Help and advice tunning my Drums

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Help and advice tunning my Drums

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Help and advice tunning my Drums - 9/6/2010 5:00:17 PM

Ironclad Array

Posts: 12
Joined: 8/1/2010
Status: offline

Greetings fellow carbon based life-forms. I started to play the drums about a month and a half ago, so not really sure about tunning. Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

I have looked at many YouTube videos, but I'm confused as to what is the best/right way to go about it. For example when tunning the Toms, do you have both the top and bottom head tunned to the same pitch, or do you have the bottom head tunned higher than the top. At the moment I have got the top and bottom at the same pitch, but it sounds so reverby (sorry for the shady word, best word I could think of to describe the sound) and vibrates for a bit after hitting the head which I don't think is right for the Tom.

Does the same rule apply to the Snare as it does the Tom in regards to tunning? Do the snare heads have to be really tight compared to the rest of the drums in the kit?

Is there anyway to adjust the sound of the cymbals? Like putting electrician tape on a certain area of the cymbal to decrease the decay time or something along that line. Then again it might be me getting confused and mislead.

If anyone could perhaps help me please in the areas I've mentioned but also if you want to offer me any advice and tips when it comes to tunning the drums.

Your help is much appreciated, thanks.

Post #: 1

RE: Help and advice tunning my Drums - 9/6/2010 5:22:04 PM

disaster piece

Posts: 32
Joined: 9/4/2008
Status: offline

to start off with, AWESOME!! you play drums and your not really stuck up about it >.<!!!

so anyways, for different styles of music you can tighten or loosen the lugs as much as you want, im assuming your playing metal/rock style music >.<. I tend to have both my resonant and my batter quite loose for a nice dead sound. To start off with you should be tightening both the resonant side and batter side with your fingers until you feel pressure, then in a star pattern go around the toms half a turn, pushing your finger in the centre of the head. I have my resonant side tuned lower than my batter, but its personal preference =)

With the snare (god i HATE tuning snares) tighten the bottom quite tight, but remember the star pattern! And with the top just tune it until you think it sounds good, i have my snare really tight so its more like a snap rather than a thud.

NEVER put any kind of tape on your cymbals, as i found out it doesnt ruin them, but it makes marks on the cymbal which alters the sound, in a bad way >.<.

so yeah.... if you need anymore help just give us a shout.... btw i dont claim to be the best, im just telling you how i do it and it seems to work quite well.

=)

(in reply to Ironclad Array)

Post #: 2

RE: Help and advice tunning my Drums - 9/6/2010 9:40:04 PM

Ironclad Array

Posts: 12
Joined: 8/1/2010
Status: offline

Hi there, thanks for the reply.

I'm guessing when you say the resonant side that is the bottom head and the batter side is the top head? I'm glad you mentioned that, as I was wondering if there was an official name for each head.

Yes the genre I'm playing is rock/metal, swaying more over to the metal side as I enjoy it more. So because of this, I need a more dead sound in my Toms, excellent. I shall try out that preference of yours, having the resonate head tuned lower than the batter head.

You mentioned having a really tight snare drum. I'm always afraid of over tightening and busting the head. As soon as the key becomes a tad stiff to turn, does that mean that the head is too tight or just the beginning of the head getting tight for that extra crispy sound.

thanks

(in reply to disaster piece)

Post #: 3

RE: Help and advice tunning my Drums - 9/6/2010 11:08:17 PM

disaster piece

Posts: 32
Joined: 9/4/2008
Status: offline

yeah, resonant = bottom and batter = top =)

with the toms, just experiment, i mean theres no rule saying how you should tune a drum, i just like having everything tuned nice and low for a really nice dead sound.

and dont worry about how tight the snare gets, drum heads are desighned to be stretched, just don't go crazy when tightening it up, but yeah... if you hear clicks and cracks that will just be the drum head stretching, so dont worry.

(in reply to Ironclad Array)

Post #: 4

RE: Help and advice tunning my Drums - 10/6/2010 12:35:20 AM

molyrock666

Posts: 3974
Joined: 11/2/2009
From: Co.Kildare Ireland
Status: offline

Forget that he's a drummer and isn't stuck up.
He's a drummer and actually knows about tuning drums!!!
Do you know how many drummers i've come across who didn't even know they had to tune their kit, let alone how to tune them... and i'm a guitarist and i know this.

_____________________________

Lets get together and have a giant orgy. Not the satanic kind.... the sexual kind!

(in reply to disaster piece)

Post #: 5

RE: Help and advice tunning my Drums - 24/6/2010 10:23:59 PM

Ironclad Array

Posts: 12
Joined: 8/1/2010
Status: offline

Thanks ever so much for the advice and friendly comments. My drums are sounding much more to my liking, fresher and alive. HUZZAAHHH!!

(in reply to Ironclad Array)

Post #: 6