Pretty General Tuning Question

[mainedrummah]

OK, so based on the very little I know about music theory, I hear people saying they are tuning the drums a 3rd apart, which I understand. But what I don't really understand is, say I tune my snare to an A#, and I wanted my 12" hi-tom to be a 3rd lower. Does that mean it goes into another octave or something??

I'm sorry if this seems like a strange question, I just don't get that part of it.

Thanks

[CharlyG]

I'm fairly new, and I have heard thirds or fourths. What I know personally, is I just tuned my drums with my ear for the first time, and they sound wonderful! EC2 heads like to be tuned low, and I tuned them to just above a wrinkle and then fine tuned to match tones on both sides. They came out perfect and there is a real nice interval between the 8 10 12 ans 14, and it is equal. If I had to guess I would guess close to a third. What I am trying to get at is, I think that given the same tension on the head, the fact that it is two inches bigger gives it that separation naturally whether or not it is tuned to a specific note.

Any of you others can refute, it just seems that way to me.

[mainedrummah]

Yeah, thats what I did last time I tuned my heads.

BTW, anyone ever heard of ATTACK heads? Because my set right now is pretty cheap, its made by JAMM, with ATTACK heads.

It's lower then low quality.

[Northern Redneck]

I dont tune my drums to notes. I tune my drums to themselves.
I never tune my drums on the kit. I take each individual drum away from the kit and tune it to were that particular drum sounds its best.

[Timactionfigures]

I dont tune my drums to notes. I tune my drums to themselves.
I never tune my drums on the kit. I take each individual drum away from the kit and tune it to were that particular drum sounds its best.

I find when I tune the drum off the kit and then mount it back on, the tension applied to the drum from it's weight on the mount messes up the tuning I just did. It takes a little more fine tuning to bring it back into a clean sound. Something to keep in mind.

[yohin]

I'm fairly new, and I have heard thirds or fourths. What I know personally, is I just tuned my drums with my ear for the first time, and they sound wonderful! EC2 heads like to be tuned low, and I tuned them to just above a wrinkle and then fine tuned to match tones on both sides. They came out perfect and there is a real nice interval between the 8 10 12 ans 14, and it is equal. If I had to guess I would guess close to a third. What I am trying to get at is, I think that given the same tension on the head, the fact that it is two inches bigger gives it that separation naturally whether or not it is tuned to a specific note.

Any of you others can refute, it just seems that way to me.

I agree. That's how I have always tuned my drums.

[zzzdanz]

I'm w/Charly on this 1.....I dated a chick named Charly,and never agreed w/her....Charly is that you babe?? hahaha..nvm, just thinking out loud

[pastor_bob]

I'm w/Charly on this 1.....I dated a chick named Charly,and never agreed w/her....Charly is that you babe?? hahaha..nvm, just thinking out loud

Mainedrummah, I tune my toms in 4th (the first two notes of the phrase "Here Comes the Bride") starting with the smallest tom. I don't worry too much about the snare being a 4th apart, I just tune the snare the way I like to hear it.

[Russ]

didnt you know drumsticks are magic wands that grant wishes? i just wave my wand on the drum and its in tune again!

[Northern Redneck]

I find when I tune the drum off the kit and then mount it back on, the tension applied to the drum from it's weight on the mount messes up the tuning I just did. It takes a little more fine tuning to bring it back into a clean sound. Something to keep in mind.

I have Tama Starcast mounts so it isnt a problem for me

[Russ]

I find when I tune the drum off the kit and then mount it back on, the tension applied to the drum from it's weight on the mount messes up the tuning I just did. It takes a little more fine tuning to bring it back into a clean sound. Something to keep in mind.

you might wanna get some mounts that are lug mounted and have no interaction with tension rods

[DantheDrummer]

Personally i dont tune my drums to notes at all.
Ive done a thread on a quick easy way for anyone to tune their drums. Itll take you like 5 mins a drum maximum, and absolutely anyone can do it. Precise instructions in that thread if you wanna check it out.. the link is ..
http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...1.html?t=12221

[Larrysperf]

I'm fairly new, and I have heard thirds or fourths. What I know personally, is I just tuned my drums with my ear for the first time, and they sound wonderful! EC2 heads like to be tuned low, and I tuned them to just above a wrinkle and then fine tuned to match tones on both sides. They came out perfect and there is a real nice interval between the 8 10 12 ans 14, and it is equal. If I had to guess I would guess close to a third. What I am trying to get at is, I think that given the same tension on the head, the fact that it is two inches bigger gives it that separation naturally whether or not it is tuned to a specific note.

Any of you others can refute, it just seems that way to me.

all I can say is ditto

[El-kevo the drumtech]

generally speaking when im helping someone explain this at a clinic, We reference the notes to show you how far apart they should be in tunings...

Ive toured with type-o negative, lordi, miranda lambert, twin method, 3 days grace, greenday and worked for hundreds more on various projects, festivals and shows and i have never used a drum dial or a tuner in my life. I play off to the races on a 4 tom set up (the bugle sound you hear before each horse race) played like this 4321112223234 it should get you pretty close (4 being the lowest tom; 1 being the highest) When using the notes, alot of people get confused, you dont necessarily tune to that note...you simply build a "chord" out of your toms, if you know anything about piano/guitar.

good luck

[Project-Green-Destiny]

The evans drum head web site has videos of Bob Getzen Describing the 3rd and 4th method. I used this for the last couple of months rehearsal and for the final gig of the last band I was in. I do have to say that my drums were a much more prominent entity and blended fit with our music. They were as he put it "musical". Now on the other hand, after that show I took my kit home and was begin the restoration process when I decided to throw the heads back on one last time and set up just my toms in the living room for a final hoorah and tuned them a little higher than normal without the aid of a keyboard or guitar, (basically by ear) and I'll be damned if it didn't sound like Alex Van Halen was in there. Meaning, my old ludwigs were crankin boy. I guess my point is, tuning is such a subjective entity all it's own. I think what helps make a great artist is taking all the advice, information, and knowledge you aquire along the way and formulating your formula. Sure there are tried and true methods out there, but try and take those as starting points of a path to YOUR sound. I send this out to all, new and old skin ticklers.

[Russ]

i like what bob gatzen does, finds the point where it resonates than leaves it there. the only thing id add to that is to use that tone as a reference for the head on the other side of the drum

[itchie]

when it comes to actually tuning drums to notes , it really has alot to do with the size of the drum

personally i have tune my drums just like northern redneck and found there natural pitch ....but as a reference i pulled out the keyboard and found out what those notes actually were

[Russ]

theres always the drum dial i suppose, although its not perfect

[jayshaw91]

I'm a bit overly type-a on things, so I needed a good way to get my drums tuned, so I bought a drum dial. It isn't perfect, but it works. Oddly enough, I found what others are finding that, being if you tighten the drums to the same tension, regardless of size, they'll be in tune to each other. So if anything, buying that thing taught me an important lesson, from the sounds of it.

BTW, I use Mary Had a Little Lamb for tuning.