Drum Tuning Bible

Forget the toms bottom heads and tune top head 1st..for equal tension around edges. I use my finger in the middle..when happy do the same on the bottom head but a semi tone higher and hey presto..its not rocket science..snare side tight but not too much..be careful not to choke the snare wires.
 
Croatian Man said:
Man, I will say it again.....Tuning Drums is an "Art". I tried Rob Browns methods, (I love him, very funny), I get close but I still need more Practice. Not getting to the sweet Spots that I Think I should be at , is frustrating to me. I get the Snares to sound pretty good and then hit certain Rack Toms and Get Snare Buzz! I have been trying some of the advice from Sounds Like A Drum (Cory), and that helps to an extent. He advocates for very subtle 1/4 turns on the Reso and/or batter heads lugs. Today, getting frustrated, I replaced the EC2 clear RESO head ( I tried that in lieu of the Remo stock Reso), put back the Remo, tuned the Reso side to a higher note, fooled with the UV2 Coated Batter head and Hit a Sweeter Spot (less Snare buzz with a good sound form the Drum). This is teaching me a considerable amount about Sound Engineering - I'll give you that !! I'm just about a melodic sound across the 3 Rack Toms & the 2 Floor Toms.
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The thing about Rob’s method is that the harder you press, the higher the pitch. So knowing how much to press is a major part of the method, and so is fine tuning. But it does work pretty well.
 
Here's some great alternative sounds from a kit (headphones recommended). He down-tunes the snare batter head to flabby.

 
balboa said:
Ah yes, some clarity in the murky world of drum tuning. Thanks!!!
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One of my teachers was a great tuner. He used 3:2 ratio top to bottom. He made a bad set of Kents sound good. I still use it but you still have to get your desired tightness. But, as long as things are even tensioned and sound the way you want, there is no right way. Also what style you play matters. Max Roach tuned into the stratosphere. Some rock guys barely remove the wrinkles. Experiment.
 
I read the Whole Tuning Bible. Really good and worth the time. I learned a few new things . Its pretty cool and most of the Tips are still relevant.

I agree with most of the commenters on ere that practice is the key. Im really good at tuning now, but still a bit slow. Of course im probably going for perfection TBH.
 
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