Drum tuning

[undeadfred1]

how do you all tune your resonant heads? tight or loose?

[TheArchitect]

same as batter head.

[Gretsch09]

The purpose of a resonant head is to create resonance, right? It makes pretty good sence to tune it slightly higher so that the sound has something a bit more firm to bounce off of. Tuning them the same as the batter works for sure, but if you want the drum to sing a bit longer, tune it a 1/4 turn higher on the bottom. That works well for me.

[larryace]

I'm firmly in the reso head tighter than the batter head camp. I think drums sounds tubby when the reso is the same or looser. In addition the reso head note has to ring in the same scale as the batter head to sound pleasing.

I use a drum dial, batters 75 resos 83, and then fine tune by ear. I make sure the batter and reso notes don't clash, they must ring on 2 of the triad of notes that make a chord

[undeadfred1]

thanks for the input, i just upgraded from a old rockstar, pretty much sounded ok no matter how i tuned it, im playing a ocdp avalon kit and it is a bit more tricky to get in tune.

[MadJazz]

how do you all tune your resonant heads? tight or loose?

Low if you want low-pitched sustain, high for high sustain.

I make sure the batter and reso notes don't clash, they must ring on 2 of the triad of notes that make a chord

And how do you figure out the note of one head without setting the other off?

If you mute the opposite head, you'll only hear the head's tone, which is completely different than when the shell resonates. The only way to tune to a note is to tune each head separately while the other is off and note down the tension, then bring each head to that tension. Without a drum dial, it's impossible to tune each head to a clear note.

[Wavelength]

If you mute the opposite head, you'll only hear the head's tone, which is completely different than when the shell resonates. The only way to tune to a note is to tune each head separately while the other is off and note down the tension, then bring each head to that tension. Without a drum dial, it's impossible to tune each head to a clear note.

Yeah; that's the reason why I always tune my guitar one string at a time, taking the rest off the instrument -- muting the other strings totally changes the pitch of the one I'm trying to tune...

[Boomka]

If you mute the opposite head, you'll only hear the head's tone, which is completely different than when the shell resonates.

The pitch of the head does not change. The pitch of the membrane is not effected by the shell material, but by the tension it is under. The timbre may change, but that's a different issue.

I have absolutely no problem tuning to - for instance - a minor third interval between batter and resonant heads, with remarkably similar results each time, given the same drum.

[RollingStone000]

Without a drum dial, it's impossible to tune each head to a clear note.

I wouldn't say that it's impossible. It'll take a whole lot longer. A drum dial along with some fine tuning by ear will get you close, but not perfect to a particular note. But you can tune with out a drum dial as long as you have a reference pitch, but again it'll probably take you three times as long to get as close as possible to that note.

[MadJazz]

Yeah; that's the reason why I always tune my guitar one string at a time, taking the rest off the instrument -- muting the other strings totally changes the pitch of the one I'm trying to tune...

Trying to be funny? Must be some misplaced Finnish humour. I've heard a lot of Fins become cynical due to the climate.

A guitar doesn't have overtones and a drum doesn't hold a clear pitch. If it would, you'd play a drum within one key only.

The pitch of the head does not change. The pitch of the membrane is not effected by the shell material, but by the tension it is under. The timbre may change, but that's a different issue.

I have absolutely no problem tuning to - for instance - a minor third interval between batter and resonant heads, with remarkably similar results each time, given the same drum.

A free-resonating drum sounds very different than a head. The head on its own sounds much higher than with the shell. So how can you discern a clearn pitch with the opposite head and shell interfering?

If you listen closely, there are a lot of pitches; there's the pitch from one head, then from the other head, the rims are in a different pitch, there's a shell pitch, then there's the initial attack pitch, the sustain changing pitch over time... So which pitch are you talking about and how have you learnt to discern that one pitch from all the rest?

[Boomka]

The opposite head doesn't interfere if it is A) absent or B) prevented from vibrating.

Striking the head you want to hear at a low volume will not excite the shell enough to make a difference. The fundamental pitch of the head is clearly discernible using those incredible devices found on either side of most people's skulls.

Not to be glib, but for the purposes of tuning a drum, the pitches of the heads can be recognised with more than enough clarity. Simply tap the drum lightly a couple of inches from the rim, and if you're concerned about overtones blocking the fundamental pitch, very, very, very lightly rest a finger in the center of the head, without pushing down enough to alter the pitch.

The pitch of the shell can be found by removing the hardware and tapping the shell. Tuning your heads in sympathy with the fundamental of the shell can produce greater sustain, etc. However, experimentation can produce similar results without having to take your drums apart.

Frankly, if you need to be any more exact about the pitch of your drumheads than that procedure will get you, you are involved in a kind of drum tuning that I've never had any need for. I think you'll find that plenty of top level players (not including myself in that catagory, mind) get supreme drum sounds with a very similar method. We have to be careful not to make things too complicated.

[jjmason777]

I tune my resonant heads a perfect fourth higher than the batter. No dampening. Sounds great to my ears.

[larryace]

I have no problem discrening notes. I lay the drum on a carpet, lightly touch the exact center of the head with my index finger, and with the drumstick tip, lightly tap an inch away from all the tension rods, adjusting slightly until they all sing the same note.
When both reso and batter heads are in tune with themselves, I then tap the batter, flip it over, and tap the reso, (still using my fingertip on the center) and if they don't sing within the same "chord", I re-tension one of the heads until the batter and reso notes work together as a team instead of vibrating at uncomplimentary frequencies.
But I found that with my drum dial tensioned to 75 on batters and 83 on resos then ear tune to finish, it always ends up pleasing. (drum size doesn't matter, I use those same settings on every tom including floors)
To me the shell note is inconsequential. I admit I am speculating here, but I would think that the shell note would change with the varying tension of the heads anyway, so tapping the shell without heads on it to me is a waste of time. But again I am speculating about that.
I spent hundreds of hours tuning drums over the years, I am a stickler for a properly tuned drum, and the drum dial takes most of the work out of it as far as getting them to the specific range where I like them. I would think pitch pipes would be useful too, I'll have to pick one of them up next time I go to GC.

[aaajn]

Trying to be funny? Must be some misplaced Finnish humour. I've heard a lot of Fins become cynical due to the climate.


did I miss something here?

[theindian]

Not to be glib
.
Ironically glib is my word of the week..... people don't seem to use it very much.

Anyways, back to drum tuning. I tried a new tuning this week on my toms with the intervals of 3,2,4. So basically the 18" 14" & 12" toms are tuned to a minor triad and the 10" is a fourth higher than the 12. The reso heads are the same interval apart from each other but a minor third higher than the batter.

[bobdadruma]

I use clear Diplomats under clear Ambassadors. Dips at 80 on the DD, and Amb's at 75. Of course I fine tune by ear. Toms are 12x8, 14x10, and 16x16. I like the high sustained sound that the Dip's and Amb's provide. The 2 inch increments of my rack toms give good diversity of sound between the drums. I sometimes put a muffle ring on the square floor tom for songs that require riding or playing a repeating riff on the floor tom.
After I make the initial tensions with the Drum Dial, I always wind up loosening my resos and tightening my batters until the drum starts to produce the tone that I want. That is the fine tuning that I do. I start with the resos tighter and the batters looser, I kind of meet in the middle somewhere.
My 14 inch tom likes to be kept slightly tighter on both heads that my other toms. Thats just the way that that drum is. You have to find the "happy place" for each drum individually!

[ChipJohns]

bobdadruma mentions the type of heads he uses too.

Just like a guitarist's choice of the type of strings, or the type of amp and speakers, to produce a specific sound. Our drums are the main component of the sound we get. The actual timbre produced by the shells. The batter head can produce a variety of sounds depending on the kind we use. Likewise, the type of reso head has an impact on the sound as well.

The heads we use need to work together. Not only how tight we crank them. I have found that often, the type batter head I use, is a big factor on how I am going to tune the reso head. And, the the type of head I use for the reso side also is a factor.

For some situation I used to use (batter) remo black dots, and matched these with (reso) Evans Hydraulic heads. In this situation I tended to tune the resos a bit looser than my batter heads.

First, You need to know the range and quality your drums can produce. Then, depending on the the sound you're after, and the venues you play, choose your heads appropriately.

It takes a bit of time and effort, (and money,) but experimenting with different heads and different head combinations, is the first factor before trying to figure out the best head tensions.

in other words: the tension on our heads is going to be different depending on the drums they are on and the combination of heads we are using. there are general guidelines, but, experimentation is the only way to find your best solutions/preferences.

[MadJazz]

The opposite head doesn't interfere if it is A) absent or B) prevented from vibrating.

Striking the head you want to hear at a low volume will not excite the shell enough to make a difference. The fundamental pitch of the head is clearly discernible using those incredible devices found on either side of most people's skulls.

Not to be glib, but for the purposes of tuning a drum, the pitches of the heads can be recognised with more than enough clarity. Simply tap the drum lightly a couple of inches from the rim, and if you're concerned about overtones blocking the fundamental pitch, very, very, very lightly rest a finger in the center of the head, without pushing down enough to alter the pitch.

The pitch of the shell can be found by removing the hardware and tapping the shell. Tuning your heads in sympathy with the fundamental of the shell can produce greater sustain, etc. However, experimentation can produce similar results without having to take your drums apart.

Frankly, if you need to be any more exact about the pitch of your drumheads than that procedure will get you, you are involved in a kind of drum tuning that I've never had any need for. I think you'll find that plenty of top level players (not including myself in that catagory, mind) get supreme drum sounds with a very similar method. We have to be careful not to make things too complicated.

The explanation is much appreciated, the irony is not.

[Drumjack]

Just a little bit moore loose than the batter. I think the stick response is better and i like that "booom"-Sound.

But may be this helps:

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

Greetings

Jack

[Boomka]

The explanation is much appreciated, the irony is not.

You're welcome and sorry.

[donv]

I use clear Diplomats under clear Ambassadors. Dips at 80 on the DD, and Amb's at 75. Of course I fine tune by ear. Toms are 12x8, 14x10, and 16x16. I like the high sustained sound that the Dip's and Amb's provide. The 2 inch increments of my rack toms give good diversity of sound between the drums. I sometimes put a muffle ring on the square floor tom for songs that require riding or playing a repeating riff on the floor tom.
After I make the initial tensions with the Drum Dial, I always wind up loosening my resos and tightening my batters until the drum starts to produce the tone that I want. That is the fine tuning that I do. I start with the resos tighter and the batters looser, I kind of meet in the middle somewhere.
My 14 inch tom likes to be kept slightly tighter on both heads that my other toms. Thats just the way that that drum is. You have to find the "happy place" for each drum individually!

It took awhile for someone to get around to it, but how you tune your drums depends on the heads you use and the sound your after. Also, acoustic drums need to be tuned to their environment. It drastically effects how they sound. The best example of this is to tune your drums in a small room and play them, then take them outside and see how they sound 10, 20 30, 40 etc. feet away. Then mic them, completely different considerations involved with tuning or the guy running the sound ultimately is tuning your drums.

[Wavelength]

A guitar doesn't have overtones and a drum doesn't hold a clear pitch.

Each and every sound you hear, be it a clear discernible pitch or not, comprises multiple frequencies sounding all at once. These are called harmonics or partials; the lowest fundamental frequency is usually the most pronounced and it determines the pitch of the sound; the upper partials (overtones) and their relative strengths determine the timbre of the sound. If an instrument didn't have overtones, it would sound something like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7D1f6U6TpU).

[bobdadruma]

It took awhile for someone to get around to it, but how you tune your drums depends on the heads you use and the sound your after. Also, acoustic drums need to be tuned to their environment. It drastically effects how they sound. The best example of this is to tune your drums in a small room and play them, then take them outside and see how they sound 10, 20 30, 40 etc. feet away. Then mic them, completely different considerations involved with tuning or the guy running the sound ultimately is tuning your drums.Thats the biggest mistake that most drummers make. Your heads are loose and from your throne they sound just like the album version of the song that you're playing. All that the audience hears is wet cardboard being thumped! They can't hear the batter ringing and the shell resonance of your drums. It took me a long time to realize this because I started playing long before there was an internet and places like DW to learn from.
I tune slightly high with thin heads so that my drums go over the bass and guitar. What sounds slightly high pitched to me is perfect to the listeners.
I always make a small tuning adjustment after the first set when the small club is full of people. I have someone hit my drums a few times and I listen from the audience, then I make an adjustment if needed.

[justjim]

A guitar doesn't have overtones and a drum doesn't hold a clear pitch. If it would, you'd play a drum within one key only.


Quick tech Note : A guitar has overtones, really any instrument that produces anything besides a pure sine has overtones.
Some chines are almost all overtones (with a very weak fundamental)

Guitars can be an interestingly rich problem b/c you usually have a compound resonator (the body with two bouts and bracing) working on a vibrator that changes (is stopped at different points) - so you get get different overtone series based on condition

on top of that, being a plucked (a form of percussion actually) instrument, the overtone series changes over time (not particularly unusual). At the initial attack, the sound is largely noise, the internal damping of the string then settles down
So there are all kinds of overtone games in a guitar.

(this along with a host of other problems has made guitar synthesis the difficult problem it has been for quite some time)

I think you might be thinking pitch definite v pitch indefinite -- really there we are talking about if the overtones are harmonically aligned (if they are, essentially, integer multiples - or imperfectly, low-whole number ratios)
Thing is, it's not a Boolean (yes/no) condition, but rather a whole continuum - it's more "how pitch definite is the sound" than it is or it isn't.


Interestingly when tuning, even a pitch definite instrument to a reference, much of what we key on isn't the pitches themselves, but the heterodyning (the "beating") between the reference and the pitch we are tuning

One additional thing to keep in mind - pitch itself is perceptual, not a physical quantity (the unit of pitch isn't Hz, it's the mel) and even that can be variable from person to person.

[donv]

This is from Wikipedia:

Timbre is the quality that gives the listener the ability to distinguish between the sound of different instruments. The timbre of an instrument is determined by which overtones it emphasizes. That is to say, the relative volumes of these overtones to each other determines the specific "flavor" or "color" of sound of that family of instruments. The intensity of each of these overtones is rarely constant for the duration of a note. Over time, different overtones may decay at different rates, causing the relative intensity of each overtone to rise or fall independent of the overall volume of the sound. A carefully trained ear can hear these changes even in a single note. This is why the timbre of a note may be perceived differently when played staccato or legato.


I guess this explains why drum tunings change with how hard you are playing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtone

Interesting thread Undeadfred1. Not glib at all. A bit ambiguous at times but not equivocating.

[MadJazz]

I'm firmly in the reso head tighter than the batter head camp. I think drums sounds tubby when the reso is the same or looser. In addition the reso head note has to ring in the same scale as the batter head to sound pleasing.

I use a drum dial, batters 75 resos 83, and then fine tune by ear. I make sure the batter and reso notes don't clash, they must ring on 2 of the triad of notes that make a chord

I think this is very true: both heads have to relate nicely to produce a pleasing tone. Usually that's by tuning them a minor/major 3rd, 4th or 5th apart.

To achieve this, I removed one head and tune the other to a pleasing tone. I think it would be more acurate to tune it to certain note, but I just tension it to a point where the drum sounds full. Then I note down the number of turns I tensioned the lugs. I guess a drum dial would be more effective.

Afterwards, I remove the head and do the same with the opposite side. Once I get a pleasant tone, I add the previous head and tension it to the point where it sounded full and pleasant.