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Basics of Drumhead Changing and Tuning

The first thing guitarists and bass players learn is how to tune their instruments, yet many drummers never learn the simple basics of making their drums sound good! Over the years in my career as a drummer, drum tech, product consultant, and most importantly "musician", I've developed some simple guidelines that have helped me get drums to sound their absolute best. You owe it to yourself to get to know your instrument a little better and explore some of your options. Here's some basic pointers that should get you started on the road to great sounding drums. 

CHANGING HEADS
Putting a new drumhead on is pretty much the same for all drums. Here's a few steps to make sure your heads go on evenly and stay in tune.


When I plan on changing a lot of heads, I use a cordless driver with a drum key extension to hurry things up. It's the quickest way to get the heads off and on, but a good speed-key will do the job just as well. (When tensioning a new head with a cordless driver, make sure to tighten the tension rods only until they are finger tight, with low torque, or you could possibly strip the threads in the lug casing. You should finish the rest of the job by hand with a drum key.)

1. Remove the old head and inspect the bearing edge and interior of the drum. Run your finger around the edge to feel for any inconsistencies such as dents or rises. If the drum is made of wood, you can very carefully sand down any small bumps with fine grit sandpaper. (If you find any major divots or cracks, take the drum to an experienced drum repair person.)

2. If it is a wood shell drum I usually rub a little beeswax (found at fabric and sewing supply stores) on the bearing edges. This helps to seat the head properly and keeps the edges healthy and helps protect them from damage. Also while the head is off, check the inside of the shell to make sure all hardware is securely fastened. Screws and nuts may loosen over time from the vibrations of the shell. Tighten any loose hardware.

3. Stretch the new head. There's a few ways to do this: I like to first hold the head face up and loosen the glue joints by pushing up underneath the collar of the head with my fingers. Don't be alarmed if you hear crackling sounds, it's just the mylar stretching and the joint glue pulling. Not all drumhead manufacturers use the same method to glue the head into the flesh hoop, but it's worth stretching the head as much as possible before putting the head on the shell.

4. Place the new head on the drum. You should be able to spin the head freely around the shell. (If you can't there may be a problem with the shell being "out of round") Now put the counterhoop on the drum, making sure to align the ears of the hoop with the lug inserts. You are now ready for...
5. The Clock Face Method - Looking down, imagine the drumhead is the face on a clock with the top lug being 12:00. Start at 12:00 and screw the tension rod in until it is just shy of being finger tight. Now move directly diagonally to the 6:00 position and do the same thing, then 9:00-3:00, 1:00-7:00, and so on, moving diagonally across the drum until all the rods are equally tensioned. Using the clock face method again, tighten each rod about one turn. The head will still be relatively slack and may have some wrinkles. Keep tightening the rods one-half turn at a time until the wrinkles are gone.

6. At this point, stretch the head again by pressing down firmly on the center. I use my elbow, but your hand works just as well. This will help to both stretch and properly seat the head.

Now you're ready to begin tuning your drum...

THE SNARE DRUM

Let's start with what many consider the most important drum in the kit: the snare drum. Examine the bottom, or snare side head. I don't recommend changing bottom heads as often as top, or batter side heads, but it is always important to inspect and adjust the snare side to make sure the snare wires are centered and the head is tensioned properly.

Generally speaking, you should tension the snare side head first. It's been my experience that the bottom head of a snare drum should be tensioned fairly tight in relation to the top head. The bottom head plays a big role in snare sensitivity as well as determining the overall pitch of the drum. If the snare side head is too loose it will be hard to control the snares, and if it's too tight you risk choking the drum or breaking snare cord.

When tuning a snare side head, use the clock face technique of tightening the head, making sure that you even out any wrinkles around the snare beds, which are the two small dips in the shell below the snare strainer and butt plate. When the head is tightened, these dips cause the head to rise and bow outward, creating a perfect surface for the snare wires to lay upon.

I often tighten the two rods on either side of the strainer and butt plate a bit tighter than the other rods to create a rise and help eliminate snare buzz.

You should experiment with tightening or loosening these rods and see what works for you.

Once the snare side head is tensioned properly, flip the drum over and drop a new drumhead on the shell. Follow the above instructions for tensioning until you just begin to get a clear tone from the drum and any wrinkles have evened out. Tighten each rod one-quarter to one-half turn using the clock face method. With the snares thrown off, listen to the tone the drum makes when you tap it in the center with a drumstick. If you want a higher pitched snare sound, tighten each rod one-half turn at a time until you reach the approximate pitch you're looking for.

Using your index finger, move from lug to lug, tapping the drumhead about one-half inch in from each tension rod. Listen to the note that is made at each point and try to achieve one consistent note all around the head by loosening or tightening the rods as needed. Try to produce a pure tone as opposed to one that wavers or oscillates. This will take some practice but it is worth the extra effort.

*Experiment with different tuning and head combinations to see how they affect snare and shell response, projection, and tone. For instance, a two-ply head will produce a lower pitch and warmer attack than a lighter one-ply head.
** Get rid of any unwanted ring with a piece of duct tape or Moongel. Try placing the tape about 1/2" to 1" in from the edge of the drum. Move the tape around to see how it affects the overtones of the drum. Also try using two or more smaller pieces of tape or gel diagonal from each other.

THE TOM TOMS

Start with the smallest tom and work your way up to the largest. Tune the bottom or resonant head first to determine the pitch of the drum. I generally use a clear, single-ply resonant head.

Tap the head going from lug to diagonal lug in the same way as you did with the snare drum until you achieve the tone you want. I rest the top head of the tom on my leg to dampen it while I'm tuning the bottom head. This allows me to hear the note of just the resonant head. Do the same thing when you tune the batter side of the tom.

When you are close to getting the sound you want, mount the tom on it's stand (or legs) and hit it with a stick (or a mallet) and make any adjustments to the top or bottom heads you need to make.

Make sure that each tom is in a complimentary note to the others. They should have clean, descending pitched tones as you go from the smallest to the largest drum.

A Note About Pitch
Some drummers like to match the pitch of the top and bottom heads of their tom toms. I find this works best for lower volume music like jazz or acoustic music. For rock music, I often tune the bottom head slightly higher then the top head to get a small pitch bend - I find it gives the toms a beefy, deeper tone. (Beware: too much of a pitch bend can make the drum sound like a cheesy 1980's drum machine!) Again, it's all a matter of personal preference. Try experimenting with different relative tensioning between the batter and resonant heads and see what works best for you.

A Note About Notes
You'll find over time that your toms have an optimum tuning range where they perform best. The diameter and thickness of the shell help to define the tuning range. Some drum makers stamp a musical note value such as C # or E inside the drum. These are good starting points to aim for when you first tune the drum. Note each drum's optimal pitch after experimenting with different tunings. After a while it will be pretty obvious where the drum sounds best pitch-wise.

BASS DRUMS

The bass drum can be tuned for a variety of sounds, from big and boomy, to short and clicky. First, make sure the head is seated evenly on the bearing edge when you put on the hoop and tension rods.

Tighten the head until all the wrinkles are gone and then use your hands to stretch the head.

Tune the batter head a bit looser than the resonant head at first. You can check the pitch of the head by using a mallet and striking in the center of the drum. Again, it is important to experiment with different heads and relative tensioning to find the sound you are looking for. If you have a heavy footed style you will probably want to use at least a 2-ply head or perhaps some of the EQ style heads that allow for various degrees of muffling of the bass drum. A simple and effective place to start is to use a 2-ply head on the batter side and a thinner resonant head on the front. To get more attack or click, try a bass drum patch.

If you are looking for a rounder, warmer tone, it's often better to try using a head without a hole and minimal dampening, but I've found that many engineers prefer to have a hole in the front head so they can put a microphone inside the drum and add muffling if need be.

* There are many different ways to muffle or dampen a bass drum, from the old school method of felt strips stretched under both heads, to modern head EQ systems that change tone and resonance. I've used strips of newspaper loosely piled in the bottom third of the drum, and I've also stuffed different sized blankets and pillows into kick drums. In the long run, whatever works for the situation is the best method.

Remember:

Keep an open mind and use your ears. Every situation is different and every drummer is different. So is every drum, microphone, engineer, and room. Just because your snare drum sounded great with a certain type of head tuned a certain way in one studio, doesn't mean it will sound good at your live gig. Be adaptable. Use your ears and listen to what works for other drummers.
Try different head combinations - Each drum has an optimal sound that is achieved through correct tuning and the correct combination of drumheads. Start by defining the sound you want to get and then choose the logical head combo for that sound. See what heads other drummers use to get the sound.
Make sure the drum you are trying to tune is in round. It is almost impossible to get an out of round shell to sound good no matter how much experience you might have.
There's nothing better than playing a well-tuned set of drums. Once you learn how to do it, you can really begin to create your own individual identity on your instrument. HAVE FUN!!

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