Process of Tuning your Drum

[Lafirin]

Just a question. When tuning your drum, do you hand tighten all the lugs and then start turning each lug equally until you achieve the sound you want, and then make sure all lugs have equal tension, or do you do the reverse of that, making sure each lug is perfectly even in tension, and then start turning each lug until a desired sound is achieved?

[Bish]

You should hand tighten all the lugs before going any further. This will hopefully ensure the head is on straight.

Then I start the next round with at least one or more full turns of the key. (depends on the drum as to how many turns.)

Then you go for equal tuning at each lug more so than tension.

[pastor_bob]

You should hand tighten all the lugs before going any further. This will hopefully ensure the head is on straight.

Then I start the next round with at least one or more full turns of the key. (depends on the drum as to how many turns.)

Then you go for equal tuning at each lug more so than tension.

+1 Yeppers.

[jordison515]

I know this is probably unorthodox but what I do is I tune until I find a desired tone, then balance out the lugs so that way it's even all the way around and I still have that same sound.

I do this for the batters first, then adjust the reso's based on what sound I want that day, whether it be a focused attack or a resonating boom.

[slinglander]

I have 2 sets of drums and found every drum had at least one rod per hoop that was tougher to hand tighten than the others, so I tighten by key until the hoop at each rod is just barely moveable. Then slightly tighten until the hoop can't shift. A variation is tighten until the washers just touch the hoop. It's the same idea: get the rods at a "zero" point so you can start the actual head tensioning.

[Lucius-Borich-JR]

I finger tighten each lug until I can tighten no more. And then I use my drum key and tighten each lug diagonally starting from the first lug. Then I tighten each one and turn the drum key quarter turn, half turn and clockwise turn. And after very turn of each lug I hit my drum to see if I like it or not.

[marko138]

I finger tighten each lug until I can tighten no more. And then I use my drum key and tighten each lug diagonally starting from the first lug. Then I tighten each one and turn the drum key quarter turn, half turn and clockwise turn. And after very turn of each lug I hit my drum to see if I like it or not.

This is what I do.

I don't go 1 full turn or anything like that. I go 1/4 turns at a time. Maybe 1/2 the first time. My heads aren't very tight...but they don't have wrinkles in them either. 50-ish on a Tama Tension Watch.

[Drumbledore]

You should hand tighten all the lugs before going any further. This will hopefully ensure the head is on straight.

Then I start the next round with at least one or more full turns of the key. (depends on the drum as to how many turns.)

Then you go for equal tuning at each lug more so than tension.

Bish pipped me to the post with this bunch of points. I might add though, that when it comes to mucking around with tensioning, whether loosening or tightening, for me, what lug you tweak around with after the other usually falls in these patterns. Remember, this is not gospel, but rather what works for me to get my sound.

eight lug drums (eg: some snares, bass drums and floor toms): Tweak the batter head first when loosening up the sound, or the resonant head first if making the drum a little tighter. Think of the eight lugs representing a compass's eight points. Start at 'North', loosen by a quarter or eighth turn. Then the lug directly opposite of that ('South'). Go 'West', then 'East'. Tap the drumhead with your stick in the middle then around those lugs that you have loosened as well as the ones not shifted. Then go the remaining four compass points.....NW, SE, NE and SW, in that order. Then if you need to lower the pitch, repeat the same 'compass points' on the resonant head.

six lug drums (eg: some smaller custom sized snares and toms, or six lug drums common on some cheap budget sets): choose which head as in the above example (ie: batter first for a looser sound, resonant for slight tightening, etc). This time, think of two triangles overlapping each other, rather what I call "The Star Of David" design. Do one triangle's top lug, then the two other points (so if you were counting lugs clockwise, the first lug is obviously #1, miss the second, go to lug #3, etc). Then do the next 'triangle', tapping the middle of the head and then an inch off from each lug, etc. Proceed the same way with the resonant head.

five lug drums (eg: toms on budget sets or congas, doumbeks and similar hand drums, mini timbales): think of a five pointed star. Now, if you counted the lugs clockwise (lug #1, #2, #3, etc), try tuning up or down as follows: #1,#3,#5,#2 then #4 (depending whether going for a tight or loose sound). For me, this is the best way to tune tight or detune loose.

four lug drums (eg: 6"& 8" toms on kits, Octobans, bongos) think of four main points of a compass - North, South, East, West. Tune them that way.

ten lug drums (eg: various snares, high end brand bass drums and other large drums) : as above when it comes to five lugs except this time think of two five pointed stars. Count the lugs clockwise from #1 to #10. Then when you tune it will go this time like lug #1,#5,#9,#3,#7, then the second 'star' pattern will be the even numbered lugs - #6,#10,#4,#8,#2.

And an old trick I got shown by an engineer to reduce the snare buzz on eight and ten lug snares? After everything is tweaked right on top and bottom of the snare, yet you still get sympathetic snare buzz, especially from the first rack tom? Turn the drum upside down and try slightly loosening the two closest lugs on either side of the snare wires - on the bottom head only (no need to do so on the batter).

Experiment with it. Once you have the ability to think like this, you will start to get the handle of not only tuning by ear, but more importantly, troubleshooting any tuning inconsistencies when say tuning even an unfamiliar kit. For example, I was at a new friend's place earlier this evening, whose son has a cheap Taiwanese no-name budget kit. After slackening all heads, tuning up the bass drum first, then the snare, then finally the toms (and using two tuning keys in both hands) I was able to tweak it within 10-15 mins, give or take a few mins. Mind you, having had twenty plus years of mucking around with drum tuning, experimenting and tip swapping with my drum brothers, it doesn't take me much to get familiar with most drums. Chewing the fat talking about this stuff with staff in drumshops, studio owners, better drummers, etc and picking up on what they do also helps.

Traditional cord tensioned drums though (like djembes, tablas etc) is definitely something I'll have to learn someday.

[longgun]

Bish pipped me to the post with this bunch of points. I might add though, that when it comes to mucking around with tensioning, whether loosening or tightening, for me, what lug you tweak around with after the other usually falls in these patterns. Remember, this is not gospel, but rather what works for me to get my sound.

eight lug drums (eg: some snares, bass drums and floor toms): Tweak the batter head first when loosening up the sound, or the resonant head first if making the drum a little tighter. Think of the eight lugs representing a compass's eight points. Start at 'North', loosen by a quarter or eighth turn. Then the lug directly opposite of that ('South'). Go 'West', then 'East'. Tap the drumhead with your stick in the middle then around those lugs that you have loosened as well as the ones not shifted. Then go the remaining four compass points.....NW, SE, NE and SW, in that order. Then if you need to lower the pitch, repeat the same 'compass points' on the resonant head.

six lug drums (eg: some smaller custom sized snares and toms, or six lug drums common on some cheap budget sets): choose which head as in the above example (ie: batter first for a looser sound, resonant for slight tightening, etc). This time, think of two triangles overlapping each other, rather what I call "The Star Of David" design. Do one triangle's top lug, then the two other points (so if you were counting lugs clockwise, the first lug is obviously #1, miss the second, go to lug #3, etc). Then do the next 'triangle', tapping the middle of the head and then an inch off from each lug, etc. Proceed the same way with the resonant head.

five lug drums (eg: toms on budget sets or congas, doumbeks and similar hand drums, mini timbales): think of a five pointed star. Now, if you counted the lugs clockwise (lug #1, #2, #3, etc), try tuning up or down as follows: #1,#3,#5,#2 then #4 (depending whether going for a tight or loose sound). For me, this is the best way to tune tight or detune loose.

four lug drums (eg: 6"& 8" toms on kits, Octobans, bongos) think of four main points of a compass - North, South, East, West. Tune them that way.

ten lug drums (eg: various snares, high end brand bass drums and other large drums) : as above when it comes to five lugs except this time think of two five pointed stars. Count the lugs clockwise from #1 to #10. Then when you tune it will go this time like lug #1,#5,#9,#3,#7, then the second 'star' pattern will be the even numbered lugs - #6,#10,#4,#8,#2.

And an old trick I got shown by an engineer to reduce the snare buzz on eight and ten lug snares? After everything is tweaked right on top and bottom of the snare, yet you still get sympathetic snare buzz, especially from the first rack tom? Turn the drum upside down and try slightly loosening the two closest lugs on either side of the snare wires - on the bottom head only (no need to do so on the batter).

Experiment with it. Once you have the ability to think like this, you will start to get the handle of not only tuning by ear, but more importantly, troubleshooting any tuning inconsistencies when say tuning even an unfamiliar kit. For example, I was at a new friend's place earlier this evening, whose son has a cheap Taiwanese no-name budget kit. After slackening all heads, tuning up the bass drum first, then the snare, then finally the toms (and using two tuning keys in both hands) I was able to tweak it within 10-15 mins, give or take a few mins. Mind you, having had twenty plus years of mucking around with drum tuning, experimenting and tip swapping with my drum brothers, it doesn't take me much to get familiar with most drums. Chewing the fat talking about this stuff with staff in drumshops, studio owners, better drummers, etc and picking up on what they do also helps.

Traditional cord tensioned drums though (like djembes, tablas etc) is definitely something I'll have to learn someday.

Great write up

[slinky]

i get the wrinkles out and go from there. Who's tried the drum dial? it's ok I guess but not really my favorite way to tune. the thing i noticed is they are hard to read and whenever I placed it next to a lug I'd have to shake it or the drum a little to make sure it was reading correctly. Everytime the needle would jump way up

[slinglander]

I have used a drum dial but only as a measuring tool. In other words after about 1 full key turn at every rod I check to make sure tension is equal all around. Then continue the diagonal tuning pattern until I have nearly the sound I want. Then the dial checks for unequal tension again, then I tune to a note, using the dial for the final tension check. I think the dial does a good job-shouldn't shake it tho. Make sure you don't press the setting knob near the top, or press down on the dial once in place, either. I use a marker to note the reading average for the head so I can swap it out with a new head in record time or experiment with a dif head and put the original back on without guessing as to the tension requirements for each rod!
Why do I like the Dial? I used to always, I mean always, be plagued by the typical hi-low-hi-low pattern while tuning, no matter the pattern, no matter the system, no matter how carefully I turned each rod. Not any more!