On a two-headed drum, this is the drumhead that is not played. On a Snare drum or Tom-Tom, this would be the bottom head on the drum. On a Kick/Bass drum, this would be the front head. The resonant head is not struck; it vibrates and helps to control the sustain, decay and pitch of a drum.

The resonant head on a Snare drum is actually more commonly known as the "snare head". This is because the Snare wires touch the resonant (bottom) head of the Snare drum.