Name: Cu (Copper). Copper is an element and a transition metal of the periodic table. Atomic number 29.

Growing Region: In the U.S. copper is native to the area around Lake Superior, as well as Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

Availability: The U.S. supplies between 15 and 20 percent of the nearly 9 metric tons of copper produced throughout the world. It is the twenty-fifth most abundant element found in crustal rocks.

Weight/Hardness/Density: Fairly soft but can be hardened. Softer than brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc. For our purposes, its weight is equal to brass.

Cost: The metal for our brass drum was 16% higher in cost than the metal for our copper drum.

Comments: Copper melts at 1980 degrees Fahrenheit and boils at 4750 degrees Fahrenheit. Our test drums are 6” x 14” made from 1/8” thick plate metal.

Timbre/Tonal Color: The note of the raw copper shell was lower in pitch than the brass with thicker sound and less over ring. The drum sound was cleaner than brass. Brass had high and low frequencies, and the copper has high, mid and low frequencies.

Dynamic Range : At an M (medium) to MF (medium loud) volume, more ring came from the drum giving the copper extra cut. This “turbo” gave the drum more depth and thickness to its sound. The brass drum stayed constant at all volumes.

Tonal Range : Copper was very constant at low volumes from center to hoop. At a medium volume, the pitch and character sounds remain the same but more ring is added as we move from the center of the drum toward the hoop. The range is about what we would expect from a metal drum. No surprises here.

Tuning Range: The copper had the same tuning range as the brass. Both went to the same “loose” head tension and both went to the same “tight” head tension before choking.

Resonance/Decay: Copper has a faster decay than brass with fewer overtones. The sweet spot is the same on the copper and the brass.

Cross Stick: The copper has a slightly larger cross stick area than the brass. The note of the copper is faster on the cross stick, as it was with the head note. The brass sounded fuller than the copper because the longer note length allowed the drum to “sing” more.

Volume: Copper and brass have the same volume on head hits and also on cross stick. Both of these drums are loud.

Sensitivity: Both drums had good sensitivity, but the brass has a more ring at all volumes.

Comments: Phil had this to say about our test drums: “the brass would do well live because of the high end cut, and copper’s control and richer sound is great for the studio. The copper was more musical with a smoother sound.” The feel of the drums was very similar.

By Greg Gaylord, Phil “Ti-Guy” Galante & Robert “Metal-Head” Bowler.