Adjusting to badly tuned drums

Caz

Senior Member
I've been practising recently at a privately rented space on an old Sonor Force Maple kit with Modern Vintage heads that has been left set up, but I don't think has been tuned or played for quite a few years. It has the flat-screw tuning screws so a tuning key doesn't work and I keep forgetting to bring in a tool to tune. Every time I start playing, it sounds awful, especially the snare. I start off by just playing snare and toms a lot to get used to the kit, and realised after a while playing I don't even notice it sounding bad anymore. Made me wonder, if our ears adjust to percussion so that it just doesn't sound bad anymore, or maybe we subconsciously alter our touch so that we're playing in a way to get a nicer sound. It took me back to being a kid and playing some awful sounding drums without it really bothering me. But each time I come back and start practising on that kit with fresh ears again, it definitely sounds terrible.. anyone know what I mean??

If this was any tuned instrument like a guitar and was out of tune, I don't think our ears would adjust like that.

Caroline
 
I remember attending one of my friends band show once...His snare head looked like the surface of the moon from Earth, all cratered.

At sound check it sounded like a dying dog

30 minutes into the set and it didn't bother me anymore.

I have no explanation.

On a side note, I detest Sonor hardware. I couldn't even figure out how to remove the pedal at an open mic jam
that had next to no spring tension. I was forced to play it. My shin muscles were toast after 3 songs. (heel down) I mean really...
 
Jack White always talked about how he loved the way his guitar would go out of tune, and says your ears adjust to it. At first it’s weird, but then you get used to it and it becomes a new normal. I think there’s something to it.
 
One comforting thought is knowing that a kit can sound horrible in the cockpit but sounds great out front. The funny thing is, is that I experienced this with a set of Sonors I used to have.
 
I think it might be a little bit of both the effects you mentioned, Caz. I think our ears adjust a little bit, but I also think we adjust our playing to get the best out of a kit.

I know I've experienced this, playing the house kit at an open jam. That kit sounded horrible out front AND behind, but I noticed when it was my turn to play, I intuitively adjusted to get the best out of it. Mostly it involved where I hit and how hard, but also scaling back and simply avoiding playing things I knew were gonna sound horrible anyway.
 
One comforting thought is knowing that a kit can sound horrible in the cockpit but sounds great out front. The funny thing is, is that I experienced this with a set of Sonors I used to have.

It effs with my play, though. If it doesn't sound good to me, I can't help but be distracted for a period of time.

There's a jam here with a great stage and amplification system, but for a few months the kid running sound, sucks. And he isn't improving in the slightest. So the drummer can be playing his ass off and nobody can tell.
 
Jack White always talked about how he loved the way his guitar would go out of tune, and says your ears adjust to it. At first it’s weird, but then you get used to it and it becomes a new normal. I think there’s something to it.
Should roots-blues guitar be in conventional tune anyway?
 
One comforting thought is knowing that a kit can sound horrible in the cockpit but sounds great out front. The funny thing is, is that I experienced this with a set of Sonors I used to have.
This has been my experience for many years. I think my kit sounds horrible, but my buds in the audience think it's great. A head scratcher for sure.
This theory is why I think Neil Peart's kit always sounded like crap when they filmed the soundcheck from his kit, but the final product from the audience was phenomenal.
 
I have had to play so many bad house kits that I just let my ears get used to it. I go into shared kit shows with the lowest expectations, that way I am not surprised ---> 'oh...cardboard boxes with duct tape on them Just what I thought. Lets do this"

the harder thing for me to adjust to is the feel of poorly tuned drums. The beat up, or miss tensioned heads are always cringy
 
Hi Caz,

For sure, we adjust our playing approach / touch to a terrible sounding kit. We’re drummers, & used to such shenanigans, but we’re also experimenters, so we love the challenge of pulling something useable out of just about anything.

We adjust our perception of tone too, especially in context with other instruments. You soon get to realise just how much of the good stuff is lost in the general band mud, & also what elements make themselves present.

A simple real life example is listening to music on small mobile devices. Sound is often far from optimal, yet we still build a mental landscape that’s complete enough to ensure enjoyment.

Re; your rehearsal room kit - do everyone a favour - bring a flat head screwdriver & give everything a useable tension.
 
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