Howtotuneyourdrumset.

Howtotuneyourdrumset
WrittenbyRufusO'Callaghan
11052008

Introduction
Drumheads
Removal,mountingandtuningofdrumheads
Tuningthesnaredrum
Tuningthebassdrum
Tuningthetoms
Dampers
Drumkeytorquewrenches
Somemoretechnicalideas
Endpiece

Introduction
Forthemajorityofbeginnerdrummers(andsometimesevenforthosewhohavebeenplayingforseveral
years),tuningadrumsetisasmysteriousanddifficulttounderstandasthesecretofalchemyorFreemason's
initiationrites!Nothingismoredisappointingthenhavingtoplayacheapdrumsetwithacrappysound.

Especiallywhenyoucompareittothesoundofthedrumsonrecordingsbyyourfavoritegroups.Thisfulland
powerfulsoundisgenerallyobtainedwithtopqualitysoundboards,highrangemicrophones,theverylatest
effectsandsoon.

Donotdeludeyourself;therearebigdifferencesbetweenthesoundofabottomoftherangedrumsetanda
topoftherangedrumset,whichexplainsthevariationintheprice!Partoftheeconomiesmadebythe
manufacturersofthebottomoftherangedrumsetscanbefoundinthequalityofthedrumheads,whichare
generallyofverypoorquality.Donotworry;itisstillpossibletoobtainareasonablygoodsoundwitha
beginner'sdrumset.Youwillneedtopurchaseasetofdecentqualitydrumheads,adrumkeyandahavealot
ofpatience.Youwillalsoneedtotuneyourdrumsetinaveryquietenvironment,sothatyoucanpayalotof
attentiontothesoundquality.Youshouldnottrytotuneyourdrumsetduringabandpracticesessionora
soundcheckforexample!Tostartoffwith,youcansavesomemoneybychangingonlytheplayingsideheads,
knownasbatterheads.Ifyouhavethefinancialmeans,youcanalsochangethenonplayingsideheads,
knownasresonantheads.

Alittlebackgroundhistory.

Thejazzdrumsetwasbornaround1900intheNewOrleans(USA)area.Littlebylittleallofthedifferent
percussioninstrumentsofmarchingbrassbandsweregatheredtogetherandplayedbyjustoneman.Thedrums
weregenerallyequippedwithcalfskindrumheads,producingawarmandroundsound,generousinmedium

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rangefrequencies.Butanaturalanimalskinisalivingmatter;thesoundisunstableandsusceptibleto
variationsintemperatureandambientmoisture.

Towardsendof1950's,anAmericandrummerofthenameofMr.RemoBellifoundauseforanewplastic
filmcalledMylar,manufacturedbytheDuPontindustrygroup.Hisideawastoshowtheinteriorofthedrums
andpresenttheminthewindowofhisdrumsetstore.Hecameupwiththeideatoreplacetheoriginalcalfskin
drumheadswiththisnewtransparentplasticfilm.Withhisgreatsurprisethesoundoftheseplasticdrum
headswasactuallyquitegood.Thefilm'sadvantagesofbeingtough,holdingit'stuning,andbeing
hydrometricallystablequicklyfoundthefavormanydrummersinallstylesofmusic.Sincethen,theprincipal
drumheadmanufacturers(Remo,EvansandAquarian)havecontinuedimprovingthequalityanddiversityof
theirproducts.Moreover,these3manufacturershavewebsiteswherealltheirproductsarepresented,witha
specialmentionforEvan'ssitewhichisverywellmade.

Drumheads.
Duringthisdocument,IrefertoRemoproductsforthesingleplyreasonthatitisthismakewhichIuse.
Havingsaidthis,nothingisstoppingyoutousingtheothermakeswhicharealsoverygoodquality.

FortheRemomake,therearethreethicknessesofdrumheads:

1.Thin:(Diplomat,0.0075")
2.Medium:(Ambassador0.010")
3.Thick:(EmperororPinstripe,2x0.007")

Therearealsothreekindsoffinishes:

1.Clear:overtonesarequitepresent
2.White:overtonesaremorecontrolled
3.Coated:overtonesarelesspresent

Therearetwotypesofdrumheads:

1.Singleplyhead,madeofasingleplasticfilm,(DiplomatorAmbassador)

Athinhead(Diplomat)willproducealongandhighpitchedsoundwithalotofovertones.Thisisreferred
toasanopensound.Thindrumheadsareratherfragileandshouldbetunedfairlyhighsothattheyresist
stickimpacts.
Amediumhead(Ambassador)willproduceacontrolledsoundwithjusttherightamountofovertones.
Thisisreferredtoasahalfopensound.

2.Doubleplyhead,madeoftwosuperimposedfilms,(EmperororPinstripe)

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Adoubleplyheadwillproduceashorterandlowersoundwithlessovertones,thisisreferredtoasa
closedsound.Thesedrumheadscanlesstightlytuned,theirthicknessmakesthemmoreresistanttostick
impacts.

Certaindrumheadsareequippedwithareinforcementinthecenter(RemoCS).Thisreinforcementmakesthe
headevenmoresolidandproducesasoundwithanevenlowernote.Otherdrumheadshaveadamperaround
thecircumference(Powerstroke3)slowingdownthefastestvibrations,cuttingthehighovertones.

Choosingyourdrumheads.

Youshouldtrytochooseyourdrumheadsaccordingtohowhardyouhitandthetypeofmusicyouplay.
Withoutgoingintoallthedetailsbecausetherearenostrictrulesheresomeideastoguideyou.

1.Inanorchestral,jazzorvarietymusiccontextwitharelativelylightplayingstyleyoucanchoose
whitesingleplydrumheads,thintomediumthickness.Forexample;whiteRemoAmbassadorheadsonthe
playingsideandthesamethingorRemoDiplomatwhiteheadsontheresonantside.
2.Inarock,bluesorfunkcontextwithamediumplayingstyleyoucanchoosemediumtothick
transparentsingleplydrumheads.Forexample;RemoAmbassadortransparentontheplayingsideand
RemoDiplomatorAmbassadortransparentontheresonantside.
3.Inahardrock,metalorpunkcontextwithahardplayingstyleyoucanchoosethickerdoubleply
drumheads.Forexample;RemoPinstripeorPowerstroke3fortheplayingsideandRemoAmbassadoror
Emperorontheresonantside.

ForthesnaredrumIrecommendacoatedRemoAmbassadororEmperorfortheplayingside.Ontheresonant
sideyouwillneedaveryspecialextrathindrumhead,theRemoDiplomatSnare.Itispreferablethatthe
resonantsnaredrumheadbeasthinaspossibleandrelativelyhighlytunedsothatthesnarewireshaveoptimal
vibration.

Removal,mountingandtuningdrumheads.
Removingandreplacingadrumhead.

Startbytakingthedrumsofftheirstands.Placethemflatonalevelsurface(largetableorthefloor)and
preferablyonanoldblanketorcover.Thiswillprotectthebearingedgeswhenyoutakethedrumheadsoff,
andalsowillcutthesoundoftheresonantheadwhenyoubegintuningthebatterhead.

Toremoveahead,takethedrumkeyandstarttoloosenthetuninglugs(thelargescrewswhichgoalltheway
roundthemetalhoop).Youmustalwaystightenandloosenaheadinastartypepattern.Tounderstandit
betteryoucanimagineakindofclockdialonthesurfaceofthehead.Startbylooseningthetuninglugwhich
isat12:00bygivingittwocompleteturns.Thenloosenthetuninglugwhichisat6:00.Thenthetuninglugat
3:00,thenthetuninglugat9:00etc.Alldrumsdonothavethesamenumberoftuninglugs,soherearesome
drawingstohelpyou.Itisveryimportanttoobservethisproceduretogetthebestpossiblebalance.

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Howtotuneyoudrumset.

Onceyouhavedismountedthedrumheadsitisagoodideatocleanthepartsofyourdrumsetwhicharenot
accessiblewhenthedrumheadsaremounted.Givethehoopagoodcleanandremovethedustwhichhas
accumulatedontheinsideoftheshell.Checkthestateofthebearingedgewhichmustbeperfectlysmoothand
correctlycut.AfterthetypeandqualityofthewoodthebearingedgeisTHEmostimportantpartofadrum
set.Thequalityofthesounddependsonthequalityofthebearingedge.Ifbymisfortuneitisdamagedyou
shouldnottrytocarryoutanyrepairworkyourself;itisajobbestlefttoaspecialist.Itispossibletogiveone
ortwoturnsonthebearingedgewithawaxorparaffincandle.Thiswilldepositathinwaxfilmwhichwill
ensurebetterbasebetweentheheadandthebearingedge.

Thetuninglugsmustbeperfectlystraightandequippedwithawasherwhichhelpstostabilizethetuning.Dirty
tuninglugscanbecleanedwithasmallwirebrushandasolvent.Tuninglugswhicharewarpedorrustedmust
bereplaced.Alsothinkaboutlubricatingthetuninglugswith3in1oiloranaerosolofWD40,especiallyona
newlowbudgetdrumset.Thiswillfacilitatethetuningtaskandwillpreventprematurewearingofthetuning
lugs.

Assembly.

Placethenewheadonthebearingedgeofthedrum.Replacethehoopandthetuninglugs.Tostartoffyou
shouldtightenthetuninglugsjustyourfingertips.(Alwaysinastartypepattern,itisveryimportant.)You
shouldmakesurethattherearenocrinklesonthehead,becausethatmeansthattheheadisnotuniformly
tightened,orthatthereisaproblemwiththebearingedge.Theadjustmentofthetuninglugsmustbeasregular
aspossible.Whenyoucannotturnthetuninglugsanymorewithjustyourfingertips,takeyourdrumkeyand
giveeachtuninglugahalfturninastarpatternaccordingtothedrawings.

Youshouldnotgivethetuninglugseveralturnswithkeytogofaster.Onthecontraryyoumustincreasethe
tensionoftheheadgraduallybysmallamounts.Thiswillgiveauniformtensionandabalancedtuning.

Slowlybutsurelytheheadwillstarttotighten.Themoreitistightenedthemoreyouwillstarttohearcracking
sounds.Donotpanic,thisiscompletelynormal.Theplasticfilmofyourheadisheldinanaluminumring

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whichisfilledwithglue.Thecrackingthatyouhearisonlythegluewhichistakingitsform.Continue
tighteningtheheadrightupuntilyoudonothearanymorecracks.Youcanevenhelptoacceleratethisprocess
bypushingdownwiththepalmofthehandinthecenterofthehead(butnotforthethinultraresonantheadof
thesnaredrum!).Whenyoudonothearanymorecracks,theheadshouldbecompletelyslackenedand
tighteningprocedurerepeatedagainuntilyouarriveatthedesiredtension.

Tuning.

PersonallyIalwaysstartoffbytuningtheresonantheadadrum,whichhelpswhentuningthebatterhead.Start
bygivingoneturnofthekeyoneachtuninglug,alwaysinastartypepattern.Itisalsousefultotryandfeel
withyourfingersthatyouhavethesametensiononeachtuninglug,whichiswhyitwasagoodideato
lubricatethem.Continueuntiltheheadstartstoproduceanote.Tohearthisnotemoreclearly,youcanplace
thefingertipsofyourlefthand(forrighthanders)lightlyinthecenterofthehead.Thiswillpreventthehead
fromresonatingtoomuchandhelpyouhearthenoteabitbetter.Withyourrighthand,taplightlywithyour
stickatapproximately2cminfrontofeachtuninglug.Thegoalistotryandobtainthesamenoteateach
tuninglug.

Thedifficultpartistodeterminethenotewithexactitudewhichisaquitedifficulttaskbecauseatthe
beginningthetuningisrathercoarseanditiseasytomakemistakes.Tuningismadeevenmorecomplicated
owingtothefactthatwhenyouinterveneonanyparticulartuninglug,youaresubtlymodifyingthenoteof
thosetuninglugswhichareoneithersideofitANDthetuninglugdirectlyoppositeit!Duringtuningyou
shouldtrytotakeaccountofthisbecausewhenyouinterveneonanyparticulartuninglugtheothernoteswill
movealittletoo.

Startwiththenotewhichseemstoyoutobethehighest,itwillusedasareferencenote.Turnthedrumsothat
thistuninglugisat12:00,andthenstarttuninginastarpattern.Tightenthetuninglugwhichisoppositeita
littlebit.Trytotakethenoteupsothatitresemblesthatofthenoteat12:00.Proceedinsmallsteps.Always
keepyourfingerslightlytouchingthecenteroftheheadsothatyoucanhearthenotebetter.Keepongoing
untilallthenotesseemmoreorlessthesame.Theoverallnoteoftheheadwillbecomeclearer,lessoutoftune
andfuller,withoutanyvibrationsinthesound(alighttremoreffectorvibrato,youcouldsaythatthesound
undulates).Tostartoffwithyoushouldtrytokeepthisnoteaslowaspossiblebeforebringingitupanyhigher.
Whentheresonantheadisproperlytunedyoucanrepeatthesameoperationforthebatterhead.Agoodstating
pointistotunethetwodrumheadstothesamenotebecauseyouobtainapureandcontrolledsound.

Nowthatthedrumheadsareproperlytuned,youshouldnowtrytogetthemaximumamountofresonanceand
overtones.Eachdrumhasaparticularresonantfrequencyatwhichitgivesmaximumsound.Anotethatistoo
lowwillnothaveenoughprojection,anotethatistoohighwillsoundtoorestrained.Takethenoteofboth
drumheadsuplittlebylittleuntilyougetafullresonantsound.Maximumresonancecanbeoverwhelmingfor
beginners.Asalways,donotpanic,youcanalwaysdomesticatethisresonancewithsomedampening.Whilst
Iamonthesubject,alwaystuneyourdrumheads"up"toanotejustlikeaguitarplayerwould.Ifthenoteyou
getistoohigh,youshoulddetunetheheadtobelowthenotethatyouwantandthentunethehead"up"again
untilyougetyourdesirednote.

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Asalwaysforthedrumset,therearenostrictrulesconcerningtuningtwodrumheads.Certaindrummers
prefertohaveabatterheadtunedslightlylowercomparedtotheresonantheadwhichemphasizethelow
frequencies.Othersprefertohavethebatterheadtunedslightlyhighercomparedtotheresonantheadwhich
givesthesoundmoreattack.

Becareful;asforalltheotheraspectsconcerningthedrumset,atthebeginningbeforeyougainknowledge
andacertainamountofcontrolyouwillriskfindingthingsquitedifficult,frustratingandverylong.Youwill
needtobepatientbecauseitisonlyafteracertainamountofpracticethatyouwillstarttofeelatease.

Tuningthesnaredrum.

General.

Thesnaredrumisattheheartofourinstrumentanditisalsothereflectionofyourpersonalityasdrummer,
thereforeitdeservestheutmostattention.YoucanobtainanexcellentbasicsoundbyusingRemoAmbassador
coatedforthebatterside.FortheresonantheadyoushouldtrytouseaRemoDiplomatSnare,aspecialhead
whichisverythin.Theresonantheadofasnaredrummustbeasthinaspossiblesothatthesnarewiresor
snareshaveoptimalvibration,becauseitisthebuzzofthesnareswhichareresponsiblefortheparticular
soundofthesnaredrum.Thisheadisveryfragile!Ifyouaremountinganewresonantheadonyoursnare
drumyoushouldavoidpushingdownwiththepalmofyourhandinthecenteroftheheadtoacceleratethe
processofcracking.Beforechangingtheresonantheadyouwillneedtoremovethesnares,atleastononeside.
Thesnaresmustalsobeinagoodstate.Ifthewiresarenotparalleloraretwisted,youwillhavetochangeit.
Bytheway,itisnormalthatthesnaresbuzzalittlewhenyouplayonthetomsorthebassdrum.Many
drummershavebigproblemsassumingthereactionsofthesnares.Youshouldthinkofthesoundofyourdrum
kitasaglobaloverallsound.

Tuningthesnaredrum.

Startbytuningtheresonantheadaccordingtotheprocedurereferredtoabove.Alwaysrememberthatyou
wanttotrytoobtainthesamenoteoppositeeachtuninglug.Startbytighteningtheresonanthead(alwaysina
starpattern),withhalfturnsofadrumkey.Youshouldnevergiveseveralturnsofthekeytogofaster.Onthe
contrary,youshouldtrytoincreasethetensionoftheheadlittlebylittle.Thiswillensureauniformtension
andthusabalancedsound.Youshouldtrytotightentheresonantheadfairlyhigh,withoutgoingtoextremes.
Themorethisheadisstretched,themorethesnareswillresonate.(Itisthesnareswhichareresponsibleforthe
soundforthesnaredrum).

Onceyouhavetunedtheresonanthead,turnthesnaredrumoverandtunethebatterhead.Initiallyyoushould
trytoobtainthesamenoteforbothdrumheads.Afterwardsyoucanmessaboutwiththetuning.Themajority
ofdrummersprefertotunetheresonantheadalittlehigherthanthebatterhead.Havingsaidthisnothingis
preventingyoufromtuningthebatterheadhigherthantheresonanthead.Becareful,youmusttunethesnare
drumwiththesnaresOFF!Putthesnaresbackononlywhenyouhaveproperlytunedthedrumheads.Then
completelyslackenthesnaresbylooseningtheknurledadjustmentknobwhichisonthesnarestrainer
mechanism.Whilstlightlyhittingthebatterheadwithastick,turntheadjustmentknobinsmallamountsuntil
youstarttohearthesnares.Youshouldapplyamediumtension,becauseifthesnaresaretooslacktheywill

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lagandwillmakefastnotessound"blurred".Ifthesnaresaretootightthesoundwillbedry,restrainedor
downrightstrangled!Itisbypatientexperimentationthatyouwillgetagreatsoundoutofyoursnaredrum!
Remember,thesnaredrumistheelementbywhichthatyourecognizethestyleofadrummer,forexample
thesnaredrumsoundofMr.StewartCopeland/ThePolice.

Tuningthebassdrum.

Batterhead.

ContrarytowhatIwrotebefore,Iadviseyoutobegintuningthebassdrumwiththebatterhead,accordingto
theprocedurereferredtoabove.Youshouldtrytochooseyourbassdrumbatterheadaccordingtoyour
musicalstyle.

Justtoremindyou:

1.Asingleply,whitehead(Ambassador)foranorchestral,jazzorvarietymusiccontext.
2.Adouble,transparenthead(EmperororPinstripe)forarock,bluesorfunkcontext.
3.Adouble,transparenthead(PinstripeorPowerstroke3)forahardrock,metalorpunkcontext.

Apartfromjazzmusic,thesoundofabassdrumshouldberatherlowpitched;thereforetheheadmustbetuned
fairlyslack.Iwouldsayaboutoneturnofyourkeyaftersettingthetuninglugswithyourfingertips.Theother
sideofthecoinisthatitwillbenecessarytoworkonyourbassdrumpedaltechniquebecauseaslackenedhead
hasnotmuchrebound!Becareful,certainbassdrumhoopsonthebattersideareequippedwitharubberwedge
oranotchtoprotectitfrombeingmarkedbythepedal'sjaw.Makesureitisintherightplacebeforeyoustart
tuning!

Resonanthead.

Againapartfromjazzmusic,themajorityofthedrummersusearesonantheadwithaholeinit.Thishole
makesitpossiblefortheairtoescape,increasesprojectionandensuresaflattersound.Theholewillhelpalso
soundengineerstoplaceamicrophoneinsidethebassdrum.

Iftheresonantheaddoesnothaveahole,youshouldtrytocutonebyusingacutter(StanleyKnife)anda
circularobjectforaguide.Istronglyadviseyoutocutaholeonaheadwhichhasbeentakenoffthedrumto
avoidtherisksofthecutterskidding.Placetheheadonaflatsurface,forexampleapieceofwoodorof
cardboard,becausethebladeofthecutterwillcutthroughthehead,alsocuttingwhatisunderneathit.(This
shouldnotbedoneonyourbeautifulkitchentable!)Ifpossible,itisagoodideatogetsomehelpfromanother
personforthisoperation.Askthepersontoholdthecircularobjectsothatitdoesnotmove.Thenyoucan
delicatelycutroundtheguidetakingamaximumamountofcarenottoskid.

Centeredordecentredhole.

Thereexisttwopossibilitiesforthehole.

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1.Aneccentric(decentered)holefrom10to15cmindiameter.Thiswillgivearoundsoundwithlow
frequenciesandgoodresonance.TohelpwithcuttingyoucanuseasaucerorblankCDetc.
2. Acenteredholefrom25to30cmindiameter.Thisgivesasoundwithmoreattack(thesoundofthe
SeventiesandEightiesforexample.)Tohelpcuttingyoucanuseacymbalfrom12to14inchesora
plate.Refertothedrawingsforcuttingthehole.

Centered Decentered left Decentered right

PersonallyIpreferadecenteredhole.

Theresonantheadisveryimportantforthetotalsoundofthebassdrum.Itsroleisparticularlyrelatedtothe
presenceofthelowfrequencies(especiallywithadecenteredhole)andthelengthofthenote.Youshouldpay
particularattentiontoitstuning.Generallyyoushouldtuneitalittlehigher(butnottoomuch)comparedtothe
batterhead.

Thebeater.

Thechoiceofthebeaterisalsoimportantforthesound.Themajoritybassdrumpedalsareequippedwithafelt
beaterwhichgivesalowpitchedmediumandcontrolledsound.Therearealsodifferenttypesofbeaterswith2,
3andeven4differentsurfacessomeofwhicharemadeoutofhardplastic,whichwillincreasetheattackand
willgivealittlemore"slap"tothesound.Lastly,therealsowoodenbeaterswhichwillgiveasoundwitha
maximumamountofattack.
Forthoseofyouwhousethesetwolastkindsofbeaters,Iadviseyoutoreinforcetheheadattheimpactpoint
ofthebeaterwithasmallultraresistantstickerpatch(RemoFalamSlam)madeoutofMylarorKevlar.This
willpreventtheheadfromprematurewear,especiallyifyouplayitwitharelativelyslacktension.

Tuningthetoms.

Resonanthead.

Itisthisheadwhichdefinesthegeneraltonalityofadrum.Asalwaysitshouldbetunedusingastarpattern.
Themajorityofthedrummersstartoutbytuningthefloortomheadfirst.OntheadviceofMr.Jacky
BourbasquetPichard,chiefofproductsatSonorFrance,itisinfactrecommendedtostarttuningthehigh
tomfirstofall.Theideabeingthatthesmallerthedrumisthelessamplitudeithas.I.E.thatithasasmaller
rangeofnotesinwhichitsoundsgood;tunedtoohighitsoundschokedorstrangled,tunedtoolow,it
lacksclarityandprojection.

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Ifyoustartoutbytuningthefloortom,itisverydisappointingwhenyougettothehightomtofindoutthatit
soundschokedorunclearor"outoffocus".Theonlyremedyistoretuneyourthreetoms.Soitisagoodidea
tostartoutbytuningthehightomfirst.

Let'scontinuebytuningprogressivelythehightom,mediumtomandfinallythelowtom.Nowthethreedrums
arereasonablywelltunedeachoneshouldhaveaprecisenote.Itisagoodideawiththreetomstohavethree
differentnotes,andifpossiblewithregularintervals.

Youshouldtrytocombinethenatural"range"ofeachdrum.Infacteachdrumhasitsownrangeofnotesin
whichitresonatesfully.Itispointlesstoforceadrumtobetunedtoanoteinarangewhichisnotnaturalfor
it.

Howevercertaindrummerstunetheirtomswithpreciseintervals;thirds,quartersorfifths.Twoexamplescome
tomind:theAmericandrummerTerryBozzioandtheFrenchdrummerThomasPatris.Buttheyareseasoned
experienceddrummers,whohavequalitydrumsets,whoknowhowtotuneprecisely,andhavean"orchestral"
or"melodic"approachtotheirdrumsets.

Whentuningtheresonantheadstoregularintervalsitisgoodideatokeepyoursnaredruminthevicinitywith
thesnareson.Sometimeswhentuningtheresonantheadsofsuchorsuchatom,thesnaresofthesnaredrum
starttobuzz.Thisisbecausetheresonantheadofthetomandtheresonantheadofthesnaredrumeitherthe
havethesamenoteorthesameresonantfrequency.Youshouldrememberthatthesoundofadrumsetisa
globalsound;itisnormalthatthesnaresofthesnaredrumresonatealittle.Howeverifthesnaresvibratereally
toomuchwheneveryouplayononetomoranother,youshouldtrytocompletelyreworkthetuningintervals
ofthethreetoms,eitherbytuninguporbytuningdowneachtomalittle,alwayskeepinginmindattheideaof
regularintervalswhereitispossible;thirds,quartersorfifths.

Batterhead.

AsIwroteearlieragoodstartingpointistotunethetwodrumheadstothesamenotebecauseyouobtaina
pureandcontrollednote.

Afteryoucantestdifferentideas.Certaindrummersprefertohaveabatterheadtunedslightlylowercompared
totheresonanthead,whichemphasizesthelowfrequencies.Othersprefertohavethebatterheadtunedslightly
highercomparedtotheresonanthead,whichgivesasoundwithmoreattack.

Dampers

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Nowifyoufollowedallthesteps,yourdrumsetwillhaveanoptimalsound.Itmayevenitsoundtoooptimal.
Beginnerscanhavesomeproblemsassumingthesoundofafullyresonatingdrumset.Itmayhappenthatthe
noteofanyparticulardrum"drags"onfortoolong,orthatthereisanovertonewhichistoopresent.Sound
engineersalsopreferalsoamorecontrolledsound.Therearetimeswhereyouneedtousedampersto
"domesticate"yoursound.

Howeveritispreferabletokeeptheuseofdamperstothestrictminimum.TheexcessiveuseofScotchtape,
foamortheinternaldamperskillsthesound.Whatgoodisittobuyatopoftherangedrumset,tomounta
setofprofessionaldrumheadsandbreakyournutstuningthem,andthenmassacreeverythingwiththelarge
scaleuseofdampers?Asaresultyouwillhaveasoundwhichresemblescardboardboxes.Whatisthepointof
buyingadrumsetthen,becauseyoucanfindcardboardboxesforfreeatthelocalsupermarket!

Youmusttryandassumetheovertonesandresonances.Youshouldtrytolistentothesoundofadrumset
whichsingsinitsglobality.Remember,yoursoundisonethingwhenyoulistentoitplayingbehindyour
set,andcompletelyanotherthingwhenyoulistentoit10metersinfront!

Typesofdampers.

Tomsandthesnaredrum.

TheeasiestwayistouselargeDuckTape,moreoftenknownunderthenameofgaffer.Stickasmallpiece
oftapeontheedgeofthehead,wheretheovertonesaremostpresent.Youcanmakeitintolittlewaveslike
corrugatedcardboardorrollitupitintheshapeoftube.

Plastic"O"ringsofapproximately2cmwidth.Ifyouareshortofmoneyyoucanmakeyourownbycutting
themoutofuseddrumheads.Placeitdirectlyonthehead.Ifyouneedtoyoucanfixthemwithalittletape.

Externaldamperswhicharefixedonthedrumhoop.Itisagoodideatouseanexternaldamperandnotan
internaldamper.Whenyouhitadrumheaditstartstovibrate.Thestickstrikesthetopoftheheadwhichfirst
vibratesinwardsandthenoutwardsinacontinuousmovement.Thisprocesscontinuesuntiltheheadstops
vibrating.Aninternaldamperwillpreventtheheadfromvibratinginwards,cuttingthevibrationsinadead
stop.Ontheotherhand,anexternaldamperwillcuthighovertonesbylettingtheheadreactinanaturalbut
controlledway.

Thebassdrum.

Apartfromjazzmusic(andthenagain),themajorityofthedrummersusedampersintheirbassdrums.Theuse
ofthesesystemsmakesitpossibletocontroltheresonancetoagreaterorlessereffectandtocutcertain
frequencies.Someofthesedampersaremountedatthesametimeasthedrumheads.

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Theeasiestwayistofoldasmallcover,atowelorasmallfeatherpillow,andtoplaceitintheinteriorofthe
bassdrumsothatitslightlytouchesthehead.Afteryouwillneedtotestthingsalittlebit.Youhavethechoice
toplaceitisagainstthebatterheadwhichwillincreasetheattackofthebeater;againsttheresonanthead,
whichwillcutresonance;orbothheads,whichwillincreasetheattackofthebeater,focusresonanceand
decreasethetotalvolumeofthebassdrum.ThesameideaalsoexistswiththefamousEQPadsmadebyEvans
forexample.

Thereexisttwootherkindsofinternaldampers;thefirstisquitesimplyafeltband.Installthefeltband
diagonallyfromonepointtoanotheronthedrumsbearingedge.Thebandismaintainedinplacebythe
pressureoftheheadonthebearingedge.Ifnecessaryitshouldbetightenedwhentheheadistuned.Itisnot
advisedtopositionthebandrightbanginthecenterofthehead,becausethiswillremovethelowfrequencies,
reducingthesoundtoasimpleslap.Youcanalsoinstalloneontheresonanthead,andoneortwoonthebatter
head.Youwillobtainamediumhalfopensound,withpresentbutcontrolledovertones.

ThesecondiscalledaMuff'lmadebyRemo.Itisaplasticringwithacircularfoamband.Placetheringon
thebearingedgeandthenfittheheadoverit.Thefoambandisthussandwichedbetweentheringandthehead.
Itisanexcellentsolutionforcuttinghighovertoneswhichcomefromedgeofthehead.Theresultisalow
pitchedandprecisesound,fullofpunch.Manydrummershaveadoptedit.

Torquewrenches.

Therearedynamometricdrumkeytorquewrenches.Thesedrumkeysmeasurethetensionexertedoneach
tuninglug.Allyouhavetodoisturnthekeytothedesiredtension,whichisindicatedbyanumberandthatis
it.

Wellthen,youareprobablyallsaying,athingwhichinstantlytunesyourdrums,whydidInotsaythatearlier
andhowcomeeverydrummerdoesnothaveone?

Becauseatorquewrenchdoesnothingbutmeasurethetensionofthetuninglug,notitsnote.However,itisthe
noteoftheheadwhichismostimportantthing,notitstension.Itmaybethattheheadisproperlytuned,
withoutallthetuninglugshavingexactlythesametension.

Anydrummerworthhis/hersaltmustbeabletotunetheirdrumswithanordinarydrumkey.Mostofthe
torquewrenchesavailableonthemarketarejustgadgets.AsJackyBourbasquetPichardchiefofSonorFrance
saidsowell;withakey,yourthumbandindexfingerandyourearsyouhaveallthatyouneedtotuneyour
drumset.

Thiskeydoesnotcomefromafairytalebook,youwillalwayshavealittlebitofmanualadjustmenttomake,
tomakesurethatyouhavethesamenoteoppositeeachtuninglug.

Ontheotherhand,thetorquewrenchcanbeaninvaluablehelponceyouknowhowtotuneyourdrumset
properlywithanordinarykey.Fromthereyoucanusethetorquewrenchtomeasuretherelativetensionof
eachtuninglugandtonoteitdownsomewhere.(PersonallyInoteitdirectlyontothedrumheadoppositeeach
tuninglugwithamarker).Thenwhenyouwanttotuneyourdrumsquickly,youonlyhavetoturnthetorque

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 Howtotuneyourdrumset.12

wrenchtothenumber.Andthatisthebeautyofatorquewrench,thetimeyousave!Ifyounotethevarious
tensionsofeachheadandeachdrumyoucantuneallyoursetinrecordtimetaking20minutesratherthan2
hours!

Moreover,whichisanenormousadvantage;younotneedtotalsilencetotuneyourdrums,whichyouwill
appreciateifyouhavetotuneyourdrumsduringasoundcheck!

ThebestsellersaretheEvanskeys,orMmoklbyProOrca,whicharenotveryexpensive.PersonallyIfind
themabitlimited,becausethegraduationsgoonlyfrom1to10,soyoudonnothavemuchchoice.

AbetterchoiceistheNearyDrumTorque.Thiskeyisequippedwithgraduationsgoingfrom1to25what
representsarangeofbroadertuning.Forme,itrepresentsthebestcompromisebetweenquality/price.

TamamanufacturestheTensionWatch,whichisnotakeyitself,butatoolwhichmeasuresthetensionofthe
head,butitisfragile(youshouldnotletitfallapparently)andratherexpensive.

Somemoretechnicalideas.

Drums.

Therearemanyfactorswhichinfluenceonthesoundofadrumofdrumset.

1.Thematerialusedforthedrum.

Themanufacturersusethreematerialsdifferenttobuilddrums.Metal(steelorcopper),wood(birchor
mapleprimarily)orcompositematerials(plasticorresin)
Eachmaterialhasitsowncharacteristics.Formetal,steelhasacuttingandhighpitchedsound;copperhas
awarmermoremediumsound.Forwood,birchhasacuttingandhighpitchedsound,maplehasarounder
soundwithmorebody.Compositematerialhasaneutralsound.

2.Thebearingedge.

Afterthematerialused,thebearingedgeisthemostimportantpartofadrum.Itisthecontactpoint
betweentheheadandthedrum.Thebearingedgemustbeperfectlyflat,andcutto45.Sometimesthe
manufacturerschangethisanglewhichwillincreaseordecreasetheovertones.Youcanseeitifyoulookatthe
bearingedgeonthesidesnareofthesnaredrum.Thebearingedgeisslightlyflatterwhereatthesnarescontact
point;thisistohelpcontroltheresonanceofthesnares.

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 Howtotuneyourdrumset.13

Peau=head.Collier=collar.Chanfrein=bearingedge.Ft=shell.

3.Depth.

Thedepthofadrumhasaninfluenceonthesounditmakes.Forexampletrytoimaginetwoidentical
drums,butwithdifferentdepths.Ashortdrumwillproduceahighpitchedsoundwithafastattackandarapid
response,butitwillbenotverypowerful.Alongdrumwillproducealowerpitchedsoundwithmorebodyand
power,butontheotherhanditwillhavelessattack.

Forthesnaredrum,thedepthvariesbetween3and8inches,amodelof5or6inchesandhalfbeingthe
industrystandard.

Thetomsandthebassdrumexistinstandard(short)orpower(longer)depths,thepowersizeisin
generaltwoincheslongercomparedtothestandardsize.SincetheEighties,thepowersizehasbecamethe
norm.Finallythereareintermediatedepths,(aninchshortercomparedtothe"powersize),whichreconcilesat
thesametimetheattackversuslowfrequenciesdebate.(ForexampleDWandPremier).

4.Thediameter.

"ElementarymydearWatson";asmalldiameterdrumwillproduceahighpitchedsound;alargediameter
drumwillproducealowpitchedsound.

5.Thethickness.

Adrumisbuiltbygluingtogetherpliesofthinwood.Accordingly,thenumberofwoodenpliesstuck
togetherwillmakeforadrumwhichismoreorlessthick.Fortheexample,youshouldtrytoimaginetwo
identicaldrumsbutwithdifferentthicknesses.Athindrum(letussay5mm)willproducemorelowmedium
andlowfrequencies.Athickdrum(letussay9mm)willproducemorehighmediumsandhighpitched
frequencies.

6.Density.

Thedensityofadrumdependsonthenumberofwoodsheetsusedforitsconstruction.Fortheexample
youshouldtrytoimaginetwodrumsthesamethickness,let'ssay7mm.Thefirstdrumiscomposedof7plies
of1mm,andthesecondof10pliesof0.7mm.Thefirstislessdenseandwillproducemorelowmedium
frequencies;thesecondisdenserandwillproducemorehighpitchedfrequencies.Thenumberofpliesdefines
thedensityofthedrum.

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 Howtotuneyourdrumset.14

So,ifyouhaveunderstood,thesoundofadrumdependsonmanyfactors,accordingtothenaturewood,its
depth,thethickness,itsdensityetc.Allthemajormanufacturersproposedrumsetsmadetomeasure,where
youcanchooseyourdrums"lacarte".Forexample,Sonorwiththeir"Designer"series.OnoneoccasionIgot
toplayonaDesigner,andthesoundwasquitesimplystaggering.A14inchfloortomsoundedlikeacannon!
Itwasunbelievable!Theothersideofthecoinisthattheydonotsellthetalentwithit!

Hardware.

1.Lugs.

Onadrumsetthenumberoftuninglugsinfluencestheprecisionofthetuning.Generallythehighand
mediumtomshave6tuninglugs,thefloortoms8,andbassdrum8or10.Thetuninglugsonthesnaredrums
varyfrom6and12,with8or10tuninglugsbeingthestandard.Themoretuninglugstherearethemorethe
tuningisprecise.Buttheothersideofthecoinis,themoretuninglugstherearethemoredifficultitistotune!

2.Hoops.

Forthetomsandthesnaredrum,thehoopsaremadeoutofsteel.Therearetwokinds,casthoopsandthe
spunhoops.Acasthoopwillproducemoreattack,morelowmediumsandmorepower.Youwillfindthemon
mediumandtopoftherangedrumsets.Themajorityofthecheaperdrumsetsareequippedwithspunhoops.
Therearetwothicknesses,normalorthick(super,powerormegahoop)accordingtothemanufacturer.

Forthebassdrumtherearethreekindsofhoops;steel,woodorcompositematerial.Asteelhoopwill
produceahighersound,awoodenhoopwillproduceasoundwithmorelowmediums,andahoopmadeof
compositematerialwillproduceasoundwithmoreattackandwillbealittlebitmoreprecisewhenyoutune.

3.Suspendedtomsandsilentblocks.

SuspendedtomsexistsincetheEighties,withthefamousRimswhichwerethefirstonthemarket.The
ideaissimple,thelessstuffyouputonthedrumthemoreitresonates.Toensuremaximumresonancethetom
holderisnolongermountedonthedrumandthetomarmnolongergoesthroughthedrumshell.Therearetwo
solutions,eitherthetomholderisassembledonthehoop(RIMSorTamaStarcast)orthetomholderis
assembledonarailattachedbetweentwoshells(Sonor).

A"silentblockisquitesimplyathinrubberstripplacedbetweenthenutboxesandtheshell.Thiseliminates
anydirectcontactbetweenwoodandmetalwhichcansometimesgenerateparasitefrequencies.Thedrumhas
optimalresonance.

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 Howtotuneyourdrumset.15

Endpiece.

Ihighlyrecommendyoutotakealookatthissite.Ittrulydeservesthenameof"DrumTuningBible"!

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

IthoughtthatIknewalotofstuffabouttuningdrum,butwhatIreadexceedsalltheinformationofallthe
othersitesofwholeplanetputtogether!ThankyouMr.J.ScottJohnson!

IwouldalsolikemakeapointofthankingandtoquoteMr.JackyBourbasquetPichard,productmanagerfor
SonorFrance,forhisinvaluabletechnicaldocument,whichwasofgreathelptome.

RufusO'Callaghan.11052008.http://www.rufusbatterie.comhttp://www.rufusdrums.com