Howdy,
For all you guys who are struggling with tuning toms, I have a few tips that I've learned over my 30+ year career, along with some things shared to me by several well known artists. I’ll assume that you know the basics of tuning, putting a head on the drum and making sure the lug points on the head are all tuned to the same pitch, that stuff. Ok, here goes. First of all, I see a lot of posts about drummers using hydraulic oil filled heads, or heads that have duct tape or foam insulation taped on them, etc. Heads such as these are rarely, if at all used by professionals in live or recording settings. As a start, try to find what heads your favorite artist uses and see if they work for you. Experiment until you find what you like. Most of the time, well known drummers play their drums wide open with no muffling (with the exception of the bass drum). With that being said, here are tips that I have found to be used by most professionals I have come in contact with.
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Some drummers like to tune by ear, while others tune to specific notes. Both ways are acceptable, as long as the kit sounds good as a whole and you don't have any weird frequencies causing excessive snare buzz or fighting each other when you strike two drums at the same time. As far as head tension goes, most drummers either tune their top and bottom heads to the same pitch, or bottom head tighter. Bottom head looser is rarely used. Both heads tuned to the same pitch produces a pure, full tone. Bottom head tighter shortens the sustain a bit and gives a firmer surface for the sound to reflect off of and “throws the sound back up at you” so to speak. Different drums and materials sound different, you just have to experiment. Both heads tuned the same might sound good on a tom from one kit, but it might have too much resonance if it’s the same size tom from a kit made from a different material.
If you want to tune by notes and have your toms be tuned to specific intervals (thirds, fourths, fifths) buy a pitch pipe. It helps a lot and you’ll know that your heads will be in tune every time. If not, just go with whatever sounds good to your ear. Famous drummers who do tune by their ear still end up having their drums be a specific pitch, whatever that may be, they just don’t consciously tune to that same pitch every time.. Put the heads on your toms, tune them up way tighter than you would play them, making sure the lug points are all the same pitch, and let them sit overnight. This allows the heads to stretch and properly seat themselves on the bearing edge. Next, start with the top head and go around the drum loosening the lugs, pressing on the center of the head until you reach the desired pitch. Too tight and the head feels like a table top, too loose and the head feels to floppy. Once you find the desired pitch, do the same to the bottom head.
Now here’s the cool stuff. Once the toms are tuned to the pitch you like with both heads the same, see how the whole kit sounds together. If you are getting a lot of weird overtones and snare buzz and you’ve tweaked the tuning of the drums a bit and still have a problem, here’s my suggestion.
With a pitch pipe, find what note your floor tom is tuned to on the top head. Most floor toms that I have heard seem to sound good at a “B” or “C”. If both heads are tuned to say a B, the drum will sustain a lot and feel a tad mushy. If you tune the bottom head up three notes higher (a minor third) the sustain will be a bit less, and the drum will feel about right. My point is, try tuning the bottom heads of your toms a minor third higher on the bottom. It helps to control the amount of sustain, has a pitch relationship with the top head so you don’t have dissonance between the two heads, and gives the drum some life. Now, to reduce more unwanted overtones, you should get the drums in tune with themselves. If you have 2 inch differences between your toms (i.e. 10,12,14,16) your drums will probably lend themselves to be tuned a major third (four notes) or a fourth (five notes) apart. If your toms are not 2 inches apart and configured differently, go with an interval that’s appropriate. For instance if you have 12” and 13” toms, you may want to tune them a minor third apart. If your drums are say 10”,13” and 16” like mine, try tuning in fifths.
For the record, here are the tom sizes on my kit, the heads I use and how I tune them. If nothing else, it can be a point of reference, but every drummer that has played my kit, even some famous players, have loved the way they felt and sounded.
Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute Nouveau
10x7.5 tom
13x9 tom
16x14 tom
Heads are usually coated or clear ambassadors, sometimes coated or clear emperors.
NO MUFFLING!!!
The 10” tom has the top head tuned to a “B” and the bottom head a minor third higher to a “D”. The 13” tom has the top head tuned to an “F” and the bottom head a minor third higher to a “G#”. The 16” floor tom has the top head tuned to a “B” and the bottom head a minor third higher to a “D”. They sound and feel great, no overtones or snare buzz. Please post some comments if you try this technique, or if you just want to say stuff about it. Good luck and happy tuning!!