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Thread: Tuning..

  1. #1

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    Ok i think this is how it works but just to check, Is the bass supposed to be to lowest sound and then the floor tom second lowest etc etc?

  2. #2

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    because if thats true, my floor tom is lower then my bass drum.. mabye thats why my kid sounds horrible.

  3. #3

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    Yeah, the bass should be the lowest tone on the kit. I'm not sure that the floor tom has to be tuned a third up from the bass (everyone seems to have a bass sound that they want, from slightly resonant to really thuddy), but all the toms should be an even interval apart. Everyone says 3 to 4 notes apart. Whatever interval you choose for the toms, just make sure that the interval between them is the same for each drum. Sounds best that way on a roll through the toms.

    Remember, the fun is in finding your sound. Just take some time to enjoy the process of finding your sound. I've learned a lot from online articles and from my DrumChat friends, and now I'm having fun just trying out different tunings and dialing in the sound that I really love.

    BTW, I' even had someone strike all the drums one at a time so that I could hear what an audience would here, instead of just what I would hear. After all, in the end it's about making a sound with some other folks that is pleasing for others to hear!
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  4. #4

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    when you say 3 or 4 notes apart, what do you mean by notes? how do u tell if there 3 or 4 notes apart? and when you say the floor tom has to be tuned a third up from the bass what does a thrid mean? im confused lol

  5. #5

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    When I'm talking about a third apart, I'm talking apart what we would think of as normal harmony. Whe two people sing in harmony, it is usually 3 notes apart. If you sing a C, then I would sing an F. The interval of a third is heard in the first two notes of "Here Comes the Bride."

    When we tune the drums, they are actually producing a vibration and vibration of a certain pitch is the "note," so tuning gives your drums a "note." When you figure out the best sound for a certain drum (I found it on my 10" tom, quite by accident), you can set the rest of the toms one third apart from each other. I found that if I sang "Here Comes" over and over as I was tuning (going from a lower tom to a higher one, because that's what the song does - goes from a lower note to a higher one), I could get the interval right. In the process, I found the perfect harmony point between the 10" and 12" toms. Man, it was beautiful when I struck them both at the same time! Then all I had to do was do the same process with my floor toms (I happen to have 2). Now when I sit down to play, I go through the toms, one after another, and make sure I still hear the same sound intervals. If not, I just tweak the lugs ever so gently, until it''s back in tune.

    Hope that helps. Oh, and I just looked at your signature line, so when you get frustrated with tuning, just remember that your getting to a beatiful sound, and remember the girls!
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by pastor_bob

    Hope that helps. Oh, and I just looked at your signature line, so when you get frustrated with tuning, just remember that your getting to a beatiful sound, and remember the girls!
    haha exacly!

    And when you say the "bride" thing Its like a saying? kinda like Doe ray mi fa say la te doe? still kind of confused on the whole Here Comes the Bride thing.

  7. #7

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    holy cow.. I must not be with it, correct me if im wrong, but by Here Comes the Bride, you mean the song people play when they get married...?LOL

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lafirin
    holy cow.. I must not be with it, correct me if im wrong, but by Here Comes the Bride, you mean the song people play when they get married...?LOL
    Yes! Exactly. And yes, the whole do, ra, me thing, too. Sometimes, it's just hard to communicate things on a chat, that we could have communicated better in person, because I could read confusion or understanding in your face. It makes explaining so much easier when you can see if someone understands your example, or whether you need to use a different one.

    After all, in here we come from various parts of the country, and various parts of the world, so the things I take for granted as good explanations, someone else might not have any idea what I'm even talking about!

    Glad you have an understanding now. Sorry, I should have thought to say it another way, but I guess my own knowledge is still growing, and it was the only way I could explain it.
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  9. #9

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    hey no problem man, its always more difficult explaning something to someone using a plastic key board. just a question about the bride thing, you tuned your 12" and your 10" how far apart? like for instance, did you turn your 12 inch "here" and your 10 inch "comes"? how many notes are "here" and "come" just one?

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lafirin
    hey no problem man, its always more difficult explaning something to someone using a plastic key board. just a question about the bride thing, you tuned your 12" and your 10" how far apart? like for instance, did you turn your 12 inch "here" and your 10 inch "comes"? how many notes are "here" and "come" just one?
    Yeah, being a computer jocky is a bit weird when your "talking" with someone.

    Having said that, you've got it! It was a bit weird because I found the sound I liked on the 10" first, but yes, the 12" was tuned to "here" and the 10" was three notes higher - "come." You have to take into account that you start on a higher note than the song, but the 3 note difference is still the same.

    You'll end up having to work with the resonant heads, too, but that's really just a matter of tuning the resonant heads, higher, lower (you can use the same three note interval), or the same as the batter heads (I went with same for now - love the sound). Just take your time. It'll all make more sense as you do it. You'll tune some, then play some, then tune some more, and play some more. I'm sure that I'm not done yet, but then it's like everything else in life - a journey instead of a destination.
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  11. #11

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    cool so its 3 notes away huh? So say for my kit, A bass, floor tom, mid tom, hi tom. I would want each of the 4 drums 3 notes apart? so like

    Bass being the lowest and then move up by 3 notes each drum until you reach the high tom?

    yeah the resonant heads all i know (i think i know) is that when the batter and resonant heads and the same, not much resonation, and if you tighten them, then the overall sound is either going to last longer or not along at all, I dont know something like that, ill test those out too.

  12. #12

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    You've got it! Enjoy the process, and the new sound you'll get from your drums.
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  13. #13

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    dude! bob today i was like "okay, im gonna do this" so I spent about an hour tuning my heads, and I tuned best i could. Floor tom I went "here" and the mid tom i went "comes" and then i took the mid tom and said "here" and then the high toms and said "comes" so I can not only play "here comes the bride on my toms" they sound a whole lot better, and then i tightened the resonant heads tighter to get a resonating drum, and i tuned the bottoms same way i did the tops, just tuned higher, only thing is that the floor tom is a bit low.. but ill work on it. and i need to do the snare still.. but Im workin on it! like you. Turns out my floor tom was tuned high then my mid tom! haha, I just couldnt tell because the resonant head was tuned so low it canceled each other out. anways thanks

  14. #14

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    This is where knowing how to read drum notation comes in handy lol.
    I'm starting to get more into it, it is really beneficial.
    www.myspace.com/maudeephyfe
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  15. #15

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    notation for tuning?

  16. #16

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    No, notation as in reading notes for drums. Tuning can be quite difficult if you're a beginner. That's how I ruined my snare the first time, thinking I knew what I was doing. If you get good tuning dials then you could probably do it yourself after reading the instructions.
    But knowing sheet music for drums comes in handy when it comes time to put together complicated rhythms.
    www.myspace.com/maudeephyfe
    The good times won't roll themselves
    Gretsch Renown Maple, Paiste Signature, Reflector, and Dark Energy

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lafirin
    dude! bob today i was like "okay, im gonna do this" so I spent about an hour tuning my heads, and I tuned best i could. Floor tom I went "here" and the mid tom i went "comes" and then i took the mid tom and said "here" and then the high toms and said "comes" so I can not only play "here comes the bride on my toms" they sound a whole lot better, and then i tightened the resonant heads tighter to get a resonating drum, and i tuned the bottoms same way i did the tops, just tuned higher, only thing is that the floor tom is a bit low.. but ill work on it. and i need to do the snare still.. but Im workin on it! like you. Turns out my floor tom was tuned high then my mid tom! haha, I just couldnt tell because the resonant head was tuned so low it canceled each other out. anways thanks
    Congratulations, Lafirin! Glad things are coming along. We have others on this chat that taught me the interval tuning on other threads. Good advice just keeps going around. Thanks folks!
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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