2 little questions about tuning.

Blankso

Senior Member
I think Im starting to get the hang of tuning but there are still a couple things I want to ask.
1.When re-tuning heads, is it ok/better to completely loosen the head first or is it best to just tap around and see what lugs Ineed to tighten?
2. Do the resonant heads ever go out of tune or do they stay the same?
 
I think Im starting to get the hang of tuning but there are still a couple things I want to ask.
1.When re-tuning heads, is it ok/better to completely loosen the head first or is it best to just tap around and see what lugs Ineed to tighten?
2. Do the resonant heads ever go out of tune or do they stay the same?

If you keep good tabs on their tuning, you should only need to touch up the tension rod or rods that are slightly out. Yes the resonant heads do go out of tune and must be brought back to pitch and to keep them in tune with themselves.

Dennis
 
1) I don't, I just go ahead and re-tune them to my liking. Now, if I want to go lower in pitch, I make sure to tune on the up-swing. Meaning, tune below the note you want to achieve, then tune up to it. I hit the head near the lugs (and mute the bottom head) to listen to pitch differences.

2) I found all new heads go out of tune within the 1st week or so of having them. Afterwards, they tend to stay in a good sweet spot. I notice res heads on my toms after a week barely go out of tune again. However, the res on my snare tends to go out every so often, but I have it pitched pretty high.

I tend to tune my drums everytime I play but if I miss I make sure to check at least every week.
 
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