How I tune a Marching Snare.

This is a 14x12 Pearl Championship snare drum. I have a Blackmax on top, and a Falams II on the bottom. This video covers the process of changing the heads, maintaining your drum, and some other useful tips for making sure the heads are both seated properly on the drum, which seems to be the most common issue with heads routinely tearing out.
This process should not actually take 30 minutes. Realistically if I have the drum on the ground where I can put more force into it and a pair of keys, I can change a top or bottom head in about 5 minutes with this method.
Here is an example of this tuning scheme in a Full Ensemble setting. Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Cascades Drumcorps- 2015. Yes, they are wet. Easiest way to dry them out (If you prefer that sound) would be tape on the snares, and perhaps a 1/16th turn on the top head. Also make sure that bottom head is up to a D5.
• Intergalactic - Short ...
Here is another example. Cascades Drumline 2017 at Denver lot. Top heads are a little bit higher than the 2015, but otherwise pretty similar. Bottoms are definitely at D5, and I think the guts were taped. Honestly I can't remember at this point.
• 2017 Cascades Drumline...
Anyways, I hope this helps! There are plenty of ways to tune a snare drum, but this is just what I have found to enjoy listening to. This method works really well for a HS group with 4-6 players-- It will produce a very full sound. It is definitely "wetter" than most tuning methods, but I love the resonance that the drums produce. It is easy enough to adapt this method to get a more articulate sound if so desired.
Thanks!
Justin

[@kylelee4812]

this is the best tuning video ever. Thanks for getting even the smallest of details, because those are what a lot of other tuning vids forget about.

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Thank you! I am glad to help!

[@DM-is7bg]

I came here and 5 minutes later realized im a brass player

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Now you can tune your drumline’s snares tho, so that’s tight.

[@Shokemyster]

life saver! my homie told me to do the opposite... top high, bottom low. game changer! amazing video!

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Thank you! Glad to help.

[@Shokemyster]

Justin Bales Thank you :)

[@Shokemyster]

hey Justin, is it possible for me to send you my tuning vid so you can see what i’m doing wrong? i followed everting you said in the video and i’m still having a trouble...

[@Shokemyster]

i’m in japan btw

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Shoki Hirayama yeah, definitely!

[@BRG23]

I just tuned my yamaha and watched this video it sounds heavenly

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Yesssss! That makes me so happy! Have fun!!!

[@BRG23]

Justin Bales thank you

[@legoreemv]

"That great mylar sound" 30 seconds later: "It's Kevlar"

[@HotrodHud]

That was before he brought it up to pitch but ya that was funny

[@SEAJustinDrum]

bad joke :D

[@rutzou]

"it doesnt take a lot to do a lot" BIG FAX

[@fruitsnacks1771]

Holy shoot am I so thankful for this video. There's some good videos out there and all, but they didn't explain things as thoroughly as this one. Really appreciate it, dog.

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Glad to help!

[@DrumRollTonyReacts]

Hey its Justin Bales!

[@BRG23]

You are a drum tuning wizard

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Don’t ask me about tenor tuning, you’ll have a bad time.

[@AlexBrinkleyMusic]

Nice. Nice, nice.

[@markponekovic3415]

Hi i have a question im getting this new marching snare drum its called the xymox hybrid snare drum how many times should i tune the head in a circle because i also have a pearl competitor marching snare drum and i previously had a remo white max and i tuned it in a star pattern and it went good but then i believe couple months later i wanted to tune it again way up and that didn't go well i over tuned it and the head riped so now i have an Evans hybrid white and i tuned it previously to a star pattern again and that went fine and then the sound started to go a little bit low and i finally decided to go in a circle like in your video and i felt comfortable doing that and i think i did it 10 times and nothing broke im not an expert on tuning but when i get the new snare drum how many times should I go in a circle im going to do a tiny bit of a star pattern just to get started then a circle so that im careful what's your suggestion on how many times should I go in a circle i don't want to mess anything up thank you

[@GabeT04]

Hey. What do you think about the new Remo head? I think the suede max? I heard that it is super durable and it's designed to be cranked up really high and still have that soft comfy feel.

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Gabriel {BYOS} I haven’t had a chance to tune one personally, but I have heard they are easy to work with and feel better than a black max. They also sound great- UW used them last season and the line had a super solid sound!

[@Josef-ye1ob]

Hi! You mentioned it briefly, but you said once you have the head seated you dont have to use the star pattern, ive always heard differently. Could you explain why you can just go around in a circle? Also, sometimes when i play my drum ( especially around the outside of the head or tap my rim) theres a ringing sound. Ive tried loosening/ tightening some lugs but sometimes it can be an overwhelming ringing. Have you ever ran into this problem and do you have any suggestions? I am thankful for any replies!

[@Josef-ye1ob]

Also! I just wanted to say this is an amazing video! Most videos dont go as in depth as this one

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Yo, sorry I'm slow getting back. For 1- I use a star pattern for my big turns. IE, if I do 720* of turn all around, I will use the star pattern to keep things balanced and all of that, and then check for a good even seat. Once I get up to maybe a 5th from where I want to be, I start just turning clockwise so I can get consistent turns at about 45-90* of turn depending on how I'm feeling. I just keep it consistent. A kevlar head won't break if you go in a circle doing small turns. I do star pattern on mylar all the way to pitch, but kevlar is so hefty that it really isn't needed and is kind of a big fallacy in high tension drum tuning IMO. I've never torn out a batter head doing small turns around the top head at the pitch I go for. Maybe someone else going higher has had other thoughts... 2- Where is the ringing coming from? Top head? Bottom? Snares? What is the pitch of the bottom head, and are your snares seated correctly? Ringing and resonance (as long as the pitch is uniform) are generally good in my boat, so maybe it's just something to get used to. Do you have a video you could share? My go to fix would be checking the bottom head tension, making sure snares aren't hitting the bearing edge, and then making sure they are tight enough-- Maybe some electrical tape to thicken it up a bit more, as well.

[@Josef-ye1ob]

Justin Bales Thanks for the reply! I’ll try what you suggested first and get back to you if the problem continues. Its nice to know that if there’s a little ringing it’s okay.

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Josef Martinez how’s it going with the tuning?

[@Josef-ye1ob]

Justin Bales Great! I took the bottom head back off and followed all the steps and brought it up to pitch, and a majority of the ringing is gone. I do have one more question though. If i wanted to put some tape on the bottom head, where would i put it? And would regular electrical tape work?

[@zach.a.fields]

Thanks man!!

[@kylelee4812]

thanks for saying "180 turns". when other vids say a full turn, im never sure if they mean 180 or 360

[@cammm15yt74]

Whats the velcro tape for on the bottom rim

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Cammm15 YT snare scoop.

[@loganknight6454]

thanks dude! can you help me with my 13 inch pearl drum? i cant seem to tune it to sound quite like that

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Sorry this is a year late, hah! Those 13” drums always gave me grief. I haven’t tuned one in years. I’m going to try to get my hands on one. The drums I was working with had white maxes on top, falams on bottom. They were always super plasticy sounding. A black max might darken the sound up a bit. Anyways- was not fond of the 13” drums in that situation. When UW band went to Shanghai, Pearl had drums for us over there so we didn’t need to fly with them. I believe we were on 13” drums. Black max on top, Mylar on bottom. Those drums sounded freaking awesome. The Mylar added some much depth to the sound, at a cost of tuning all the time. I’d imagine that it wouldn’t work super well from a longevity standpoint- We were only there for a week.

[@bista9924]

What is the link for the top and bottom head?

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Neil Bista- generally I use a falams 2 on bottom and a black max on top. Couldn’t find the falams 2 on Lone Star, but the XT is basically interchangeable. I have used both on bottom pretty extensively. Top: www.lonestarpercussion.com/Drum-Heads/Marching-Snare-Drum-Heads/Remo-14-Inches-Black-Max-with-Technora-Snare-Batter-Head-KS-0614-00.html Bottom: www.lonestarpercussion.com/Drum-Heads/Marching-Snare-Drum-Heads/Remo-14-Inches-Falam-XT-Snare-Side-Kevlar-Head-KL1214SA.html

[@bista9924]

Justin Bales thanks

[@EvanGorczyk]

What note is the top head tuned to?

[@SEAJustinDrum]

I tend to tune the top to feel, but right now it's at a Bb4, bottom is D5, making it a major 3rd lower than the bottom head. I didn't plan on that-- I'd guess it goes anywhere from an A4 to maybeeeee a C4 if I want a crazy amount of rebound, but I'd rather have it feel good in the A4/Bb4 Range. Evans says A and D. www.evansdrumheads.com/upload/EVBR_MPSG07_Marching_Percussion_Survival_Guide_12562.pdf Jim Casella says D on the bottom w/ same remo heads I have on, doesn't mention top pitch www.jimcasella.com/news-1/2015/2/17/tips-on-snare-tuning-and-drumline-gear Basically, I'd try a 4th and then move to a third if it isn't bright enough sounding.

[@EvanGorczyk]

Thanks for your help!

[@ja.smooon]

When I play my snare in my room, I hear a ringing sound that I don’t like. How do I get rid of the ringing sound?

[@jeromieb038]

@@ja.smooon get two paper towel or napkin tape them to the bottom head on the left side of snare one the right size.

[@nicjgoss7069]

what is the attachment you have to carry your drum

[@jeromieb038]

It's called a snare harness.

[@nicjgoss7069]

i cant do this, i tried for an hour and couldn't get it

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Hey dude if you wanna skype/FaceTime I’d be happy to help out in more detail!

[@nicjgoss7069]

Justin Bales sure, id be down for that

[@markponekovic3415]

Will this method work on a 13 inch marching snare

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Mark Ponekovic yes the general strategy would work well. I’m not sure what pitch the heads would sound best on a 13” so just try to find that high pitched resonant sweet spot! Since the 13” produces less sound you might need to play with gut tension to fill it out a bit more.

[@markponekovic3415]

The reason im asking because i'm getting a new marching snare drum i don't know if you heard of them the xymox hybrid snare drum but that's what im getting

[@johnnylo4405]

Would this work with a Yamaha?

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Yup!

[@ethanjohnson7029]

Where did you teach corps?

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Cascades 2014-2016 and early tour 2017

[@johnnysinger3353]

What wax do you use? Thanks!

[@SEAJustinDrum]

I’ve used all sorts of stuff to be honest. Skate wax is good, tea light candle wax gets a little chunky but is workable. Paraffin wax is a good bet. I’d just shoot for something pretty hard that doesn’t have any coloration in it and you’ll be good, honestly. I don’t buy specific products for drum maintenance, I just use what I have (that block of wax will literally be mostly there by the time we’re dead, lol), I’ll just use things I have laying around like thin bike lube for lugs, candle wax for edges, painters tape/packing tape for deadening. No real point in splurging, IMO.

[@PostLagone]

Cork grease!

[@johannflores8993]

What type of stand is that

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Johann Flores just a basic pearl basket stand. It came with my 4th grade bell/snare combo kit way back in the day!

[@johannflores8993]

Thanks

[@garygracer1195]

If you put tape on your snares is it bad to leave the snare switch permanently in the on position?

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Gary Gracer if you tape the guts you will want to leave the snares in the on position. If you turn the snare off it will pull the tape off, and you’ll need to put it back on. Not a huge issue- more of a minor annoyance than anything else.

[@wafersss]

"I did a band camp"? Idk what that means

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Summer music rehearsals for marching band, anywhere from a couple days, to a few weeks. The “band camp” I referenced was basically just a week of 9am-5pm rehearsals.

[@wafersss]

@@SEAJustinDrum I know what band camp is I just didn't understand how you said it

[@johnnylo4405]

What note do you tune the snare strings to if you want a dci snare sound?

[@SEAJustinDrum]

Johnny Lo that depends on the sound you want. For me at least I would tune all the guts to the same neutral pitch (work outside strands to inside, meeting in the middle because you want them to stay semi balanced as you tune, then double check em again), and then just tighten them to where they feel similar to a guitar string tension. Put a pencil on the opposite side of the throw between the snares and head to hear the guts better. I always end up getting them sounding good and resonant right after I’ve tuned the bottom, and then end up putting a few more twists on them when I hear everyone together. The one thing I can say is don’t over tighten them to the point where the bottom head can’t resonate anymore, you’ll get a really choked sound. Compensate by keeping them looser and using tape.

[@user-fr3lz7hj1t]

They are tension screws not lugs. I’d you are attempting to teach something, you need to learn what the parts of the drum are. Your lugs are the tubes not the screws! Damn this is difficult to watch.

[@SEAJustinDrum]

lol ok