How To Tune Your Toms Like a Pro | Easy Drum Tuning Part 2 of 3

[@drslothlehoff806]

Rim job. Good head. 13 inch. Clear batter. So tight. Can't beat it.Thanks Rick!

[@patricknorman8103]

Boom ti ta bshhhhh

[@Jack-52]

😂fucking nice

[@idkidk7002]

How did this comment get so little likes

[@sillymilly311]

...seat the head...finger tighten... Huhuhu

[@siputai4321]

With some pressure

[@freecitizen2760]

More tips: use two drum keys, directly opposite each other, for the star pattern so that you’re not pulling it to one side and then the other. And just do a bit a time as opposed to several turns at a time. Get a DrumDial, check as you go, write down tension settings that you like and you will then be able to exactly recreate what worked for you every single time.

[@ArchieBC]

Rick, I've got 35 years behind the the kit and you just gave me the BEST tuning demo I've ever seen! You're a gold mine of info!

[@utubehound69]

I don't get the whiners down below….it took me years or trial & error as well as buying many books & mags on recording too learn what you are teaching for free. I still learned a lot from this series as with all your teaching. Thx Rick!!!

[@andrewmiller7815]

I concur

[@travismatte]

Exactly

[@jimsteele2072]

Before the internet you had to learn, Now someone online just shows you.

[@massapower]

Let them be Whiners, do it wrong and go nowhere 😜👎

[@RockOn78]

Dirty Harry ya still gotta hear the times and do the work to tune it. This just takes some guess work out. There's value in figuring it out, and also value on standing on the shoulders of giants. Thx Rick!

[@CynHicks]

I remember as a young guitarist watching my then drummer tune his drums after getting all new skins. I never complained to him about my Floyd Rose again. Lol.

[@michaelmattice4986]

Hello Rick, I've been playing drums since 1989. In that time I never really mastered tuning. No, I DEFINITELY never mastered tuning. I never thought about tuning to where the drum 'sings', instead, I tried to force it to where I wanted it to be...Well, I've learned my(your)lesson...Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom! Continued success Rick!:)

[@fredericlinden]

I applaud your comment !

[@jts3339]

Thanks Rick. I’m a guitar player in a family with multiple drummers and anything I can learn about drums helps me demystify “their” instrument.

[@pepstriebeck1163]

Respect for actually tuning the drums instead of just applying a random amount of tension like sooo many drummers do it. Even nowadays many people give me the Glare(tm) when it tell them i tune my drums to specific notes and intervals. Great video, thank you!

[@christarwitch]

A "mil" (as in mil thickness of the drum head ply) is 1/1000 of an inch. It is not shorthand for a millimeter. Don't confuse the terms folks. Very different measurements...

[@phoenix11994466]

*_That was beautiful Rick - I've been playing drums since 1966 and like most people struggled with the tuning... In those early days, everyone seemed to have a different opinion on tuning, so I simply experimented, and funnily enough, came to the same conclusion as you, including thinner lighter drum hoops... What a coincidence, or maybe not, even so, what you say is not very widely known... So I'm very pleased to know I haven't been deluding myself all those years._* 👀😀😎

[@EvanBivins]

Wow. This is fantastic. I've seen plenty of people describe how best to tune drums, but never have I seen someone explain WHY it's done how it's done. I'd give this two likes if I could.

[@craigcampbell8560]

The most important thing when it comes to tuning drums, especially toms is to get the drum in tune with itself. I always use two keys and tighten the lugs across from each other the same amount at the same time. I'll touch the center of the drum head with my fingertip and tap around the edge at the lugs. I'll tune the lowest up to the others and occasionally press down on the drum head to seat it and stretch it. Once you get it in tune with itself it will sing as long as the head is at a decent tension for the drum itself.

[@TheHylden]

This is the best video series on drum tuning I have seen. It's just filled with so much history also.

[@kusikaivo671]

I just wanted to say thanks Rick! I've been air drumming for my whole life and recently I finally got my own set. Your videos really helped me setting up my gear. Thank you.

[@tomzeto]

Thank you Rick! So helpful. For those that are interested in the drum dial numbers: 13” Tom top (coated ambassador) 74 E, Reso single ply clear 79 G. 16” Tom 74 B, reso 79 D.

[@dfgivens]

Rick, this is a great method, and very close to what I have done for decades. One small addition, try using 2 drum keys placed across from each other on the 2nd step (instead of the star-pattern with a single key.) Ideally, use 2 identical keys. By using both hands it goes twice as fast, and is perfectly balanced! Finish normally, by tapping at each rod. etc.

[@bbblazer]

I love your realist approach and great way of fully explaining the vintage vs new drum sounds as well as tuning and head comparisons

[@sideoutside]

Tuning drums is also called, "It's now time to hate life.."

[@dougmcintosh9290]

hell yeah. when I was younger my drums seemed to tune themselves. nowadays they always sound horrible. I liked this video though.

[@dhr.neuteboom4536]

@@dougmcintosh9290 Your ears improved. Learn how to tune, it's "key" to sound good ;). Your playing will improve when it harmonize

[@dougl.6461]

You nailed that!! Lmao

[@thedrummerdude777]

Get a Drum Dial or a Tension Watch. Same tension and tuning EVERY TIME.

[@Mike-sf5cg]

I recently discovered that when my floor tom sucks so do my other toms. I found a video that suggested dropping the tuning on one of the bottom lugs on the floor tom. That seemed to help all matters.

[@thekriks]

thanks, Rick, for freely sharing the knowledge you have gathered. -Michael

[@clarify9156]

hey I just got a 1970s pearl wood fiberglass 5 piece drum set from my friends dad, He gave it to me because I really wanted to start drumming. I bought some remo vintage emperor clear heads and I tuned them up with this vid, And they SOUND AMAZING!!!! I wanted to thank u for making such great content that is very helpful.

[@anttilohikoski8041]

14mm = 14 millimeters = 0.55 inches 10mm = 10 millimeters = 0.39 inches Now that's thick. "Mils does not mean millimeters. A mil is equivalent to a thousandth of an inch." as said already by @PabloJ1968 Love the vids, keep it up!

[@spagzs]

Hi rick...here’s a tip you might like...so one day I was getting frustrated by not knowing if all the lugs were the same tension so I go a drill and utilized the clutch .. first i set the clutch to “2” and I it worked really well...the stupid thing is the drum lugs are not a metric or SAE size...the perfect size drill bit to use is the extension piece ... this method is fast and easy and really lets you know that each lug is the same tension.

[@mikebarker9187]

Comment please on: 1. Tuning to the supposed resonant frequency of the drum itself. 2. The pitch at the lug opposite the lug you are turning changes as you turn the lug. I.e., when you tighten/loosen lug A, the pitch changes not only at lug A but at the lug opposite lug A. Very nice video! Lot's of things not covered elsewhere.

[@slavesforging5361]

super helpful! i was definitely doing a few things wrong. like not muting the opposite head when tuning the other, and not cracking the glue before installation. the info about hoop thickness was a gem. so was the tips about head thickness! thanks so much for posting this series!

[@PabloJ1968]

Mils does not mean millimeters. A mil is equivalent to a thousandth of an inch. That goes for the thickness of the plastic of the drumhead. Ply: layers of veneers that made the body of a drum. Maple / poplar / maple, birch, etc are described in terms of plies, not inches. Good video btw.

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

Should have picked up on this myself! A 1.4mm thick drum head would sound like you hit a slab of concrete! XD That's WAY thicker than the PET on a coke bottle!

[@jamessbca]

And this is the exact reason I always say "thousandths" while talking about thousandths of an inch - no mistaking it for mm with people who don't use these units every day...

[@arupian666]

@@jamessbca Me too. Didn't know there was any other way.

[@jamessbca]

@@arupian666 for whatever reason, all of my electrical engineer buddies say "mils" when referring to thousandths of an inch. All of my mechanical engineer buddies as well as machinists say "thousandths" So I stick with millimeters and thousandths (and I NEVER say the word "mil"). Zero confusion that way :)

[@arupian666]

@@jamessbca I spent half my career working in England (my native country) and we always used to use "thou" ... I used to work closely with prototype workshops and yeah, those guys would always use "thou"... Since I've been in the States, I use "thousandths" (when the needs arises)... "thou" makes people think I'm speaking pretentiously referring to them in "ye olde english", lol... not helped by my accent...

[@Chiroman527]

I have just begun to play drums after being away for 50 years. It has become a great hobby for fun. I won't be playing in a band anytime soon ( I guess but that would be nice to hook up with some old timers), but watching this Vid and others , I had no idea about drum tuning. I ha e a cheap Grammond drum set as xmas gift last year. And now with new information, i am tweaking the sound with this new tuning info. Just got new Remo coated batter heads for my toms and kick drum. Looking forward to see (or should say Hear), the difference usi g these new heads. Thx for dissemination and sharing the information.

[@thunderdrummerdude]

I use a tama tension watch dial on my drums. If i do a live gig, i tune my toms by ear back stage if needed. I my opinion, the tama tension watch dial has saved me a lot of time.

[@rrparker12]

Love this video. Couple of great tips here that I plan to use immediately. I appreciate how specific you are.

[@glengamble526]

Excellent job, as always Rick! The only other thing I’d suggest is lining up the Remo logo on the head with the Ludwig logo on the shell. Or lining up both logos against how they will sit on the tom holder. You always want the head logo to be NORTH, this way you have a starting and reference point for all tuning.

[@joemalone5330]

Another important part of seating the head is to make sure that the distance between the hoop and the bearing edge is consistent all around the drum. Even a difference of a mm or two will make it much harder to fine tune the drum to a specific pitch. Typically there is some "play" room of a few mm not only between the hoop and the bearing edge but also sometimes between the drum head and the bearing edge so it is really important to make sure the head is also perfectly centred on the drum with consistent spacing between the head and the rim of the drum.

[@michaeljuliano8839]

This advice is primarily useful for tuning in a studio environment. The process of tuning is similar for a gigging drummer, but a gigging drummer has different concerns than a drummer in the studio. You want your equipment to be durable enough to survive being roughed up in transit more than trying to maximize tone which changes from room to room, anyway. Your tuning also isn’t going to last for a 2-hour gig. It won’t sound bad by the end, but any specific pitches or intervals you may have aimed for are going to be lost. Not all Gretsch drums come with die cast hoops. In fact, these days, only the USA Custom comes with die cast hoops. Brooklyn and renown drums use 3.02mm double flange hoops, and I have 1.6mm triple flange hoops on my Gretsch Catalina Club. The problem with the thinner hoops is that they bend a lot more easily if/when you drop them while transporting them which ruins your tuning and makes the drums harder to tune in the future. A studio environment usually carries less risk, so you can use thinner hoops with less worry. Lastly, Evans Level 360 heads don’t need to be broken in to seat properly and are a lot more durable for gigging. Frankly, the equivalent Remo heads sound better, but the Evans UV1 heads sound the best in my opinion (Remo has no equivalent) and are somehow even more durable than normal Evans heads.

[@jasonread5017]

Rick is a hard worker=talent is not enough WITHOUT THE WORK EFFERT. Good on you RICK FOR ANOTHER GREAT AND LOGICAL PRESENTATION.

[@FedericoMaracaglia]

Congratulations! Love this series, can't wait for the third episode and for the episode about tuning to the key of a song. Just a note about the thickness of the heads: the unit is mil (also known as thou) which is a thousandth of an inch not a millimeter, so an ambassador would be 10/1000 of an inch and an emperor would be 14/1000 of an inch. Thanks for your videos!

[@RickBeato]

Thanks Federico! I realized that I said that later. Haha! People can just look at your comment :) I have the Kick drum one first then tuning to the song (with different drums and heads.) Thanks!! Rick

[@c.pierce3058]

thanks Rick, it's been almost 3 years since this video was made, so glad I found it, this is very valuable info that few drummers understand about.

[@timtitus7861]

I tune the bottom heads of all my toms at the same time (with the top heads off), then put on the top heads and match the resonating frequency of the bottom ones. If you do them all individually, it's much harder to get all the drums in a nice sequence of notes.

[@grt002]

The only person on KZbin you can learn about Drumset tuning as well as orchestrating in the style of John Williams

[@geraldfrieberg7921]

Great starting point for tuning ! I have both Gretsch USA Custom drums (jazz sizes) and also the newly issued Sonor AQ2 series (also jazz sizes). I use a similar tensioning method (i.e. bottom clear Ambassador about a third above the top coated Ambassador). I like the dip that the drum produces with that combination. I am not real keen on having both top and bottom heads the same pitch. But of course: To each his own. THANKS for a great video !!! I learned a lot from it, even after 30 + years of drumming !

[@timtitus7861]

I onced played an all original vintage Slingerland radio king, full set with a matched snair. Damn did they know how to make jazz drums back in the day.

[@brianchisnell1548]

In those days, it was all jazz. I own a kit you decribed. The drums did fit the style.

[@okachobi]

Good video. Something not mentioned is the difference when tuning die cast vs triple flange. The same method applies, but the triple flange hoops flexes a lot more than the die cast. As a result, changing the tuning of a single lug on die cast will have a larger impact on nearby lugs. As a result, I find die cast hoops to be more difficult to tune. It takes a while to get used to the nuances.

[@zenzenzen4741]

Three years later I still feel that this is the best video on the subject

[@scaxxomaxx]

Hey Rick! Been drumming for almost 10 years now. Came across your channel for tonal music theory (which I'm a total beginner at) and was blown away. Been following you for months religiously about music theory, composition, music history and learnt a lot. I just discovered your drum videos, where I consider myself quite knowledgeable so my judgement on these videos would tell me how much I can trust the information on the other subjects I know zero about. I was a little afraid I would "see through the lines" and maybe realize that you just research your stuff on the internet in advance and explain it in video fashion, instead I was pleasently surprised to discover that indeed you know what you're talking about about all this different subjects! It's so rare to find such knowledge in so many diverse music topics that you make it almost hard to believe. There it is a compliment if there ever was one! Keep doing what you're doing.

[@RickBeato]

+scaxxomaxx Thanks! I've done about 1000 drum sessions over the last 25 years. I've tune the drums for every session. I tune them in between every take and I never research topics on the Internet :)

[@scaxxomaxx]

No kidding! I don't know if it can be of any help to you but If I can give my two cents I would only add to this that there's a good tradition to tune the toms according to the note the shell itself naturally produces when slapped. DW drums even used to write the drum shell's pitch note on the inside of it for that reason. Ultimately, in my experience it is the note the drum will revolve around (when losing tuning etc) and in general it's a good starting point from which fine tune the batter head according to taste.

[@elusivelectron]

​@@RickBeato12:07 One thing I noticed about your video is that you said the drum head was 14 mm thick. It's 0.014 inches (14 mil) thick. I figured I'd let you know in case you wanted to throw a graphic up on the screen.

[@seangdolan]

Another great way of checking your tuning is touching your finger in the center of the drum. Just TOUCH the center (don’t press!), it makes the overtone (5th above the fundamental) pop out and you can instantly tell if it’s the same at each lug. Easier than tuning only using the fundamental.

[@kicksnarehats11]

Hi Rick, great video, as always. Thanks! It might be worth mentioning that, in many cases, 1.6mm hoops are also found on cheaper drums today (not only vintage drums). So if you have a cheaper drum kit and want to get a little more serious about getting a good sound out of it, it could be a good idea to exchange the hoops (and heads, of course!) first, instead of investing thousands of dollars in an all-new kit. The "problem" is that most modern drums (including inexpensive ones) have relatively thick shells that don't really accomodate for that vintage sound you get with the 1.6mm hoops. So again: if you're on a budget, I'd recommend going with 2.3mm or even die-cast hoops when a new kit seems like a little much. Cheers from Germany!

[@sammiller3444]

i use die cast hoops on my pacific (made in mexico version) kit and the toms ring like they're collectors! i remember noticing their thin maple shells with no reinforcing rings and thought that if you put die cast on them they would sound like the older gretsch drums...i was right!

[@OutOfElmo]

I get great satisfaction out of cracking the glue ring manually when I've got new heads. It's almost a ritual. My favorite snare head will always be a coated Ludwig medium Weather Master, though. Even though the coating chips and wears off, I always loved those heads since I had my first Acrolite.

[@patrickbrennan2864]

There are 25.4 millimeters in an inch If a drum head is “14 mm thick”, it’s over half an inch thick ! Rick, what am I missing? (And thank you most sincerely for all the teaching - you are incredible) Patrick

[@RMHendrickson]

He says “millimeter”, but he means “mil.” These are two entirely different measurements, and are a common mistake when talking about drum heads. 1 mil equals 0.001 in or 0.0254 mm. Another common mistake is the mention of loosening/tightening the lugs. It’s actually the tension rods that you are loosening/tightening. The lugs are what are drilled into the shells.

[@mchaelfoley]

Well done, very informative. Totally agree that fingers are better than key early on. and for god's sake no power tools!! my differences: I usually tune the bottom to the natural pitch of the shell, before I put the top on. I liked the part about tuning to minor thirds... There are other effects you can get with varying the reso head compared to the batter (tune to pitch of shell for max resonance OR tune higher than top head to get "tighter" sound with more attack) and you can also get an interesting effect purposely detuning one lug. Still, I learned a lot. I appreciate a person who takes the time to make an informative video and "gives something back' to others based on their love of drumming so kudos to Rick, this comes through in his videos.

[@chidrummer]

Nice vid. A few points: 1.) quick tip for seating heads - after finger tightening use a hand-held hair dryer, circling lightly near the rim. The heat will REALLY seat the head much better and quicker and your tunings will be much more stable. 2.) Tune your heads one at a time, muffling one if you have to. 3.) Emperors are 2ply heads and resist denting more than the single ply, Ambassadors. By contrasts, the Ambassadors are more resonant. One must decide which is more important. 4.) You would really like a device called, Tune Bot. It is specifically designed for tuning drums and gives you access to dozens of pitch and tuning combinations that work wonderfully.

[@floobuscanoobus]

The only professional drummer I’ve ever known, Phil Stanger, toured with Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand and taught drums for 50 years, told me to find the note of the bass drum (either F# or B )and on a five piece kit go up in fourths and on a four piece kit go up in fifths from there ( floor tom rack tom etc. ). It took me A YEAR to be able to really hear the notes and accomplish but it changed my drumming. All my cymbals sounded better, even ones that were expensive but I thought had too many overtones and didn’t like to use. It was a revelation.

[@soundlotmusic930]

So refreshing to see someone with a great understanding of music theory and physics. This video is extremely helpful, keep 'em coming. Thanks Rick!

[@micheleploeser7720]

Finally, drums CAN be tuned to a NOTE, as is a guitar/piano etc. Thank you Rick

[@ultimatesteve]

i just got a 3 piece kit for my 3 year old daughter. its a cheap set from amazon with crappy heads, but i dont want to spend what i paid for the kit on heads. just trying to get them to sound as good as they can. this video is very helpful. im not a drummer so i had no idea it was this involved.

[@Ticonderous1]

i will definitely be using the push down and turn from now on ... also one thing i always do is re tighten the screws inside which hold the lugs , just in case any have loosened off a little ..

[@spencerpoulter8531]

Rick this method has my toms sounding the best I’ve ever heard them. Thanks a ton!

[@johnsdrums78]

I just used your method for tuning a Ludwig super classic 90s kit and it worked great. Great video thanks.

[@jojo-qi7ru]

This is VERY good information for drummers (me). I always just exprimented and thought " that sounded cool". Nothing wrong 'bout that but this is just awsome. I learned a lot in these 18 min! Thanx!

[@vinlander8484]

Very cool video Rick!! I was taught to tune the bass drums to a low "E" and the rack toms to "D" and "G" and floor tom "A".

[@RickFL2001]

Thank you very much for making and sharing this video. It has taught me what I'm doing right is right and a few steps I was leaving out . I have a vintage drum set and I to like their sound over today's drum kits. My snare drum has a double snare under the top head and a single snare under the bottom head. So I tune it a little differently. My Scottish Marching snare drum is a lot different than my drum kit snare. Nothing like playing a drum while marching in a Kilt. LOL God bless.

[@mediclimber]

Nice video. I bought my current set in 1978. It's a big set, Tama Imperialstar Saturn 12+1. Yep, double bass, eight concert toms, two floor toms, one snare. I'm using all Evans 360 heads around the toms and snare and Evans EMAD 24 inch bass drum beater heads with Evans 24 inch REMAD resonant (front) heads. Still sounds great. Your tuning insights are great.

[@chrismacarthur9380]

I read about tuning in a popular Drum! magazine which talked about different way to tune. The way I nicked off the article was an inverted B flat triad for best compatibility with other instruments and their unknown and varied tuning. It worked very well and the kit sounded amazing.

[@DanLoFat]

One more you can put more even pressure on the head for the pressure tightening is way a piece of plywood across the top and then another drum on top of that

[@TyDie85]

Seriously I learned a lot. Always sincerely appreciate the work/education you do here on KZbin. Thank you!

[@SideEffectt]

Thanks for the information! I'm a bassist starting to dive into the world of drums and I'm really appreciative of being able to get some condensed knowledge in a video like this. Especially with the oversaturation of videos out there that explain concepts from a very narrow or misinformed perspective. Being able to understand the different relationships between everything and why you would do something to achieve a certain sound depending on what you're after is pretty key. Thank you!

[@SideEffectt]

Also didn't realize how new this video was! Thank you for taking the time to do this!

[@RickBeato]

You're welcome! rick

[@doca9357]

I also was primarily bass and some guitar, then started on some drums after using a drum machine. what a blast. spend lots of time tuning, re-tuning, don't worry about not being able to get them back where you wanted them. A friend advised me to learn to tune your drums, noted hearing players that could play well but didn't know how to tune, so their drums sounded like.....

[@angeladom2031]

I know now that I was being way to gental while placing my heads. I have never pressed on them like that. I'm going to try it right now! Thank you! 1965 Slingerland kit...

[@pennywisetheclown2557]

Good information. I picked up a Rogers big R set 1970's vintage Maple. I use Evans Hydraulic Batters. They pretty much tune themselves to natural pitch. A good friend Died in 2014 & left his brand new set of Tama Imperial Star that I added to make one giant set I have been trying to get them to match the Rogers without much luck. Going to use this & see how it works out.

[@Gk2003m]

Just recently I find myself tuning the resonant heads to a lower pitch than the batter heads. That way, as the sound of the drum decays it drops in pitch. To my ears at this time, that is a more pleasing sound… and it allows me to tune the batter heads higher, which helps produce more lively stick/brush rebound. Edit: my current batter heads are coated Ambassadors. My previous were clear Pinstripes.

[@rogerpr364]

I just wanted to share my own experiance with my Sonor 3005 fusion kit witch I added an 8" and 14" toms, so, it goes like this 8" 10" 12" 14" 16" All toms batters are Evans hydrolics with original resonate and the bass drum batter is an Aquarian power Kick 111 and the resonate is a remo pro prowerstroke, I've never appriciated the sound of my drums as much as I do now! Now I'm exited each time I get to my drums!

[@boblob2003]

One thing is to first check the bearing edge AND the hoops on a flat surface (granite countertop or glass table) to make sure they a trued up, no gaps, etc. If you have a twisted hoop or gaps in the bearing edge, you’re going to have a lot harder job tuning that drum!

[@fairweatherfriends.]

boblob2003 smart

[@julianboyd8719]

Lighter rims allow the drum to resonate for fully but also will cause the drum to de-tune easier, especially if you hit hard.

[@johnnystaccata]

Don't hit hard, hit how the music requires. If it is a quiet setting, play quiet. Too many drummers do not know how to play quiet.

[@julianboyd8719]

well yeah, that goes without saying. I was just commenting on his notion that lightweight hoops are better. I play gretsch and ludwig kits with both die cast and flanged hoops and I've recognized how much easier it is to de-tune your drums playing thin flanged hoops.

[@sticktrik]

johnnystaccata What you are talking about is "touch"!!!.....Young players today have no fucking clue of to achieve it!!!!!

[@haraldschrank4230]

Referring the hoops: You are totally right that 1.6 mm hoops are more authentic for a vintage sound. On the other side there is a good reason that drum companies changed to 2.3 mm: more even head tension because of less flexible / disformed hoop, and for me definitely a cleaner sound. Even better with S-Hoops or die-cast ones, but of course a matter of taste and no recommendation for sounding like Bonham oder Paice ;o)

[@kg7aronny]

Rick Beato, Great video. Yes, a little confused about Mils and Millimeters but got it straight through some of your comments on youtube. I'm sure different drums have different styles of tuning methods depending on drums sizes, different woodplys, and different woods along with different hoops. But basically you put it in a nutshell. I will check out Prof. Sounds Drum Tuning Bible for a little more technique for more advanced knowledge but your experience as a Producer and sound engineer gives me a taste of the vintage drum tuning. Thank you for that and I always try to be complimentary to both the group or band and the sound engineer for what they want as a drum sound. That's important and It comes with experience whether playing live and, or in the studio. And listening is the best part. Isn't that what music is all about? I get more pro jobs that way...

[@benking9160]

Although this is valuable information for correctly seating and tuning the heads it is no comparison to using a tunebot! Some may say it takes years to learn how to tune by ear but guess what you don't have to anymore! With the tunebot settings you can experience a level of precision that nobody can by ear. It also, believe it or not, actually taught me how to make sense of the relationship between the two heads of a drum. In short most of the tuning vids on youtube are now obselete.

[@leeasbury7273]

*obsolete

[@RickBeato]

Except for the fact that they’re not really accurate. If you take that into account you’re all set.

[@benking9160]

@@RickBeato I think you will find if used correctly! They are extremely accurate for toms, snare drums can be tricky particularly on the snare side head.

[@benking9160]

@@leeasbury7273 yes Obsolete my bad lol

[@benking9160]

@@RickBeato thanks for getting back to me though. You are a talented musician with a wealth of knowledge. How about just entertaining the idea that I as a novice may just be right on this one

[@hellsp4wn243]

After the fingertightening I usually do 1 full turn with a key on two opposite lugs, fingertight again, repeat until I get tone or can't fingertight anymore, that would leave near a sweet spot for resonant drum heads and an interesting tone spot for batter heads, but I usually would tone it down half a turn or less depending on the size of the drum and how many lugs were in it

[@HiPhonProductions]

Tuning drums is an art form in itself, the the song, the kit, the heads, the rims, the room, the position of the drum in the room and so on.. Some great tips here. You did get me a lil confused with the use of millimetres instead of mils, :) a 14mm thick batter head would be over 1/2 an inch thick.. 14-Mil, (Mil is also known as a thou is equal to one thousandth of an inch 0r 0.001 inch), Emperor coated are just over 14Mils as they are made of 2x7-Mil ply and add glue and coating. 14-Mil = 0.3556mm. Thank you for the Videos and sharing your insights.

[@bbblazer]

I personally love the Ludwig Silver dot rockers(Same as Bonham used on his Vistalites) top and bottom. Deep tom tuning w 3rd difference top vs bottom as well. The 1/2" clear muffle rings on batter heads work wonders too

[@dinoschachten]

Wow, that's a ton of fascinating info, the technique, the different hoops, even the qualities of the different head types.

[@johncollins5552]

Dip the end of the tuning rod in a tub of copper grease, cost ten bucks and tuning becomes easier and more even. I worked for 4 years fulltime in a factory where I operated a thread cutting machine making bolts with high precision.

[@dhr.neuteboom4536]

You don't want grease around your gear bud.

[@glengamble526]

I dip the tension rods into Vaseline before re-inserting them...just a small blob.

[@BobSmith-uo3iz]

The is the best tuning lesson hands down. Thank you

[@deadave100]

Ok.,... I cheated... I bought a Tune-Bot.. But it help me to listen to the tuning that I want for each drum... now I learned to do it by ear.. I tune like you do Rick..except..the pushing down..next time I tune..I will try that.. Great Video..!!

[@TobyMissy23]

You have a reasonably good narrative voice and you are knowledgeable on drums. And thank God you don't use "ums" and "ahs" as nervous habits to fill dead space. Now what I was hoping for in your video was this: "How To Tune Your Toms Like a Pro" and see if here was anything new I could learn from your own professional experience. But then I started hearing dozens of little filler comments about bearing heads, or head types or mil thicknesses or alternative choices about how you can do this or that, and when you began going several different rabbit holes during every phase of your instruction, I must have begun tuning out all the superfluous, unnecessary details. These strayed away from "How To Tune Your Toms Like a Pro". Discussions about all the various brand names of drums and their specific personalities is interesting, but my advice would be to offer that as a separate topic on another instructional video. With all those temporary detours and rabbit holes,, I found myself slowly, calmly....... drifting.....z-z-z-z-z-z-z-....z.........z........z. Suddenly I woke up! What just happened? Oh, I know...I must have dozed off at about the 10 minute mark in this video. I think you're trying to lump all the potential what types and what if's and what brands and everything else under the Sun all into one video. Your main topic was what brought me here. I thought was going to be some basics about your concept of drum head tuning. I began playing drums in 1961. I know a lot about the whole universe of drum makes, characteristics, etc. My recommendation if you ever want to create a really great catalog of "how to" videos on drums would be to narrow your focus and don't try to be all things to all people watching. Set out your main topics in an outline format, then proceed to flesh out each main topic with just a few secondary points which will keep the narrative close to the main topic. Also, coming from my experience doing tons of shows, public speaking and acting events, I might suggest you try mixing up your tempo with tempo changes and key changes of your actual voice. One solid monotone does tend to lose audiences. The good news is that you are a musician and you should be able to incorporate more variety in your voice. Sometimes getting higher, sometimes slowing down and lowering your pitch to really keep the viewer riveted! And a little snippet of humor here and there never hurts.

[@RickBeato]

Here’s a suggestion to you. STFU Scott. You are a pompous prick in love with the sound of your own voice. You need to learn how to listen instead of writing condescending comments about things you think you know about but don’t. I imagine you haven’t heard that before because people just say it when you walk away not wanting to hurt your frail ego. Smh.

[@joewhittle801]

The irony of criticizing the length of this video with such a lengthy diatribe 🙄

[@713tink]

as an add on to my previous comment is that a drummer with a consistent hit is really important. On my practice kit snare heads I have a 1" worn dot and 3" crescent(coated ambassador). My toms have a 2" wear pattern in the center.

[@davidmaraman855]

The stock Gretsch Catalina line of drumsets usually do not come with die cast hoops, and this allows Gretsch to keep the price of Catalinas drums at a lower price point using flanged hoops.

[@dodjiegarcia2320]

Nice video Rick! But one major advice I got way back was NOT to tap the drum head with the tuning key because you *may* accidentally hit the bearing edge, thus disfigure it. I know it is almost impossible but since then I used my fingers to tap tune while turning the key.

[@pr9383]

I really like using the Remo Emperor heads. They have a great classic vintage sound, but require careful tuning. I find they start sounding somewhat "muddy" if the humidity is above 85%. On rainy days, I tweak them up considerably.

[@IFight4God]

except the labels didn't line up - so it's all off

[@rmmccarthy1240]

Well organized and presented. Great methodology and process. Fantastic tutorial. Thanks for posting.

[@joejacob5903]

Jeff Ocheltree had another story to share about John Bonham. John had never really heard of someone tuning drums. So, when Jeff was tuning Lenny White's kit. He asked him what were you doing to the kit, he replied I was tuning them. After which Jeff got on board as the drum tech for John Bonham. This is In his instructional video : trust your ears (Jeff Ocheltree).

[@markdrum2392]

Aquarians don't use glue either. Is it just Remo?

[@alanansou]

Hey ! I've got to say that i tried your way of tuning and it was awesome !!! Thanks! The preassure in the hoops really help !!

[@10bbremer]

Good starting point. Do what Rick says and then develop your own method from there. May I also suggest listening to recordings on which Paul Leim played drums? He gets such a huge, but tastefully huge, sound in the studio. Beyond tuning, today's drummer also needs to know about mic selection and placement, what works with his or her drum kit.

[@poyrazaldemir6401]

Great video as always. I just wanted to make a little correction:) When the drum heads say "7 mil" or "10 mil", that's actually not millimeters. Millimeters (mm) and mils are different measurements. "A mil is a measurement that equals one-thousandth of an inch, or 0.001 inch. One mil also equals 0.0254 mm (millimeter)" Because 7 mm or 10 mm heads would be way too thick to play:)

[@grinningDEATH76]

Very informative. I personally like a very tight sound on my toms.I use remo pinstripes on all my toms with remo muffle rings to eliminate the resonance. I can't stand toms that ring out. To me ringing or resonate toms sound like toy drums I bought my kid. I tune my batters to the tension I like then tune the resonate head to get the pitch I'm looking for. My method is fairly time consuming takes me a couple of hrs to tune my 7pc. Can a tuning method be right or wrong? I tune by ear and everyone always compliments the way my drums sound.

[@raprometheus3051]

Weird. I somehow already knew most of this! I must have been shown as a kid or something. Plus trial and error. Great tip on the old, lighter hoops.

[@biccys]

Rick, if you really want to hear a resonant drum kit, find yourself a set of Peavey Radial Pro's. Preferably the RP1000 or the RB1000. They have zero metalwork on the drum shell so the hoop is entirely supported on a separate piece of wood that holds the stress of the tension. Check them out!

[@ProfessorSwing]

ThanX Rick, much useful info here I never knew! Actually, I almost always use calf heads on the tops, Remo fyberskin on bottoms, BD has both heads calf. Calf is much more forgiving of any tuning inaccuracies, but what you teach here will really help make them even better! Because I never travel, i seldom need to retune, I seldom get any of the bad weather problems associated with calf. You can hear these drums in any of my you tubes.

[@JimBrooksDrums]

Great video. The explanation about the vintage hoops and Gretch hoops was excellent information. Thank you.

[@Lovelystevie]

Gavin Harrison puts S HOOPS on his high end Sonor drum set, there's a video on KZbin of him explainong it. So I did the same on my two drumsets and wow they sound great now...

[@as5a305]

He is spot on, that's exactly the way I tune my drums

[@Soundhoops]

I think you forgot to say that about the tuning drums it's the room that you tuning. It's extremely important. The same tuning in another room, it sounds completely different.

[@jonathanmosher72]

One of the better videos about tuning for sure! I've play guitar and bass now for 25 years so I'm used to tuning by ear all the time. I've been messing around with drums off and on, not very good, but good enough to play several beats and a lot of little fills, but I know quite a bit about tuning instruments. I know many drummers mute their drums because of warble and cacophony harmonics, yet think they're pretty good at tuning. I've seen videos on here where I'm kind of surprised at how bad the drum tuning tutorials are. Putting a slight damper on the drums is very good for destroying the harmonic overtones, but good drummers still many times over do it. The drum has a natural tuning. The closer you get to the natural tuning the louder and better the drums are. The higher you tune a drum the harder it is to tune, like a mandolin is harder to tune than a bass. It requires much more precision and An entire octave is 12 notes, so hitting 1 out of 12 notes is difficult and tuning up to the next octave is very high. The lighter you hit a drum the more precise the tuning needs to be.

[@bbblazer]

Good to hit them when sitting behind the kit then step out in front of the kit and fine tune too

[@samuelestepp725]

My grandma bought me a set of slingerland drums in 1962 and I just bought my 7 year old granddaughter a set of pearl's about a month ago.