The Art of Tuning a Drum

or

Why Does It Go Thud?

by Muffinhed

I was asked to put together a guide to drum tuning. Why me? I dunno. I have 18 years experience and the time to write this guide. Good enough. While veteran drummers may not find many new tips in this file, newer drummers or drummers that don't have access to other drummers may find this article interesting.

Most of the information contained within this guide is pretty much common knowledge in the drum world. LOTS of drummers will argue certain points that they don't agree with. It's all a matter of taste and preference. No two drummers do the same thing exactly the same way.

This article is broken down into the basic areas of drum sound tweaking. Because of the vast amount of information that would be introduced by including studio drum tuning tips, I've decided to focus only on live drums with or without mics.

There are a few charts included. I found this the easiest way to communicate certain types of information. If I mention a brand name, it's just to give an example and NOT an endorsement. Some names are clearly a product of my imagination.

Key to terms used in text

"studio" head: e.g. Pinstripe, hydraulic
"plain" head: e.g. coated Ambassador, clear Diplomat

(These are only examples and are in no way limits of which heads should be used for the given situations.)

HEAD SELECTION

Choosing the right head for you is as personal as choosing the right stick or what kind of underwear to buy. It depends on which drum it will be used on, whether or not you use mics, what kind of music you play, environments the heads will be used in (small clubs, stadiums), and on and on. Don't go out and buy a full set of Basher SheetMetal-Dot heads just because your favorite drummer Rimshot Rackett uses or endorses them.

TYPES OF MUSIC

If you play only metal and use DC-10's, you'll need a 2-ply head or one with a thick dot. If you play big band and use brushes often, a coated medium or thin head will be needed.

TO MIC OR NOT TO MIC

Mics not only amplify a drum, but also change its tone and duration. If you do NOT use mics on toms and snares and you like a wide open sound, you'll need a "plain" head that will NOT muffle it too much. A "plain" head will give your drums more life. Using a "studio" head without mics in a high- volume situation is asking for your drums to get lost in a wall of guitars.

If you DO use mics, a "studio" head will make your soundman happy. A "plain" head may introduce strange overtones in the sound system that love to feed back into your mics. But of course, a good soundman can work with a live, resonant drum and have it come out sounding like it should without worrying about feedback.

WHICH DRUM

Bass drums don't demand much from a head other than durability. While each type of head will sound slightly different on a bass, it's unlikely that your listeners will notice your new eighty-dollar ThunderWhack batter head.

Toms and snares ARE picky when it comes to heads. You snare may love a Silver Dot -- your toms may hate them. An average drummer may hit his/her snare thirty times to every hit on a tom. If you find your snare head is filled with pits after only one night's use but your toms are smooth, you need a different type of head on your snare for your style of playing.

If you still can't figure out which type of head is right for your sound, try listening to other drummers play their sets. Listen to the overall sound of their drums as well as the sound of the heads. If you like it, see what they're using.

ONE HEAD OR TWO

Some drummers swear by one head on their toms or basses. Most drummers use double-headed toms. It's all a matter of the kind of sound you're looking for. Single-headed toms tend to be a little thinner than a double-headed drum. (For a good recorded example of single vs. double, listen to some Rush albums before Neil started using two heads on his 6", 8", and 10" toms, then listen to _Presto_. His newer double-headed small toms have a bit more sweetness.)

Double-headed toms are not that much harder to tune than single-headed toms. It just takes a bit more time. Some drummers say to tune the bottom head slightly different from the top. This will deaden the drum's overall sound while, at the same time, broadening its tone. Two medics carrying a stretcher will do a much better job if both are moving at the same speed. Medics? Let me explain.

Let's say you have the bottom head tuned higher than the top head. You hit the drum, which causes the top head to push the air down, which in turn moves the bottom head downward. So, both heads are vibrating. But, on some of the oscillations, the top head is pushing the air down while the bottom head is pushing it up, hence, lessening the distance each head will travel. While this technique isn't wrong, it does have an effect on the sound. If you find your toms "way too ringy," by all means, try this technique.

Bass drums also sound different depending on the presence of a front head. Single-headed bass drums will be somewhat quicker, but with less low end. I don't advise using a bass drum without a mic unless your conditions don't require or demand one. Seventy-five percent of the time, people dancing to a live rock band are subconsciously feeling the pulse of the bass drum. If your bass drum doesn't create a worthwhile vibration, the dancers won't have much fun. Oops, I'm drifting.

TUNING

The only way to be a good tuner is to tune -- a lot! First off, you have to decide what kind of sound you are trying to achieve. If you want a gigantic, full-bodied, booming tom sound, but your largest tom is a 14" Roto-Tom and you don't use mics, you won't get it. If you want an attention- getting big band sound, but you're using hydraulic heads on huge power toms, you won't get it.

I'll start this section by explaining how to tune a drum, step by step, from the ground up. First, an ugly ASCII illustration describing the order in which tension rods should be tightened or loosened:

(Tension rods are marked by "*".)

                     Six lugs                  Eight lugs

                    1       3                   1     7
                     *_____*                    *_____*
                     /     \                    /     \
                    /       \               6 */       \* 3
                6 *|         |* 5             |         |
                    \       /               4 *\       /* 5
                     \_____/                    \_____/
                     *     *                    *     *
                    4       2                   8     2

                    Ten lugs                  Twelve lugs

                      1   8                      1   5
                      *___*                      *___*
                  6 */     \* 3             12 */     \* 9
                    /       \               8 */       \* 3
                9 *|         |*10             |         |
                    \       /               4 *\       /* 7
                  4 *\_____/* 5             10 *\_____/* 11
                      *   *                      *   *
                      7   2                      6   2

The idea is to keep the tension as even as possible around the head, much like tightening the lug nuts when changing a wheel on a car.

Before mounting the head, check the bearing edge for roughness or bumps. It should be smooth to the touch. Look across it from one side. It should be uniform in height. If not, consult a MASTER woodworker.
Lay the head on the shell, mount the rim, and screw each tension rod in finger-tight. With a drum key, tighten each rod one full turn (360 degrees).
If you're using an old head OR a Kevlar head, skip to step 4. Set your drum on the floor (on carpet to protect the bottom of the the shell) and stand on the head. If you're a heavy person or if the head or shell is very delicate, just sit on the head. Now bounce up and down *slightly* for for a couple minutes. You'll hear cracks and pops as you "seat" the head onto your bearing edge and as the resin used to hold the head into its bead cracks into shape. Slam the edge of your fist into the head about 20 times. This will pre-stretch the head so it won't go out of tune as quickly at first.
Tighten each rod about another full turn. Most of the wrinkles should be gone at this point. If not, tighten each rod a quarter turn until the head is smooth. The head should now produce some sort of tone when struck.
Tap the head at the edge beside each lug. If the pitch is slightly lower at one lug, tighten that rod until it matches the two points next to it. Repeat until the same pitch is heard all the way around the head. Getting the head IN TUNE now will make it easier to tune when you finally tighten it up to the desired pitch.
Tighten each lug a quarter turn and check the overall pitch. Repeat until the desired pitch is found.
One last time, tap around the edge and fix any inconsistencies in the tuning of the head.
If you use double headed drums, repeat with the bottom head.

Getting the bottom head of a tom to match the top head takes a little extra work. The easiest way to hear the pitch of each head at a time is to muffle one head while tapping softly on the other, then switch.

Snare drums are a bit different. Basically, the more tension you give the snare-side head, the better snare response you'll get. Tuning snare drums takes a lot of experimentation for each drummer.

MUFFLING

For the most part, proper tuning techniques can eliminate the need for muffling. Before you plaster your heads with duct tape, towels, or Dead Ringers, try these tried-and-true techniques. Using loose, floppy heads with tons of muffling will leave you with an expensive set of cardboard boxes. (Refer to early Billy Joel or Eagles albums for examples of really gross drum sounds.) Bass guitars love to drown out a fat, dead snare.

Detune one rod or two adjacent rods on the batter head about a quarter to a half turn. One of my early drum instructors called this "funky tuning." It became popular in the '70s when funk was thriving.
Increase or decrease the pitch of the bottom head. This is described above in the section ONE HEAD OR TWO.
Change to a "studio" head. They produce less overtones and result in a warm, wet sound.

If these tips don't help your drum or you don't like the results, you probably need to muffle it somehow. Use muffling VERY sparingly. Remember, what sounds good to you while you're playing may sound like crap at the other end of the room. Have someone beat on your drums along with the band so you can hear how they actually sound.

To get rid of a slight high-pitched ring, use a piece of duct tape. You may have to move the tape to different points on the head until you find the source of the ring.
To get rid of a really annoying ring or overtone:

Make a muffler out of tissue (Kleenex or napkins) and duct tape so it lies on the batter head without being stuck to it. Tape it to the rim. It should bounce slightly when you whack the head. (Being highly creative, we drummers have aptly named these "maxi pads.")
Make a donut out of an old head. Don't waste money on commercial versions. Find an old head the same diameter as the head you need to muffle. Cut around the edge removing only the rim, but leaving the edge flat. Now cut a smaller circle out of the inside piece. The donut should be about 3/4" to 1" wide. Place it on top of the drum's head. If the donut flies off at inopportune moments, affix it to the head with SMALL pieces of duct tape stuck to the rim.

I do NOT recommend the following types of muffling for toms and snares:

Filling the drum with toilet paper.
Plastering the head with huge maxi pads.
Using the internal mufflers on some drums. (Remove these to prevent weird noises and buzzes.)
Taping lyric sheets onto a head.

While bass drums should be heavily muffled, it can be overdone. Filling the drum half full is too much.

SAMPLE TUNINGS OF FAMOUS DRUMMERS

This section is included only to give examples of the results of the various techniques described above, not so you can magically sound like some multi-platinum drummer who has LOTS of expensive equipment and hires people to polish the Jack Daniels off of his hardware. Also, these are not quotes, but learned observations.

Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, most any big band drummer

Snare: With the snares off, the drum should sound like a medium-pitched timbale with lots of ring and overtones. With the snares on, the *slightest* tap of the stick should produce a crisp snare sound.
Bass: A "small marching bass" best describes a big band bass drum. The only muffling is usually a couple felt strips stretched across the inside of both heads.
Toms: They should sing! Overtones are welcome here.

Stewart Copeland

Snare: Same as Gene Krupa but twice as tight. The classic plywood batter head -- snare head almost as tight.
Bass: Sorta tight, but still deep. Normal rock muffling.
Toms: Same as Gene Krupa but twice as tight. Both heads tuned to the same pitch. No muffling. The extra tension will negate any need for muffling. It will also make the head last longer and harder to break.

Lars Oilrig (yeah, I know)

Snare: Sorta loose. Muffled a bit with a donut. The snare head should be tighter than the batter head so it doesn't buzz mushily.
Bass: Just tighter than wrinkled. Lots of muffling. (Wooden or plastic beater to get that classic "crack!" attack.)
Toms: You definitely need power toms to get his depth. Heavy heads like Emperor's or Pinstripes. Tuned to the lowest pitch possible before deadness sets in.

Neil Peart

Snare: Same as Gene Krupa but not so much ring, slightly tighter.
Bass: Same as Stew -- pretty much. A little deeper.
Toms: Well-tuned to the drums' preference. Each drum shell has its favorite pitch where it will resonate most. Find it and don't muffle it. Bottom head same as top.

Dave Weckl

Snare: Looser than medium, whatever that means. Snare head is about the same as batter head, slightly tighter. Maybe a donut or small maxi pad. (Actually, Dave has been using many other snare drums and sounds since I first wrote this article.)
Bass: Same as Neil.
Toms: As explained in his video _Back To Basics_, he tunes them just so the wrinkles are gone, then detunes a lug or two. His bottom heads may be a tiny bit looser than the batter heads.

THAT'S ABOUT IT

Happy drumming! :)