On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in bow is held onto the integument by a “counterhoop” (or “rim), which is then held by means of a integer of tuning keyscrews called “tension rods” (also known as lugs) placed frequently around the circumference. The head’s tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Innumerable such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on a few variables, including shape, bigness and thickness of its shell, materials from which the scale was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead passed down and tension applied to it, point of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.

Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have changed uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that entire crisp, clean, and a imperceptible on the soft side, whereas a lava and undulation drummer may prefer drums that total loud and deep. Because these drummers want divergent sounds, their African Drums drums will be constructed differently.