Practicing at home trying out different tunings

jimzo

Senior Member
I have always tried tuning to an arpeggio and have had very good success with this type of note separation between the toms.
With my recent *quiet-kit layout (*for practicing at home), the kick drum likes to live at a certain note when played. I am tuning around that. So,now instead of my usual arp tuning, I have discovered that I like how pentatonic tuning sounds when I practice.
 
I have had no luck with any precise tuning. I instead try to find the natural preferred note of each drum and that usually results in pleasant intervals, while making each drum sound at its best. It rarely matches up to any kind of recognizable piano scale.
No doubt that drum tuning is an art form within itself. There is no right or wrong; just that they sound and appeal differently to others. Truth is, not every musician is gifted with good ears. So we just throw money at it, hoping that our hardware and technique make up for it. :)

Using the bass drum as the root or the 1,
2nd floor tom - b7
1st floor tom - b3
then moving to the mounted tom - octave b7.
With 1 b3 4 5 b7, I am not utilizing the 4th or 5th, but will try using different pentatonic voicing's as I have a go at it, and what would sound good.
The cons are that I am using Silentstroke heads and have a mesh head on a 26" bass and it can only be stretched out soo much to pitch. That is why I started with the kick as the "1" or the key root note.
 
I'm a dirty rocker, so I let my kit tell me what it thinks it should be tuned at.

I like it, it gets compliments and it's a piece of cake to tune/swap heads.

I discovered recently I use the same technique as Rob Brown off YouTube, not sure where I got it from, but it was pre YouTube, probably from Rhythm mag in the early 2000s

I don't have my kit set up at home though, no space, if I did I'd be trying all sorts of musical tunings.
 
I'm a dirty rocker, so I let my kit tell me what it thinks it should be tuned at.

I like it, it gets compliments and it's a piece of cake to tune/swap heads.

I discovered recently I use the same technique as Rob Brown off YouTube, not sure where I got it from, but it was pre YouTube, probably from Rhythm mag in the early 2000s

I don't have my kit set up at home though, no space, if I did I'd be trying all sorts of musical tunings.
of course, yes ! I am looking at it like you.
Only recently, but I have had this set up for several weeks (as some members are aware of this) and now trying to take advantage of have this kit being in house, while leaving the other kit (that has an extra mounted tom), at rehearsal.
Having these pentatonic tunings inspire more playing and for a couple of days now, I have noticed a more call & answer approach in the practicing. I like having these longer phrases in my playing.
 
I have always tried tuning to an arpeggio and have had very good success with this type of note separation between the toms.
With my recent *quiet-kit layout (*for practicing at home), the kick drum likes to live at a certain note when played. I am tuning around that. So,now instead of my usual arp tuning, I have discovered that I like how pentatonic tuning sounds when I practice.

I think pentatonic works well with drum harmonies. IMO in powwow music the bass drum is basically a harmony.
 
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