Anyone play drums?

SC UL8R1990

Registered User
Just curious if anyone her eplays drums? I love playing even though i suck, :p since i mostly play my guitar and bass. Anyways ive gained more and more intrest in playing drums and just had a questions about tuning them.

how do you tune the drums? mine sound like poo:(
 
My 15 year old son received a electric guitar for christmas.

And thus it begins.

Here is a link on how to tune drums: It's a cache in Google since the original appears to be gone.

How To Tune Drums!
 
I've played drums since high school, but I don't think I've done much in the last two years. I keep meaning to buy an electric kit so I Can play at home without pissing off the dog and wife, but i never get off my butt and do it.

Brian
 
i always was told to "tune" to what you want to play[if that makes sense]if your playing heavy stuff,loosen stuff up for that devil sounding floping of a floor tom,tight bass drum for a speedy double kick,i like the loose snare myself[like the one in metallicas st.anger] most people in bands i know like it really tight and crisp.we had a band that played heavy/punk style..we called it "slab" but it never caught on.i play a few guitar chords,mostly rythm,its not fun if you have to work really hard to learn it,most of the people i know kinda pick up the guitar and play and it sounds good,i cant.anyway our drummer had the slopist sounding stuff,but when you tune the guitars to drop d then some,all of a sudden it fits in...like i say,i would play with them till you get what YOU like,not what a book or computer says[even though its more than likely the correct way]!i can give you some *** kickin web sites of local bands here around frederick,md if you want.......
 
I used to play drums, i did for about 12 yrs, then took the last 5 years off to heal some tendonitis that was starting to develop....now the drums are coming out of storage and are about to be thrashed upon once again!!! :D

best advice about tuning drums..... tune them to your personal preferance.... sure, you dont want a tight, high pitched ringy sound when your playing heavy stuff, but if it sounds good to you then tune it that way.....

of course, make sure you tune each lug in a cross pattern (like tightning lug nuts on a wheel) and lightly tap the drum head near each lug, listening for a variation in pitch as they should all be uniform....Stuff a small blanket or pillow in the bass drum, it will absorb some of the dead space inside and make for a much warmer, deeper THUMP! and I find that if you tighten the bottom skin of the snare almost as much as you can, and pull the snare wires as tight as possible the air splitting CRACK is somethin else!

umm, yeah thats all i can think of right now.....

what kind of kit you got?
 
i just started , ive got a Pacific CX 5 piece set wine red, with zyldian A custom 14' crash, zyldian quick beat vented high hats,pearl cybal stands, pearl kick pedal,pearl high hat hardware, and of course the best damn thrown out there! the roc-n-soc nitro throne----the cadillac of thrones, hehe.
 
Ive played all my life.... It's the one thing I am really good at.
As for tuning listen to Brads advise.
I too like a tight snare sound. I tighten just like Brad said, and tighten the top head as well pretty much to absolute torque, then apply the internal muffle till desired.
One of the more impotant things is going to be your drum heads. They make a world of difference, and I assume that you are using the PACIFIC heads that came with the kit.
If you have the money a great investment would be some coated EVANS heads, or the next best would be a REMO pinstripe series.
As for tuning, a most important application is going to be muffling the drum, otherwise you will have a hideous ring. Most serious studio drummers, myself included will use the "po' mans muffle" as opposed to the plastic rings that sit on the head. Personally I dont like the plastic rings. I use a piece of napkin or paper towel about 3 or 4 ply, in a 2x2" square. I then use electrical tape around all four edges of the paper and seat it on or right next to the rim on the outer side of the drum head. This will take away the unwanted ring, especially on the deeper shells that your Pacific probubly has. It doesnt look pretty but for studio, or amature playing it obviously doesnt matter.
I would turn the top head of your toms until somewhat tought, then adjust the bottom head secondly. Then between the two heads adjust like Brad suggested until you reach the desired note.
For the bass drum, a small pillow, blanket, or even a heavy rug works magic. It will take some adjusting and is much easier with two people; one on the pedal, another fooling with the muffle on the other side.
It's best to tune the bass drum to the low E on the bass guitar, and work the toms from there according to personal preferance.
I prefer a Jazz/Fusion style setup wich works best for my playing style. It would have a larger(deeper) bass drum, and smaller toms. The kit I use now is only a 5 piece consisting of a YAMAHA bass, and mounted tom, a TAMA floor tom, and my ROGERS snare that I have had since 5th grade. I also have a junker snare with the snares removed that I use for a timbali.... Of course I have all Ziljians, as they are the cream of the crop. =O)
My hardware is a mix, but double braced is preferable, including YAMAHA, TAMA, PEARL, CB700, and, SONAR.
Sticks also make a difference. The plastic tips are not a good bet as they dont sound good on the drums, and tend to "fly off" through the air lol.
The best sounding stick is going to have a more rounded head than oval, and weight is dependent on style and preference. I like a 5a or 7a, and stay with VIC FIRTH when possible.
Let me know if i can offer any more help,
Peace,
Tom
 
Thanks Rich !! But i heard that JSC is kind of prick with ears....:D
Good advice from Northrnscownr he knows of what he speaks! The only thing that i would add is Coated Top snare heads are much more tonally friendly than clear batters. Pinstripes for rack and floor toms unless your in a studio situation, most producers like coated heads all around. The coated snare heads come in different weights for different playing styles, the heavier weights will be easier to tune. Example: Remo, who makes 75 % of the heads out there sells a coated heavyweght called the Emperor which will be easy to tune and last the casual drummer much longer than the common Ambassador heads. I like a tight snare head, loose works much better in the studio but for live or casual drumming a tight snare sounds pro. Tune the toms however you like Just do as was suggested earlier and tighten the lugs evenly and tap about 1/1/2 " off of the rim and listen for the tone to be even all the way around. Lastly, and the thing i am pickiest about....The bass drum , tune your head to wear the lugs dont rattle when you hit the drum, in other words not too tight. Then see if you can lay your hands on some acoustical foam like they use in studios. A good easy alternative is to buy the foam matress pads that they sell in bedding stores and cut those to fit in the drum so as to lay flat. The edge should just touch the inside and outside head and put a piece in there that lays in the drum like a big smile. If you get it right , You should be pretty happy with the boom that explodes forth ! Clear bass drum heads will sound best as well.

Where is Medina Oh.? I played on tour in Cleveland, Columbus and Lima Oh. ( Bass player is from Lima) Is that near you ? Just wondering... Peace
Jeff
 
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