From: cook@bebop.esd.sgi.com (Doug Cook)
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.percussion
Subject: Re: Okay, how do you tune?
Date: 6 Jan 93 21:53:55 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA


In article <79264@hydra.gatech.EDU>, mhopper@emperor.gatech.edu writes:
> NOTE:	Always adjust lugs by alternating every other lug.  In other
> 	words, if you were to number the lugs clockwise:  1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,
> 	then you would adjust the lugs in this order: 1,3,5,7,2,4,6,8.
> 
> 	1.  Loosen lugs completely.
> 	2.  Use fingers to tighten lugs as much as possible.
> 	3.  Use fingers to tighten a little more by pressing on the
> 	    drum rim with free hand with about 10 lbs of weight.
> 	3.  Use drum key and tighten lugs 1/2 of a turn.
> 	4.  Test tonality of drum with hand or stick.
> 	5.  Repeat steps 3 and 4 until desired pitch is achieved.

I usually alternate between going diagonally across the drum head and
going clockwise by one lug when I'm tuning (i.e. 1,5,6,2,3,7,8,4).

I've also found that stretching the head by pushing (hard!) in the center
while tuning gives much better results. Otherwise, the drum will keep
going out of tune while you're tuning it (and later), as the head
stretches by itself.

I tune one head at a time. Put the drum on a soft surface 
(like a carpet) to dampen the bottom head while you tune the top
head. Otherwise, the vibrations from the other head will interfere
with your listening.

Finally, I often put my finger very lightly in the center of the 
drum while tuning. This tends to dampen the overtones, so I can
hear the fundamental pitch from each lug, and get the drum in tune.

But, as others have noted, drum tuning is a very personal thing;
"different strokes for different folks," to use a trite but somehow
appropriate cliche (that's why I keep saying 'I do this' rather than
'you should do this'). I looked at a Modern Drummer article with tuning
tips from different famous drummers, and noted that many of the tips
were contradictory. For example, most drummers tighten their bottom
snare head somewhat tighter than the top (gives a nice clean snare
response), but some leave it looser.

In the end, you'll have to play around to see what works. Or 
listen to someone whose sound you like, and find out how they tune.

> Other Notes:
> 	The selection of drum heads is the most important influence on the
> 	texture of the drum sound.  Use thinner heads (such as pinstripe) 
> 	for a traditional, timbale type sound and thicker heads (such as Evans)
> 	for a thunderous hard rock sound.  I recommend thin heads on small toms
> 	(6", 8", 10") and thick heads on larger toms (12", 14", 16", 18").
> 	There are dozens of heads out there to try and the differences
> 	are hard to explain.  You just have to hear them.
> 
> 	Oil filled heads don't ring as much and don't need damping.
> 	Black dot heads give a punchier attack.
> 	Pinstripe and silver dot heads sound good tuned very tight.

Pinstripe heads are actually pretty thick. I believe the clear
ambassadors, coated ambassadors, and emperors are all thinner (
the ambassadors are thinner than the emperors, and the clear heads
tend to be a little more sensitive than the coated ones).

	-Doug

Doug Cook  	(cook@sgi.com)		| 
Software Engineer, ISD Digital Media    |    "Exuberance is Beauty."
Silicon Graphics, Inc.			|		-Wm. Blake
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.percussion