A different DrumDial question

Zickos

Gold Member
Has anyone used a DrumDial on tympani? I drug my kettles out for a Palm Sunday gig and found them to be out of tune. Can I use a DrumDial on them? How effective is it?
 
Yes. I saw drum dials used on timpani before I saw them used on drums kits. I don't think it was the DrumDial brand though, I just knew it as a timpanic pressure measurer...
 
It says on the website or paper that comes with it that it is good for timpani tuning even during a performance. Just make sure you get the dial setting that sounds good for the notes you want. It's not perfect, but it'll save you a bunch of time in the end.
 
Well, I tried it. I have two old Ludwig tymps, circa 1930's (?). One tuned more easily tha the other, but both got in tune very nicely. The DD is good only for getting the head in tune with itself. I set the fundamental on each drum and tuned the heads. Then I reset the fundamental so they were in the proper range. I have a 28" and a 25" (told you they were old) and I had to detune the fundamental on the larger drum because I needed an Eb and it only goes to F, but it worked. Now I am waiting for the next rehearsal to see how I did.
 
Well, I tried it. I have two old Ludwig tymps, circa 1930's (?). One tuned more easily tha the other, but both got in tune very nicely. The DD is good only for getting the head in tune with itself. I set the fundamental on each drum and tuned the heads. Then I reset the fundamental so they were in the proper range. I have a 28" and a 25" (told you they were old) and I had to detune the fundamental on the larger drum because I needed an Eb and it only goes to F, but it worked. Now I am waiting for the next rehearsal to see how I did.

Eb is pushing the limit a bit on a 28". I'd consider F the lowest practical note on most 28"ers. A better option may be to tune the Eb on the 25".

As for the drum dial on timp, that was the main reason I bought the Tama tension watch years ago, I think it came first. It's a useful tool to double check your ears when balancing heads.
 
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