And how much does a perfect sound matter?. Drummers and inventors have experimented with different ways to get new and better tones, but today we tune most drums by using their tension rods (with the exception of timpani, traditional instruments and unique kits).įor the purpose of this guide, we’re only going to be talking about the most common modern drum set tuning. Before we had lugs and tension rods (essentially metal screws), drumheads were usually held in place and ‘tuned’ with sinew or rope. Historically, drumheads were made from animal skins – hence why they were regularly called ‘skins’ until more recently. The key is to start with an even tension around the head and adjust from there. To make each drum sound as good as possible, the drumhead needs to be manipulated through tension so it vibrates in harmony with the shell and all of its components. The two heads play off each other, which is why it’s important to tune them both so they vibrate together harmoniously.ĭifferent drums also have different frequencies and pitches that will resonate that shell a certain way, so ‘finding the sweet spot’ in tuning can differ from one drum to the next. Most modern drums have one drumhead on each end of the shell: a top head (batter head) and a bottom head (resonant head). We tune drums to get rid of unwanted overtones (‘ringy’ sounds), to help our drums complement the genre we’re playing, and to achieve a sound we like. You can probably imagine how a circular sheet of plastic would sound if you stretched it at random and hit the center: not very good. Most drumheads – at least the ones you’ll find on a standard drum kit – are made of mylar plastic. While they might be slightly different, all methods are generally based on the same foundation. When you’re learning how to play drums, the better they sound and feel, the more inspired you’ll be to keep drumming.Įvery drummer has their own method for tuning drums. “Tune drums? But isn’t it a rhythmic instrument?” Whether you want each drum to sound like a specific ‘note’ or not, you need to tune your drums to get a good sound. Tuning drums for different environments. It’s worth noting that if you can bring your drum into our store in Edinburgh we would be happy to tune them for you for free. The Drum Dial doesn’t require batteries as it physically measures the tension of the head at the point that it rests with a weighted mechanism and displays it on an analogue display. Although the TuneBot technology far surpasses the drum dial sometime simplicity and reliability wins. Now with a wider range with TuneBot GigBot offering a simplified and lower cost option and the TuneBot Studio offering more features and memory for use wit several different kits drummers have a great range of choice.ĭrum Dial is the original drum tuner and some may still say best. Able to accurately measure precise pitches at each tuning lug of the drum to provide perfect tuning every time it brought drum tuning into the digital age. 
Since 2012 TuneBot has been the leading name in drum tuning. This is where drum tuners can be invaluable.
With so many variables that can all be affecting each other it can be hard for the human mind to keep track of it all. Tuning drums can sometimes seem like a dark art. If you’re looking for drum keys to tune your drum with you can find them here. Drum tuners from top brands such as Drum Dial and Tunebot.
0 kommentar(er)
