Drum Tuning

[Nick]

I've never really felt totally comfortable with drum tuning - I can twiddle the lugs, but when do they sound "right"?

Any tips from anyone?

Nick.

[losteskimo1]

Nick,

Here's what I've found as I'm in the same boat!!

The worst thing to do that I've found is to start tuning and try to get a particular "sound" from yer kit.

Start your tuning with either the floor or top toms and the sweet spot or sound that is right for your drum will become apparent very quickly as long as you don't move up the tuning range in leaps and bounds (fine for Superman with tall buildings but impractical for drums!) The best way to find the "right" sound for your drums is to ensure that the bottom head and batter head are sounding the same. Once this delightful state of affairs has been reached (with no doubt much cursing and beer!) the drum should sound quite bright and open. This should be the right sound for your drum. Basically avoid any overtighening of the heads unless that is what you want. From there I then work on the principle of intervals for the other drums. Basically I look to use the floor tom as the root note of a chord and work my way around the toms to build a chord. The gap between the floor and top is generally a perfect fifth or the first two notes of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. The mid tom then drops in at the third. If you are unsure what I mean, find yourself a keyboard and play a chord of C (C,E,G,) or find some helpful type (the wife is normally a good one or anyone working in a music shop!) to explain intervals!

Hope this helps you, sorry if it don't!

JJ

P.S. a good tuning guide can be found on the back of Evans drum heads packaging!

[Nick]

Thanks JJ. The interval info is good stuff - must remember my nursery rhymes! The thing that always puzzles me is that the top and bottom heads always seem to sound the same, as though in fact the two heads and the shell itself are all "one", and changing any lug top or bottom takes the whole thing up or down.

Is it recommended to start with top or bottom? Should the other head be slackened right off first?

Nick.

[Davi Cox Drumsense Tutor]

Hi
Anyone having difficulty tuning could try: Drum Tuning The Ultimate Guide ByScott Schroedl Published by Hal Leonard
This gives you a lot of info and know how but above all it contains a CD so you know the sounds you are trying to achieve.
David Cox
Drumsense Tutor Plymouth

[losteskimo1]

Nick,

Yeah, I always start with the bottom head without the other head on and get the bottom head sorted first.
I don't tend to try to get the heads to sound exactly the same (no doubt others will mock me on this!) but i do look for the right sound. If the heads are slightly different then you avoid the problems that you are experiencing. The other thing to do would be to look at applying a small amount of pressure to both new heads in the form of prestretching them.
Sounds bizzare but it has always worked for me.

JJ

[Tomtom]

JJ

Thanks JJ for the great tips! I am taking piano lessons as well as drum lessons so I didn't have any trouble finding the C Chord. I have silent heads on now, because I am practising in a townhouse complex. I will keep that in mind when i put my regular heads back on this weekend. It makes a lot of sense to tune to the third and fifth intervals.

Also, I just tried tapping my snare batter (silent) head and there seems to be a lug spring chatter (or something similiar). The other drums don't have that, however. Any suggestions?

[THE SHANE]

I response to drum tuning, I find it is mainly on the individuals chosen sound to how you should tune a kit.
Toms don't have to sound bright all the time, it depends on the music you're playing along to. I personally prefer my floor tom with no bottom batter as it gives me the deep punchy sound I require, without too much resonance.
To tune toms and snares individually, you should tap gently around the edge of the skin and listen for any change in pitch. The pitch should remain the same throughout the tapping. If it is too high loosen, or tighten when too low.
A lot of drummers don't pay enough attention to tuning bass drums. You should make sure whatever your chosen sound, the bass and snare drum should compliment each other.
Treat them as a pair, not just individual drums.

[Pywacket]

Try this site.

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/index.html

Pywacket.

[richard hutchinson]

well i gotta be honest fellas i start with my floor tom batter head then move my way up to the 14" tom then 13" tom then when i get my heads sounding right for me i then do the same all over again with the bottom heads.
I think alot depends on what kits you are tuning as 1 kit i tune is diff way to my other.
But have to admit I personally like my toms sounding really fat and heavy but snare has to be tight and bright but thats my choice.

[JTBrander]

here's a quick little tip for getting even tension when tuning, use 2 keys at the same time on either side of the hoop. (as if they were facing each other from across the drum head).

[Nick]

JTBrander, that's a simple but really good idea - thanks!

[DrummerJohnnyO]

Hello everyone,
I would like to offer some insight on tuning. I have been very fortunate to attend a clinic and talk with a custom drum builder (Dan Van Gartzen) about different methods for tuning. When tuning, you have to take into consideration the type of wood, the size of the shells, the type of heads you are using, and the sound you are looking for.

When you remove the heads, inspect the bearing edges for any rough spots or areas that are uneven. Tap the shell and listen for any buzzing or jingling from loose hardware. Tighten any loose screws. With newer drums the bearing edges should be nice and smooth. With used drums, take some fine sandpaper (200 grain) and lightly sand the edges. The best way to make sure you sand evenly is to lay your arm across the tom or snare drum. (This is a little tough to do with the bass drum due to it's large size). You set the shell down on a soft surface, such as a carpet or rug. You turn the shell with one hand as you sand with the other. You want to sand evenly and lightly. Pay attention to where you start sanding so you can stop at the same spot on the shell. Then wipe the edge. Then you take some caranuba wax. This can be purchased from a woodworking store. It looks kind of like a bar of soap and is a hard substance. You rub this on the bearing edge liberally. Then turn the shell over and repeat the process. Now the caranuba wax allows the head to seat better on the shell. This gives you more tuning options and will allow you to better dial in the sound you're looking for.

Next put the head on the shell. With new heads, some drummers believe you need to press down on them, similar to giving CPR, to "break them in." Dan informed me this is not necessary and that the heads will in fact seat themselves properly. You also need to remember that the sound of the new heads will change as you play. They often will sound much better after they have been played for a while.
Start with the resonant head first. Finger tighten the lugs. You'll need to go around more than once since they loosen up as you tighten the lugs opposite side. Now give each lug two full turns. Then do the tap test. You tap close to each lug and adjust the sound until you get the same tone for each lug. Be sure to tap the same distace from each lug. You want the head to be in tune with itself. Once this is established, you will repeat the process for the batter head. Now this is a basic method of tuning. There are of course variations. I've used this method to tune my Taye Spotlight kit and it sounds great.

To control ring, you can use moon gel. As far as ring for the snare drum, you need some ring for the sound to carry to your audience. Remember to that how you tune depends on where you're playing. The acoustics of the room change the way the kit sounds. Also, remember that your kit sounds much different out front versus when you're sitting behind it playing. If possible, have someone else play and stand out front at different places to get a good idea of the way it sounds.

Rather than go on about the snare and bass drum, here is the link for the Tuning Bible. http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/index.html
There is some great information here and gives great insight into different tuning methods.

Here is a video of Dave Weckl tuning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_RoUQyv5A
This should be helpful also. If you have any questions, please email me at john.odom@drumsense.com.

Cheers,

John

[rhythmtiger]

Hello Nick and all,

Spose' I'll put in my "2 cents" on drum tuning.

#1. Make sure the bevel edges of your drum(s) are absolutely level.

#2. Make sure you seat the head evenly, then put the hoop on, and then
put your lugs 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 through the proper openings.

#3. Tighten each lug with your fingers only: For example:
Think of a clock: 12, 6, 9, 3.

#4. For a 4 lug drum, you'd start at 12, then to 6, then to 9
then to 3,making sure everything was even the whole way.

#5. Obviously, with good drums, you'll have more then 4 lugs.
So, you may use a sequence of 12, 6 ,9 ,3, 7,1,10,4 (8 lugs)

#6. After everything is secure with finger tightening, then it's
time for the key. A quarter turn at each lug is good.

Or, some drummers advocate tightening the head as tight as
possible and then leave it alone for awhile(let it breath)
then de-tune it, and re-tune it.

#7. Rules of thumb to follow.
Tight Top, Loose Bottom= Good sticking and Attack-Top
Depth and Spread-Bottom

Tight Top, Tight Bottom= Extremely Sharp Attack/High Pitch
Good in Jazz settings


Loose Top, Tight Bottom= Poor Sticking and Attack-Top
Ringy - Bottom

Loose Top, Loose Bottom= YUCK

Hope this helps

[loudblackpearl]

This made me laugh,i`ve never been a great technician but over the years have worked out how to make my kit sound as good as it can get with tips picked up along the way. My fave way is to get the top head to sound nice then tune the bottom head up higher, it makes the noise I like. I couldnt tell you how much higher but when you hit the right spot, you`ll know. Anyway, what made me laugh was a few years ago a bloke came up to me after a gig and started getting all technical about the kit and although there`s nothing wrong with that, my eyes started to roll backwards and I felt embarrassed that I didnt know what the hell he was talking about. Then he proceeded to tell me how he tuned his kit, finishing with, how do you tune yours? I replied, I tune them up to Bonanza. I think he wanted a clever answer but I honestly at that time in my life, used to tune them up to Bonanza. Starting with the floor tom, it would go da d d da d d a d d da d d, then the second tom, daaa ,then the first tom, daaa, thus sounding like the Bonanza theme tune.I only just joined Drumsense and it`s great to read all your comments.

[marky10]

Guys,

You can skip all this and buy a drumdial, ideal for quick tuning, it also comes with a guide to what tension you can tune the whole kit in with.


Mark