Name: Ulmus Rubra (Red Elm, Slippery Elm, Gray Elm, Soft Elm, Moose Elm, Indian Elm, and Winged Elm). Not to be confused with American Elm.

Growing Region: Eastern to Midwest United States. Uncommon south of Kentucky, and it is most abundant around the Great Lake states.

Availability: Readily available and can be found with environmental certification.

Weight/Hardness/Density: While working the elm into a drum, it reminded us of red oak in many ways. We expected many similarities between the elm drum and the oak drum. Surprisingly, red elm has a Janka score of only 830. Maple scores 1450, red oak 1290, cherry 950 and poplar 540. The Janka hardness score is determined by how much force is required to drive a .44” steel ball ½ of its depth into the wood.

Cost: Approximately 20 to 30 percent less than maple.

Habitat concerns: It can be infected with a fungus (Ceratocystis Ulmi), commonly known as Dutch Elm Disease. Our sample drum is made from 100% salvage wood and the red oak and maple are 100% FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified wood.

Comments: Ulmus Rubra can reach an age of 200 years and heights of 130 feet with a diameter of 3 feet. The inner bark contains mucilage, a strand of sugars which when combined with water, creates a slippery substance (hence the name slippery elm). This substance has been used by midwives as a lubricant on their hands during “work”. The herb was also consumed be women during the last few weeks of a pregnancy to aid in labor. It has a high nutrients content useful for curing digestive trouble. It is still used for diarrhea and sore throat, and the powdered bark is used to assist nauseated chemotherapy patients in keeping food down. In addition to numerous medical uses, the tree has been used by Native Americans to make canoes, baskets, and other household items. Other interesting uses include caskets and burial boxes. Red elm dust can cause irritation of the eyes and skin, but such irritation is not common.

Timbre/Tonal Color: Our sample red elm drum has a higher fundamental pitch than maple and red oak (see previous issue for more on red oak). However… at a low head tension, the elm has a lower fundamental pitch. The elm is “throaty” sounding without a lot of high frequencies. The sound of elm is between the “puffy” sound of oak, and the harsh sound of maple. Oak is thicker sounding than this red elm. Faster note than oak. Principle note is shorter than maple. Elm has more high end than the oak, which has little mid-range frequencies. Lot of bottom end from oak giving it an “airy, puffy” sound.

Dynamic Range: Very consistent. No pitch changes from pp (very soft) to ff (very loud). Oak has a high end “slap” that kicks in around mp to mf, but the elm did not have this.

Tonal Range: Sweetspot is about 1 ½”, compared to about 2” on the maple drum. No surprises as we moved from center to hoop. We got more over ring and more pitch bend, as we do on a maple drum.

Tuning Range: Likes to be tuned lower, as does the oak. Both the elm and the oak sound better tuned low, and both went to as loose a head tension as maple before bottoming out. The elm and the oak both went to the same tight head tension, which was not as tight as maple before choking. We got more bottom end out of the elm at low tunings than we did from the oak. The elm and oak are very similar in tuning ranges, but the elm responded more to subtle changes in head tension. It was higher in pitch at high tension, and lower at low head tension.

Resonance/Decay: Faster note and a shorter principle note than maple and oak. Fastest was elm, then maple, followed by oak. Elm is between oak and maple for resonant sounds. It has some of the open "“airy" sound of oak, and some of the characteristics of maple. Decay was fastest with elm, then maple, and then oak.

Cross Stick: The cross stick is also higher in pitch than our maple and red oak drums, BUT… when tuned low, the elm has a lower fundamental pitch. Woody sounding rim shot. Small usable cross-stick on the Elm. Oak has the largest cross-stick area, followed closely by maple and then Elm at about ½ the size of the oak.

Volume: Elm sounds softer. Although the volume itself may be similar to maple and oak, it has a “softer” sound that is not as harsh to the ears, probably due to the low/mid range frequencies.

Sensitivity: All 3 drums respond well. We have no sensitivity problems.

Feel: Oak is the “softest” feeling of the 3 drums. Elm was also soft but not quite as soft as the Oak. Good response and feedback from all 3 drums.

Comments: Elm prefers a low head tension. It sounds best when tuned down, allowing the drum to emphasize that bottom/mid-range frequencies. Elm falls between the maple and oak, but is closer to oak than maple.

By Greg Gaylord & Marco “not Minneman” Meneghin.

Photo credit Frankie Frost