Tuning The Drumset
Here at Adrums we've
received many questions on how to tune the drumset. The following instructions
are provided as a general foundation, which you can customize to achieve
your perfect drum sound.
TENSIONING TECHNIQUE
When putting on new heads or
reseating the current head, only finger tighten the tension rods at
first, making sure that there is even tension all around the drum by turning one
rod until it just touches the rim, do not crank it down, then, move to
the rod directly across from it, turning it the same way until it
just touches the rim.
Move to another rod and turn it the same
amount of times as the others, and then to the rod directly across from it and
turn that rod the same amount of times until it just touches the rim.
When you have finger tightened all the
rods there will still be a little "play" in the rim. At this point make sure
that all the rods are straight. Now, you can start using your drum key that was
provided with your new drumset. Turn one rod a quarter or half a turn,
that's all, then go to the rod directly across from the one you've just turned
and turn it the same way, no more, no less. Repeat this process until you have
turned all the tension rods once.
Now if the drum head is not as tight as
you would like, go around the drum again with your drum key in the same manner,
until the desired tension is achieved.
TUNING THE KIT - (5 Piece)
Starting with the bass drum, try to tune
the batter side (the side the bass drum pedal is on) as low as possible without
getting that "papery" sound. A nice low, round tone that resonates. If you have
a front head on your bass drum, tune it until you hear it match the batter side
in pitch. From there go to the floor tom. Use the same technique, tuning the
drum to a nice low tone without sounding "papery". Sometimes though, a floor tom
may sound lower than the bass drum. If you like it, leave it, if you want your
bass drum to be the lowest sound on your kit then bring up the pitch on the
floor tom a little. Then go to the middle tom (the second mounted tom, right
over the floor tom). Again using the above method, start with one rod and move
directly across the drum to the next rod and so on. Go to the small tom (the tom
mounted on the bass drum directly over the snare drum) and tune that drum the
same way as the others. The last drum to tune is the snare drum. Turn the snares
off. Use the same method of tuning until the desired tension/pitch is achieved.
As you tune from the bass drum up to the
snare drum you will notice that each drum is getting a little higher in pitch.
Now all the heads should be fairly tight and there should not be any ripples
around the edge of the heads. If you have ripples or bulges, you've turned one
rod more or less than the others. Just go to that area and make the adjustment.
Usually tightening one of the rods on either side of the ripple will correct the
problem.
FINE TUNING YOUR DRUMSET
If your playing rock and roll, the drums
tend to be tuned a little lower so you get that big cannon sound out of your
drums. If your playing jazz, then the drums will be tuned a little higher and
allowed to ring. Of course these are general recommendations, every style of
music has it's own sub-styles and some tunings for rock might fit some styles of
jazz. That's were you have to use your ears and do what you think sounds
best.
The batter side (the side you hit) of the
snare drum and two mounted toms should be tight enough so you get a good rebound
off the head, but not so tight that you're getting a "choked"
sound from the drum. Try to tune the top and bottom heads as close in pitch to
each other as possible. Don't worry about tuning to exact pitches as you would
if tuning tympani. The rebound off the floor tom depends on how low you've tuned
it. A lower floor tom will mean a less responsive stick. You will have to use
more wrist and fingers to articulate rhythms.
The method of tuning outlined here should
give you a good basis for getting the drum sound you want.
If you have any further questions about
tuning, or have any other questions regarding drums, drumming, and percussion
feel free to write and ask. Adrums Music is always glad to help when we can.
Have fun, and don't ever stop drumming
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