To preserve the beauty of your drum do NOT wear rings or any type of hand jewelry.

For a deeper bass sound, hit toward the middle of the drum.

For a higher, slappier sound, hit towards the top edge of the drum.

 

Combine the middle bass hit alternating with the top edge slap for a great sound. Another sound, try hitting both hitting services. Alternating hits side to side. Leaning back on your drum, raising the front off the ground gives many players a more comfortable position.