Tune Toms to Be Punchy but Short?

[anotheruser]

Can anyone tell me some basics of tuning?

I know there are egons of links and help on the internet but I just want to know some basic answers

If I want my toms to be less resonating and more "short" in the sound they produce, but still be punchy - do I need to alter the "bottom" skin? Every time I tighten up the top "hitting" skin, it alters the note of the tom, which isn't the desired effect.

Thanks

 

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Yes. You also need to tune the bottom (called a resonant....or "reso") head.

Both heads need to have even tension across them and to do this you tune them individually. But the tuning for both heads should compliment each other.

I'd suggest you read through some of those links as they are exceptionally helpful for learning the process. After that, it comes down to practice. You learn by doing and you figure out what works for you by experimenting.

 

[Stroman]

PFOG is on the money with his advice. Basically, if you want a short punchy note the best way to get there is to tune the resonant head quite tight and the batter head fairly loose. The two notes should compliment one another. For example, the reso head may be anywhere from a minor third to a fifth above the batter head. Maybe even more. It takes practice, though, to learn to hear all the overtones, separate out the fundamental pitch of the head, and get a fairly pure matched pitch at each lug.

Another trick, if you've tuned this way and the note is still not as short as you'd like, is to detune just one lug on the batter head until you get the desired effect.

 

[Lovetadraw]

Depending on what you are looking for, you could just go without he bottom head. Aside from that, go with the tuning methods already mentioned.

 

[Andy]

PFOG is on the money with his advice. Basically, if you want a short punchy note the best way to get there is to tune the resonant head quite tight and the batter head fairly loose. The two notes should compliment one another. For example, the reso head may be anywhere from a minor third to a fifth above the batter head. Maybe even more. It takes practice, though, to learn to hear all the overtones, separate out the fundamental pitch of the head, and get a fairly pure matched pitch at each lug.

Yes, this is exactly what to do. I don't want to blind you with science, but there's a balancing act between cutting down head sustain (what you call resonating), & cutting down shell resonance (that's the short big note you hear when you hit the drum). Tightening the reso head vs. the top head will shorten the head sustain, but do it too much, & the drum's resonance will be reduced in length, & that takes punch out of the sound. As other have said, experiment, & you can tighten that reso head higher than you think.