Tuning Drums

Okay, you may not be a drummer or play drums but one skill that is very handy to have when you’re producing a project, engineering or running your own studio is knowing how to tune a drum properly.  There may be occasions when you work with drummers who have great kits but aren’t quite able to get their drums tuned well.  That’s where you come in to lend a hand…

First, recognize what heads are appropriate as not all types are suitable for all types of music.  Single-ply heads can be great on toms but they can also be very resonant.  On the flip side, hydraulic heads may be too dead without enough ring or overtones so it depends on what you want for the song or project.  Also, be aware that your recording is only going to be as good as the source material, the better the kit sounds before you record, the better it will translate.

Start with the drum head – seat it onto the bearing edge of the drum and then press down in the middle with the flat of your hand a few times to give it some stretch and help it loosen a bit.  Next, place the rim on and go around the lugs tightening each one until it’s finger-tight (don’t force or really crank on the lugs yet).  Now is a good time to press on the head again in the middle and then check around the rim to ensure that the spacing of the rim to the head/bearing edge is equal.  That ensures it’s centered and it’s easier to adjust at this point rather than after you’ve tightened things up. 

Now, imagine the lugs being numbered around the circumference of the drum.  You will want to work in a star pattern to tighten them.  For example, on an 8-lug drum, you would tighten lug 1 one turn and then move to lug 5 which should be directly opposite.  Then move to lug 7 and then across to lug 3.  Get the idea?  The goal is to work in this manner and turn each lug 1 turn until the drum starts to come to pitch.  Once you have it producing some tone, continue the process until it’s roughly producing the desired tone.  Drums have sweet spots typically where a certain tone range works best depending on the diameter and depth of the drum.  There can still be quite a bit of variance so it’s possible to get a lot of variety from each diameter drum. 

To fine tune the drum once you have it at roughly the pitch you want, set the drum on the floor or a drum stool and place a finger lightly in the center of the drum head.  Using another finger or a stick (very lightly), tap around the rim at each lug and listen for the pitch.  When you encounter a spot that’s lower, turn the lug a ¼ turn and continue.  The drum will be in tune when you tap around the rim with your finger held lightly in the middle and rim taps by each lug produce the same tone as the others.

For drums with resonant (bottom heads), the process is the same.  By tuning the bottom head to a different pitch than the top head you can achieve some great tones.  Experiment a bit here – lower tuning on the resonant head will produce a tone that drops in tune slightly.  A lot of resonance can be obtained by tuning both heads to the same pitch. 

The process is very straightforward but it’s amazing how often a good check of a drum’s tuning can make such a difference in the sound.  Oftentimes a dodgy kit tuned well can sound better than a high-end kit tuned poorly.  All in all, the ability to tune drums well is a handy skill to have in your toolbox.