Hello everyone.  There's a number of ways to approach damping a single
head drum; some cost little, some cost more.  The very simple 'down and
dirty' way is to place a small pillow inside the drum and hold it in
place with a Velcro strip.  ("Extra strength" Velcro works best for
staying stuck.)

Rest the pillow on the 'floor' of the drum, pushed up gently against
the head.  Secure it in that position using the Velcro.  It's better
to fasten the pillow to the shell, not to the head.

Some other options are available on the Internet from Musician's
Friend, Inc., who now ships Down Under:

- A clip-on muffler (works only if the rim is not too thick):   http://drums-percussion.musiciansfriend.com/product/Pearl-Clip-On-External-Drum-Muffler?sku=448703

- Here's their pillow option, which may be too big for your purpose;
  you need a fairly small pillow to get the desired result: http://drums-percussion.musiciansfriend.com/product/PDP-Pacific-Bass-Drum-Pillow-1618-inches-?sku=443562

- A more expensive version (overkill): http://drums-percussion.musiciansfriend.com/product/DW-Bass-Drum-Muffling-Pillow-?sku=442142

I couldn't find the old fashioned felt strip type, but the examples
above should get you started in the right direction.

My personal choice is the small pillow.  You don't want to restrict the
sound, just dampen the head a bit.  Experiment with how much pressure
the pillow applies until you get the sound you want.

Rich Olsen
San Diego, California

 [ Rich worked for many years as the percussionist in all sorts of pop
 [ music groups, now he creates music rolls for carousel and fair organs.
 [ -- Editor (Robbie)