This will help you achieve more even tension across the head.

To me, this issue sounds like a bearing edge or hoop issue. Something has got to be damaged if you're breaking that many heads.

when i was the percussion maintenance we went through heads and we found out that along with the cranking on spocks, the player was also hitting wherever it cracked. like he would only play in that spot. so watch him too. also make sure the rim is still round. you can do that by drawing a circle on paper from the inside and then using a compass to make sure its round. Im sure there are better ways but sometimes the eye can lie and you cant really roll it so thats what i did

Hello, I have had this problem in the past. I switched from remo crimplock pinstripe heads to Evans MX white heads. I quickly found out that Remo crimplock pinstripe heads work like a charm. The sound resonates from them better and they are very durable. My tenor player has had the same Remo pinstripes on the tenors for almost a year, and they are still holding up. My advice, make the switch!

http://www.steveweissmusic.com/product/remo-pinstripe-marching-tenor/marching-tenor-drum-heads

If you're having the same problems with the same heads, but on different drums then the possibility still exists that the heads themselves have a manufacturing defect.

If you had the foresight to save the heads that all broke in the same night, contact Jim Bailey or someone at Evans regarding their marching products and they will explain how to send the busted heads back.

I've had two experiences with heads where they failed consistently and the manufacturer replaced what had broken after citing notable defects in the product.

More often than not, poor tuning busts heads faster than anything else, so follow the advice from others above and check rims, bearing edges, etc.

Good luck.