Tuning Your Drums - Part 1: Toms

Now, you got a brand new set of drums right out of the crate, or you just installed brand new heads on them. Why do they sound like rusty 55 gallon oil drums? Well, the problem is they have to be tuned, just like any other musical instrument.

Tuning drums is a 3-step process. First the each head must be in tune with itself, then the top and bottom heads have to be in tune with each other, and then each drum will have to be in tune with the others. Your typical set has three different types of drums, Tom-toms (your melodic drums), a Bass drum (the "KICK"), and a Snare drum (the one you will use the most). First, let's tune those toms!

TUNING THE TOMS

First, take your LARGEST tom and set it on a plush surface (like carpet) to deaden the resonant (bottom) head. Find a MUSICAL pitch to shoot for (a guitar or piano is a big help here), and tighten each rod GRADUALLY in the aforementioned star pattern, until the overall sound of the tom reaches the desired pitch. Next, take a drumstick and lightly tap the head at each tension rod, about an inch away from the hoop.

Listen closely for differences in pitch, and tighten or loosen each rod until they sing at the desired pitch. Making sure they are all hitting the same pitch is very important. This is what I mean by a head being in tune with itself. When struck in the center, it should have a smooth, even decay without any rattles, warbles, purrs, or any other un-drum-like noise.

Now, flip the drum over, and tune the resonant head to the same pitch as the batter head (there are other ways to tune the heads to each other, but I like to keep tuning simple). After the resonant head is tuned to itself, hold the drum up by the top hoop (or set it on its legs if you're working the floor tom), and strike the batter head in the middle.

If the heads are in tune with each other, the resulting tone will be pleasing; having a round, warm sound with a long decay. If they aren't in tune with each other, the sounds will clash in a most unpleasant way, or will sound dead because they're "out of phase".

The way to figure out what to do next is to place the drum back on the carpet, and hit each head, listening closely to the differences in pitch. Correcting the problem requires nothing more than figuring out which head is tuned to the pitch you want it to be, and then tune the other head up or down to match it.

Tuning toms is a trial-and-error experience, so don't be afraid to experiment. Always remember; when it comes to tuning, there is nothing you can do to your drums to mess them up. Tune your tom heads tightly if you want a dry, bright sound like Latin drums. Tune them looser if you prefer a wet, dark sound, more like a Native American drum.

Now, tune the next smaller tom relative to the first tom you tuned. Although there are many different tuning schemes, most drummers tune their toms a musical fourth (2 and a half steps higher) apart. The most common reference point in achieving this is to match the intervals to the "Here Comes the Bride" phrase in the Wedding March ("dum-DUM-DA-DUM").

Tune each increasingly smaller tom the next fourth higher from the last. For example: since I play mostly rock and other guitar based music, I tend to tune toms to match the pitch of guitar strings. I tend to favor a darker sound, thus, I tune my toms, from smallest to largest, D-A-E-B-F#, because these also match the most popular keys of most electric rock music, past and present. If you prefer brighter-sounding toms, tune a 3-tom set to D-A-E; or a 5 tom set like mine to G-D-A-E-B. The sonic possibilities are limitless!

Drum Workshop (DW) builds their shells to resonate at a certain pitch. The proper pitch of each drum stamped to the inside of each shell. Since these toms are engineered to correctly respond to these pitches, it is advisable to those lucky enough to possess these marvelous drums to tune them to whatever pitch the manufacturer indicates.

Now that your drums are tuned to a clean, musical pitch, mount them and do a run from the highest to the lowest tom. Nice, huh? If you did it right, each drum should sing loud and clear with no warbling or clashing of tones. They should not sound dead, like a cardboard box.

On some heads, the overtones can be especially annoying, making a ringy "tin can" sound. This can be easily controlled by damping the batter heads with various substances. Good ol' duct tape comes in handy for this. Attach little 3 inch pieces around the edge of each batter head until the overtones disappear. The sound should be almost like a natural animal skin head.

There are also aftermarket overtone controlling devices, such as RemOs (an inexpensive way to control unwanted overtones), and Muff'l (expensive, but I like them the best) are offered by Remo, and Evans offers a wide variety of muffling devices for your toms. These devices help you get that "studio" sound from your toms.

Some toms have built-in "internal mufflers", but I haven't found any I like. They are essentially a small, thick felt disk about 2 inches in diameter. It is controlled by an external knob that is manipulated to apply pressure to the underside of the batter head, but only on a small area of the head.

Good muffling devices apply apply very little pressure around the entire circumference of the head; just enough to slightly dampen the vibrations. Internal mufflers tend to choke the drums excessively. I always remove them from my drums entirely.

Just like any other major overhaul of any musical instrument, it takes patience and practice to get really good at it. Trust me, nothing compares to the feeling of hearing your toms sing like a choir, and knowing that YOU made it happen! Next article, we will tune the Bass Drum. See ya!