Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Knowing how to tune your drums is definitely a must if you want your drum kit to sound good. Even if you are just a beginner drummer, a well-tuned drum kit can help you stand a cut above the rest. These are instructions for tuning snare drum, however, it can be adapted for other drum types as well.

Steps

1. 1 Disconnect the drum strings with a special lever on the side.
2. 2 Take a drum wrench (sold at any music store) and loosen the bolts that are located on the sides of the drum. Do not completely loosen each bolt individually. The bolts should be unscrewed gradually each half a turn in a circle. Continue to loosen the bolts in a circle until you can begin to loosen them by hand.
3. 3Unscrew the bolts all the way with your fingers.
4. 4Remove the bezel and bolts from the drum.
5. 5Remove the old head from the drum.
6. 6 Wipe the inside and edges of the drum with a dry cloth. Also wipe the new drum head.
7. 7Place the new head on top of the drum.
8. 8Install the bezel and bolts to the drum.
9. 9 Gradually start tightening the bolts with your fingers (first without a wrench). Finger tighten the bolts as far as possible.
10. 10 Check the drum for strength. Apply a few hard blows to the center of the head. Don't worry, you can't break it. If you still succeed, take the drum back to the instrument store where you bought it and try a different brand of drums. You must apply enough force to punch the drum. We do this for the same reasons as guitarists pulling their guitar strings. This is a kind of drum warm-up before we start playing on it. If this is not done, the drum will continually go out of tune during the first week. As a result, its new setting will take a lot of time.
11. 11Make sure all bolts are still tight.
12. 12 Tighten the bolts with a wrench. Start with the bolt closest to you. Tighten the bolt half a turn with a wrench. Next, do not tighten the bolt closest to it, but go to the bolt that is farthest from you (the opposite of the one you just tightened) and tighten it with a wrench half a turn. The next bolt to tighten is to the left of the first bolt you started with. Then go to the bolt opposite and continue twisting according to this scheme. Continue tightening until 1) all bolts are tightened equally 2) you get the sound you want. You may need to repeat the twist 4-8 times until you get the sound you want. If the head is new, tune the sound higher than desired and push the head harder in the center. You will hear the sound get lower. This is plastic sludge.
13. 13 Walk around the drum and tap the head with your drumstick about 2 cm from each bolt. Listen to the pitch, it should be the same around each bolt. Muffling gel such as MoonGel, DrumGum, or muffler rings can be used to muffle extraneous sounds or rattles from the drum. Do not think that muffling will solve the problem of poor drum tuning, but it can improve the sound if set up well.
14. 14Do the same for the bottom (resonant) head.
15. 15Depending on your preference, the pitch of the bottom head should be the same as the pitch of the drum head, or slightly lower or higher.
16. 16However, when tuning your snare drum, if you want a loud, choppy drum sound, pull the top (percussion) head slightly tighter than the bottom head.
17. 17 Drum strings are also very important. Keep them in perfect condition and try to tighten them so that they lie flat against the drum surface. If the strings are too tight, they will bend in the middle, and if too loose, they will not touch the drum at all. A good rule of thumb to stretch your strings is to pull them straight until they stop rattling.

Tips

• Unlike many musical instruments, drum kit tuning is not an exact science. There is no one single correct method for tuning a drum kit. It comes with experience. * Try playing around with different settings and see what suits your style of music and the type of drum kit you are playing best.
• Many drummers like to tune their toms in the quarter interval. As in "Here comes the bride" - the interval between the first two notes is equal to a quarter.
• Another thing you can do is tune the drum with the bass. Ask someone to help you, it's very easy. You start tuning on the E string, then the left tom on the A string, the right tom on the D string, and finally the floor tom on the G string, while the snare drum can be tuned just the way you like it to sound. This tuning method depends on the musicality of the ear, as drums are not melodic instruments.
• In this article, we only cover the basic setup techniques. You should keep in mind that drum type, drum head and drum size are factors that directly affect the final sound.
• For quick plastic changes, you can buy a drum ratchet that fits into a cordless drill. Use a drill with a torque setting. It will help you quickly remove the plastic. Then, using the technique described above, try tuning the drum using a torque-tuned drill. Use the minimum moment at first, and then try experimenting by increasing the settings. With practice, you will learn how to change the head of a drum in just a few minutes. Ratchet wrenches are also available for use without a drill. * These keys are much safer as they are made specifically for tuning drums - they will not overtighten the bolts or damage the drum.
• The dedicated DrumDial tool is also available from many music stores. This device measures the degree of tension of the drum head by applying a special sensor to the surface. * Measurement and adjustment can be carried out until the desired result is achieved. This device will save you time, especially when a quick set-up is required before concerts. However, the instrument does not guarantee 100% accuracy and tuning by ear can still be very useful.

Warnings

• Do not overtighten your drum as this can severely damage the drum head. If the drum has been overtightened, you will notice it when you remove the plastic, by the dent in the center - this is a sign that the plastic has been stretched beyond its elastic limit.
• Tuning the resonant head below the batter head will modulate the sound from top to bottom.
• The previous warnings are especially relevant to those brave men who use a cordless drill for tuning.
• Drum sustain may sound good, but it can be a challenge for sound engineers who want to record music from your drum kit and / or amplify the sound through a microphone. * Use muting before amplifying the sound.