Simple Snare Drum Tuning Method

[@Boschy_]

OMG IM THE 1000TH SUBSCRIBER!!!!!!!!!!!

[@verticaldrumco]

@@Boschy_ You’re amazing.

[@Boschy_]

@@verticaldrumco u deserve it bro!

[@flyfishpnw]

This is really helpful, thank you!

[@verticaldrumco]

@@flyfishpnw Heck yeah!

[@eli7j]

Your video is great for beginners. I think you'll get a lot more hits (pun intended, of course) if you indicate that in your title. Having the word "simple" in there is good to attract beginners but you're not demonstrating something simple. You show the proper way to tuning a drum as simply as you could without leaving out any major points. And the lazy susan is genius. Good work .. great video

[@verticaldrumco]

@@eli7j Good call and thanks for the idea! I would say this is “simple” as a method for such a complicated thing like tuning a snare. And the lazy susan was way easy to build. Even put the felt on a wood round ourselves, cheap and effective.

[@christiancarrillo4749]

unrelated side note, that felt lazy susan is super smart - i need one for days when i need to throw on new heads lol

[@verticaldrumco]

We got the spinner piece of it at a hardware store and the same store had 16" round cuts of plywood. Attached directly in the center and covered it with felt from a fabric store. About $35 total and took maybe an hour to make it.

[@christiancarrillo4749]

ton of strands on that wire! that snare looks really nice. thanks for the video boss, I have a tama g maple 13x7 and find it to be a little weird to tune, though I did try this method and was able to get into the ball park of the "sweet spot" for it so thats a plus. my current dilemma is my throw/strainer on my 14x5.5 ludwig universal brass seems to be loosening itself as I play (not the lever itself, but the piece that you turn to tighten the snare wires) . it's odd, brand new. i find the only way to correct it , temporarily, is to undo the throw , tighten the knob back to where it was {like less than a quarter turn usually}, and then put it back on and then it stays where its put for another couple of songs of playtime. any tips on what I can do to adjust/fix it? i did not change the stock wires, and theyre being held with nylon. thanks man!

[@verticaldrumco]

Head to a hardware store and get some threadlock that isn't permanent, usually the blue color. It's less than $5 at Harbor Freight if you have any of those stores where you live. Take the throw off apart carefully, maybe even record it on video so you can put it back together exactly the same. Most of those throws have a main center bolt that you can add the threadlock to and that will help it keep its position without loosening as you play. The other option is to get one of the tuning lock plastic pieces and wedge it in there on the throw main bolt so it doesn't continue to turn as you play. If that doesn't work then find something that fits tight enough to help keep the main bolt in position. And if all else fails Inde makes some killer throws that are fairly universal in sizing, just buy one of theirs and replace the current throw off.

[@user-vf1rj9dd4k]

Its a 42 strand set of snare wires recorded through a phone thats why

[@MrE1981]

Pretty close to a good sound, taps it....ah nooooo, no you're definitely not! I can't believe all this positive glazing.

[@verticaldrumco]

@@MrE1981 Its ok to have your own opinion and I think I can have mine too. Next time though give some constructive criticism and it will go a long way. When you just say something doesn’t sound good it just makes it seem like you have a different preference for what you want. Maybe you don’t like loose snare wires and a lower tuning? Maybe you don’t like that its on an iphone mic? I’m going to go out on a limb and say you don’t own any 8x14 metal snares, this is not tuned high enough for your liking, and you don’t play mostly in a church environment. Thanks for the view though, happy to have the watch hours even if you rage watch it.

[@howardevans6302]

I believe the term drum tuning is already incorrect. How many drummers actually tune a drum to any note. Having drummed for over 50 years, I've only ever tensioned drums on a kit, by ear, to whatever suits the style of music I'm playing. .If drums were tuned to a particular note, it would not serve the music unless the composer of the music specified tuned percussion. getting the right sound is something you can learn over time, but it's also about rebound from the tension on the heads too. having played Concert tom kits in the '70s, you had to adapt your playing style, as there was little or no rebound caused by the lack of the resonant head. You should also go out front and have someone else hit the drums to get an idea of how they sound, as being in the driver's seat is not the best place to hear what your kit sounds like. An audience will not hear what you hear. And of course the differences between bendy mild steel triple flanged hoops and rigid die cast hoops ,bring their own challenge to tensioning drums. It's all a learning curve and don't expect to become masters of it from the get-go.

[@verticaldrumco]

@@howardevans6302 Well said. We can still use the term tuning as in “tensioning to create a sound” rather than to create a note. But I totally agree and will never tune for notes, always sounds and textures when possible.

[@eli7j]

Why have I never thought of using a lazy susan?

[@verticaldrumco]

@@eli7j Its the way.

[@jcdrums2798]

snare is definitly more beautiful with diecasts...i put them on all my snares

[@verticaldrumco]

@@jcdrums2798 They’re the best!

[@christiancarrillo4749]

hi where do you buy your diecast hoops? I'd love to throw some nickel/chrome diecast hoops on my 13" and 14" snares but cant find any for them specifically

[@verticaldrumco]

@@christiancarrillo4749 Ours come from our wholesale supplier but they don't sell to the general public. Maybe check out DrumFactoryDirect, they have some. If the snare is tube lugs though, not all gasket sizing works for switching to diecast, that can be a headache.

[@Drew-zu7jb]

I'm sorry but that last strike didn't sound good. It looks like the heads are still loose and that's where the fine tuning comes in.

[@verticaldrumco]

@@Drew-zu7jb Everyone is going to have their opinions. This is recorded on an iphone so none of the hits really sound good haha. And yes you can fine tune it all you want to and get it sounding really nice and perfect but for zero tuning and going from no heads on it at all this method works rather well to get you close don’t you think?

[@PNW_Sportbike_Life]

Sounded like complete doo doo

[@rodneymcintyre8544]

That’s sounds terrible. Truly. And what’s with that stupid music?

[@mladenmoraca5720]

Ništa ti to nevalja

[@verticaldrumco]

I don't know what you mean.

[@PNW_Sportbike_Life]

That snare needs some serious help lol, sounds terrible! These are all good places to start, but much more needed to be done to make that snare sound good.

[@verticaldrumco]

Let me guess, you think it needs to be cranked way up to sound ok? Nothing like a strong opinion on youtube without any info.