STOP Making This One Snare Tuning Mistake | HIGH vs LOW Tunings With a Cheap Snare

[@DerekZane1]

The light bulb of genius I got from this was using 2 drum keys at once. GENIUS! Thanks,Stephen

[@Earthdogbonzo3]

I like your little tutorial: simple, clear and concise. Everything here that's available to anyone, took me decades of trial and error to develop, understand and approach mastering. Back in the days of long ago history, one listened to vinyl records for hours and hours on end. There were no 'How To' books or anything, and I didn't dare ask anyone for their 'secret'. I went to their gigs, paid the $2 or $4 admission price, got a beer and paid attention like I was in class. Eventually what I did learn in my little part of the world was that the musical voice fluttering round in my head I would have to bring about on my own. I like internal 'Tone Arms', but those came off in the 80s. Tuning & attack; personal taste; room acoustics; venue acoustics; individual drum & equipment personalities . . . .are just a few major points. Drum sound has three basic parts: relative pitch, percussive presence and ambient sustain or passive ring. I rather fancy the cheap 8lug metal snare drum, to me it has more projection, sound body and presence. Keep up the good work.

[@gibby3350]

WARNING! Based on personal experience, the bottom head will affect the fine tuning on the top head! If you are wanting to be precise with your tuning, fine tune the bottom head first then the top. Great video with excellent advice, just thought I’d mention that just in case.

[@maddrummerhef]

Absolutely correct! Bottom head will also change how much ring the drum has. Tightening a bottom head higher than the top chokes the ring, having it lower than the top allows it to ring.

[@youowemeapony]

@@maddrummerhef having it lower usually results in a big pitch drop and usually sounds like a turd. YMMV

[@cooldude2847]

@@maddrummerhef This is not correct. Tuning your resonant head higher will result in a more resonant drum. If you fine tune the resonant head such that the pitch is a consonant overtone of the batter head, you will have a more resonant drum. This video is also full of bad advice, not worth watching.

[@maddrummerhef]

@@cooldude2847 well, shit multiple professionals and sources online have led me astray. Thank you random internet commenter for teaching me the error of my ways.

[@maddrummerhef]

@@youowemeapony I have never experienced but I use a tune bot and tend to keep the drums tuned to notes.

[@lpfan0123]

Your drum videos are very helpful, to the point, and not mixed in with any frills or wastes of time. So as a beginner drummer, I thank you and am proud to be NonGlamorous!

[@ajgdrums24]

For the bottom head, I usually use the JoJo Mayer method. Cranked up super high, and then slowly tune down around the snares until you get the response you want

[@NoelKunz]

Yes!!! That's what I do!

[@jimmio3727]

Does this actually work? AFAIK, you don't want to crank up super high because you can destroy the super thin bottom head. Conflicting evidence is not good.

[@jimmio3727]

@cableaddict That's what I thought when I read it, too... but I'm having trouble tuning the snare side on my relatively new Tama ImperialStar 14" snare (part of 6pc set in midnight blue), but every time I try it gets better sounding, so I must be getting there...? (I tune down to totally loose each time I retry the tune so I have some kinda baseline) This last time has been the tightest yet, but nothing super crazy. I can still easily dent/bend the surface of it with just finger pressure alone.

[@butchcassidy3373]

I think I'm gonna try this on my metal snare. Thanks for the tip

[@DenaliDad]

Like a guitar player or pianist, tune BELOW what you want then tune UP to what you want. Doing the opposite will give you unwanted results.

[@Noteven0]

Good Call Bro! That Was Exactly What Was Wrong With My Snare, It Sounds Badass Now!! Thank You!!!

[@joshbain8032]

I made one of those bracelet ring things to put on my snare to cancel out the long ring. It worked perfectly!!

[@texxred3657]

Thanks bro - for years I had the bottom head too low- sold good snare drums I wish I had back. When the bottom head is good and tight the top head will tune easier and start sounding like a real snare drum.

[@ellielli8603]

I love tuning my snare in a medium - high or high ringy tuning because I can get better flam in that tuning and when Hitting the toms it has less buzz

[@Andy_9.12Drummer]

the buzz has to do with the snare head sharing the same frecuency or tunning than those of the tom producing the buzz, hope its clear

[@troyj8199]

@@Andy_9.12Drummer just clarifying, turning either your time or snare up or down a little could help with the this?

[@Andy_9.12Drummer]

@@troyj8199 yes, because you will separate the frecuencies between them

[@Chiroman527]

I notice for the snare side head, you have clear drum head - Evans - I think. Mine are coated. Does this matter ? I have cheap drum kit which my wife got for me for 2018 Xmas. I'm taking them up after a 50 year hiatus! Love that I did that. I'm 68 years old , and got the BUG again - NOT COVID, the music BUG !!Practice, Practice, Practice !!!

[@bgnPrinceton]

Snare side heads are typically special clear and thin, for maximum snare sensitivity. If you got your kit new, I'd suggest making sure you didn't put that special head on another drum. It should feel really flimsy when it's not installed on a drum.

[@DZNTZ]

Yes, this matters. A snare side head should be 2 or 3 mils thick and clear (or hazy), not coated, never as thick as a ‘normal’ head (an average single ply batter head is 10 mils). They don’t feel like other heads, it’s like a thin, crinkly cellophane feeling head. It may be that the kit is cheap, so they didn’t care about ‘correct’ heads... If the kit is good enough for your needs, just swap out that snare side head for an Evans 300 snare side head or a Remo Ambassador snare side head (maybe upgrade the snare wires too). That’s a must, you’ve gotta have a proper snare side heads. If you like the kit and intend to keep on playing on it, the most transformative thing you could do would be changing the heads all around. (If you’re thinking of upgrading the whole kit, no sense in spending money on new heads) Certainly replace the snare side head, but changing at least the batter heads on the toms and maybe the bass batter too will make a big difference. Cheaper kits come with terrible stock heads, at best you’re looking at UT-type heads - at worst you’re looking at some totally generic no-name heads that barely serve the purpose. It’s been 2 years, treat yourself to a head upgrade!

[@roykasika870]

Aido, good to know that you're getting back into music. 50 years is a long time!! upload videos of you playing! we'll be glad to hear you. your snare drum will sound way more lively with a thin (3 or 2mil) clear head. thicker and/or coated snare-side heads reduce the sensitivity of the drum by inhibiting their interaction with the snare wires. however, if that coated-snare-side-head sound is what you're going for, go for it.

[@phillipsnell7188]

I use an evans tom ring if i want to reduce overtones on certain songs and take it off to change the sound on other songs. Works great for me. Plus i recommend an evans coated hydraulic head.

[@43dukedog]

Just what I do

[@CirclesandSounds]

Thank you for this! I’ve been playing drums for 35 years, professionally for much of that, and I just built one snare and upgraded another... was feeling a bit insecure about what I was doing, and this just helped me with my lack of confidence - (a very important facet of drumming in general!) haha! Great video and tips!

[@billmatthews2463]

Some good information here. Thanks. Now don't forget I've been out of the loop for over 30 years, but I was taught to tune the batter head real tight and the snare head looser, and tighten snares. That way you have good rebound (especially for rolls), crisp sound, and killer rim shots, plus almost no ring, but a lively sound. That's how the "big 3" used to tune theirs (Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, & Louie Bellson). But I like the way your's sound, so I'll try experimenting back and forth. I have an 8- lug wooden 5 & 1/2 X 14 PDP.

[@highpath4776]

I have a problem in a brass band of getting snares not to vibrate when a set of BBb EEb Basses and 4 trombones are moving the air around , anyone have problems with their bass guitarest? Of course isolating behind perspex and miking out the drums might help

[@youowemeapony]

@@highpath4776 unfortunately there’s not much you can do about sympathetic resonance other than isolating from the source. If there’s an extended part, just throw the snares off and pop em back in. Typically a gate would be applied to the bottom snare mic in a live situation, eliminating the snare buzz through the PA. If you’re in a bigger venue, no one will be able to hear the snares buzzing if they’re not amplified through the PA

[@highpath4776]

@@youowemeapony Miking and isolating might be better, we dont really have the funds to do that in the venue, or the space. I blame the 2 Eb Basses mainly

[@DJRhinestone]

i appreciate your show and display of a point. details..... descriptions, and examples we can see, and hear. THANK YOU SIR!

[@btierney4219]

Exactly what I was looking for. Great tutorial.

[@joecastiglia5253]

Thanks Steve Your Drumming Tutorial really helped me. Awesome Stuff!

[@chromebull884]

Great information! I have also found that it is not good to over tighten the snare side head. Doing so can cause you to loose sensitivity and you have the risk of breaking the head which has happened to me before.

[@TargetHHH101]

I use a drum dial and usually set it to 85. Recently dropped it down to 82 took some of the pop away from the hit but it let the snares activate more, I go back and forth with the numbers but those 2 seem to work for me.

[@MrAndrewpederson]

Great video. I would add tightening\loosening snares while they are engaged will rub the bottom weakening it. This will eventually lead to either a hole being burned in and your bottom head will rip along the snares at the most inopportune time (during a session or gig). At the time this happened to me I was predominantly using one snare for multiple different tunings every week. I was going from a mid\high pitch in my studio, country and pop gigs during the week to a fat low tuning for a church gig. It ended with a mid-gig swap and a new reso head purchase.

[@Bawld_Eegle]

Are you using barbed wire snares?

[@DisneyDude562]

I was just thinking about retuning my snare today. Thank you for this!!

[@classic2155]

Would be really cool if you did a video for the floor tom and the rest of the kit. As a beginner with minimal experience tuning this video was amazing. Alwys had anxiety as to what too tight was when tuning the head, afraid of tearing it.

[@tom-fq5cf]

Unless your using a very lightweight head or your trying to really bring up your sound on heads with ALOT of miles on em you would have to crank down pretty hard to tear a head ....Or if you have pretty thin shells with a really aggressive shell bead ...Meaning mounting edge ( we call em bead) in my circle of friends..

[@martinlaporte2112]

Great video. Thanks for posting.

[@Pimenta666]

I love your videos Stephen. Short and highly understandable. I would be worse in whatever comes up to me as a drummer without them.

[@JonTigert]

I'd love to see a "tune like the greats" series where you try to tune your drums to match a classic kit/recording. That would be super cool

[@lpfan0123]

This idea is something I've tried to find since I got into drums. I listen to a lot of different bands and want to know how they get certain snare sounds but unfortunately there's no channel I've found that has exactly what im looking for (so far)

@@lpfan0123 kzbin.info/aero/PLJJf4qLzrbWN0_Pdu2_XAlcQec1cgjYoj

[@Andreatutino86]

Great video! very useful! many many thanks

[@gudjongd]

Great video like always . Thank's Stephen and God bless you.

[@jcdrums2798]

thanks Stephen, for this very good lesson.

[@justinkeith8897]

Great video as always! I am a newer drummer and I have always either worked with my hands or did sports that involved having a lot of grip strength, or finger strength. That being said what is finger tight may be over tight. Is there any way you could do like a short video explaining to new drummers or even intermediate drummers who have issues understanding the concept of what really is finger tight?

[@wickedlee664]

I’d love a 2 parter on the highly subjective and often controversial issue of “finger tightness” in modern percussion. Deep dive styyyyyle! ;)

[@tom-fq5cf]

As a 30 yr drummer if you happen to have massive hand and finger strength first thing is that's a great problem to have as you will most likely have really good stamina in the hands dept....As for " finger tight " try just tightening the rods by the square end only (unless you are doing that already) because even people with extreme finger tip strength usually can't get enough of a grip on that end to really crank em in ....But if you happen to be one of those people that can still get em cranked in with the square end then I wouldn't worry too much about that because I doubt that even with that strength that you will be able to " over tighten " by fingers alone just concentrate on " consistency " of tightness all the way around if you think you've got them a lot tighter than most other people's finger tight then just start the tuning process by using your index finger about 2 inches in from the rim right at each lug and tapping at a moderate hit with your finger tip pointing in to the head like how you would use your finger to type not using your finger like a stick and listen for consistency all the way around at each lug once you get that sounding pretty consistent just start dialing in with your key ....This is just top head procedure I use anyway...His tutorial is very very good ESPECIALLY his bottom head procedure his advice is SPOT on ...What I told you just seems a bit quicker for me....Again top head wise ...Remember the bottom head REALLY is where you get your overall tone of the drum...Not that the top head has nothing to do with it because it definitely does but you might like a very tight top head for a faster response and action for rolls and such which is going brighten the tone alot too thats where tweaking the bottom head can come into play....Also the drum itself has ALOT to do with this too no matter WHAT sound you're looking for with each drum in your kit because each drum has it's own inherent vibration frequency range that it just " sings " at that's why so many types of wood and grain patterns and ply configurations and even synthetic materials are used in my opinion I think EVERY drummer should find EACH drums natural " balanced " ( for lack of a better word) tone then you'll know what you're kit is capable of....Hope this helped sorry so long winded ....Have fun with it there's nothing like the feeling when you finally get the IT !....You'll know it when it happens....Peace brother!.....Oh one more thing but I think this VERY important and I want to pass this on because it SCREWED me up for about the first 20 of my 30 years DON'T be afraid to experiment with ANYTHING from playing styles drum size ,brand ,types of materials their made of choices be afraid of NOTHING !...ESPECIALLY what others think of ANYTHING YOU do when it comes to YOUR individual ANYTHING with your drumming there are NO RULES ...Even if you look like an absolute spastic having some sort of seizure when you play as long as it works for you and gets the job done SO BE IT !...and TRY NOT overthink things analysis paralysis will shut a drummer down faster than two broken sticks .....FEEL it more than think it....TRUST ME don't make those mistakes that I did even if you're about to play in front of a house full pro drummers just DO YOU !.... If NOTHING I said about the tuning blah blah means anything to you no problem there BUT please try and remember this last part It was a GRAVE mistake on my part and it cost me a lot of grief believe me there...GOOD luck ...I hope to hear ya someday stick with it !

[@robert-zr6vo]

Steve I have 3 snare drums and one of them is a piccolo do I tune them the way you just did these two drums

[@jeremysdrumming4474]

Very cool video, enjoyed it alot

[@BeesWaxMinder]

4:00 - “RIPPLEGE” - I learned a New Word 😃👍

[@danglenn7454]

Cool video😬🥁THANKS!!!

[@timkerwin6886]

Good video; I learned a lot from this; love your slippers

[@throgersrockband9927]

Thanks - great job. What tune bot settings are these for your high and low sounds?

[@methatlovescats3602]

This helped me tune a old vex steel( I think) snare I had with lots of rattle.

[@Rockin_Ross]

It’s interesting how the metal snare liked the lower tuning more than the warm, wooden shelled snare. I find that my 14x6 mahogany Gretsch likes the lower end, and if I want a high, snappy crack, I’ll go to my 14x5 Rogers Powertone. Great video, man!! Great info for all to try!

[@Assimilator702]

Ross Gillis All Metal snares are like this. The more rigid material allows for the lower tunings. Every metal snare I own can be tuned super low. Steel, cast bronze, brass and copper and aluminum. And it seems the heavier the shell the more this rule applies in my experience. For example my cast bronze Gretch will allow a tone from the head even at finger tight where the aluminum would need slightly more tension. Every other drum is about the same. Copper, brass and steel are fairly dense and heavy materials. It’s the head that makes the sound not the shell after all.

[@jamesjett1561]

What is that jingle thing you put on the metal snare drum?

[@chrismallios1621]

Hey Stephen, I personally try to avoid having too much snare buzzing. I always found that buzz noise to be annoying to the point of distraction. So if it was too much and if a moon gel did not eliminate the buzz when I hit my tom drums, I would take a small piece of tape and place it under the strainer so it would be between the head and strainer. Then I would take another same small size piece and place it directly over the stainer in the same exact location as the prior. usually one side will closest to the tom that makes it buzz does the trick. The size of the tape is what makes or breaks this concept. Too small of a piece does not eliminate much buzz and too big of a piece eliminates the purpose of a snare. I have yet to hear any drum set that does not have at least a low amount of buzzing. The majority always seem to have way too much buzzing to the point that even the bass guitar triggers the snare buzz and we all know how unpleasant that sounds. Just curious as to what your take on this subject is.

[@chrismallios1621]

Wow, I used to use that same method of tuning with two drum keys. I am not sure why I did not continue to use that method. I do know it is the best way to get equal tension. Just my opinion because I am not real big on drum dials. The other method I used to use was removing the strainer while tuning both heads. I will probably start incorporating both methods again. What is your take on removing the strainer before tuning. it just seems to be easier and faster for me. I seem to struggle with the proper tuning with the lugs close to the strainer, so that is why I would remove the strainer. Thanks for the proper advise on this subject will give a thumbs up.

[@Archiveman101]

Amazing stuff Stephen! Thank you so much. The first video which has finally got me to my perfect snare sound, after many hours of trying; and who knew it was as simple as to just keep tightening the snare side head (as well as the batter head). I think the key with this is "cheap snare" - you can watch so many videos out there where the tune a Supraphonic or Black Beauty, but really, unless you do a terrible job with those drums, they are going to sound good in any range. But cheap snares (like mine, and probably, I would guess, a large number of beginner drummers) have a very limited threshold where they produce a decent sound, and turns out (as I've now read from other blogs etc) this usually seems to be in the highest range

[@meshellejackson138]

Thanks for this vid gona try this,, I get alot of buzzing from snare wen I hit my toms which is driving me nuts.. other than tuning up, I think the snap latch to hold the chains is stript and or defective..

[@kristopherallen3404]

Where can get those jingles you used to dampen the snare?

[@gixxer5143]

Thabks for the video and tutorial!

[@drummercarson896]

I'm going to try your method of tuning

[@boobizzy4173]

Thanks Steph 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@nicecybermaus]

what’s the “metal jingle” thing called ? where can you get it? is it drum specific? thanks

[@paradiddle5150]

Good stuff bro

[@Chiroman527]

Thanks for the info. bgnPrinceton. I notice on many drummer KZbin videos and other vids of drummers, that ,any use Clear top batter heads? Are those better than coated heads? I changed the batter heads to my Cheap drum Kit (in my day they were called drum sets....I'm 68 years old), to Remo Ambassador coated batter heads on the 3 Toms, and Remo Emperor X coated Snare batter head . Thx for your reply and inf.

[@SpiritMusicMeetups]

Use a drum dial, go for 85-90 on both heads tuned the same on a snare

[@ajgdrums24]

Also, I think the gretsch tunes up faster because there are more lugs

[@the_wet_snare_ofcl1378]

Not true, it takes longer coz there are more lugs. But if mean pitch wise then yes.

[@_-_Michael_-_]

Second that. More lugs = higher tone with same tention = faster goes higher.

[@LJDrumsTV]

Wow. This is very helpful for us beginners. Thank you very much sir. I will try to improve my snare sound. :-)

[@williamsass9434]

Stephen with regards to putting an object on the batter head to resolve the ringing etc. you didn't mention anything about using things like cutting out a ring out of an old drum head and placing it in top. Any comments on those kind of things?

[@GolddenWaffles]

I really hate your intro but I love your channel!!!

[@Avaloctus]

Hello, may I asked what kind of drumset you play in your videos ? I'm refering to the natural (birch?) set that you use in nearly every video since a long time. (First I thought it may be a Yamaha but the lugs don't look like Yamaha's) thanks and greetings...✌🏽

[@the_wet_snare_ofcl1378]

Gretsch Drums. Renown I believe. It is maple/poplar mix shell i think.

[@gerrylaws2034]

Great videos Stephen. Love the metal bead shaker suggestion too. Are they just metal beads threaded on a cord?

[@Tones_24]

It’s hard to find classical percussion channels 😢 but man I really need to learn how to tune a snare

[@scotttaylor7211]

How do you feel about using studio rings?

[@youowemeapony]

Does it sound better with it on? If not, take it off! Easy!

[@richardlanchester249]

Id be interested to see discussion of how the RIMS affect sound of a snaredrum, as you can get regular 'triple flange' pressed steel, or heavier diecast ones, or much thicker guage pressed steel 'Superhoop' types. Also there are solid wood rims. All of these can be picked up as aftermarket spare parts, my local drum store has a stack in the back room of used or new spare rims being sold off cheap. I started out on a 1960s Premier, and recently got a Gretsch of similar age, both with diecast rims, and like the nice solid clunky rimshot feel i hear from them, and to my ears they transmit a bit less ring. Would be interested to hear comments!

[@michaelhey4039]

More tension on the resonant head creates a better snare sound. However, I get a lot of resonant snare buzz when I play the 10" hi tom. De-tuning the resonant head on the snare is the easiest and most effective way I've found to mitigate this problem. My guess is, most folks who tune their resonant head too low do it to eliminate unwanted resonant buzz triggered by the other drums in the kit. What is the solution? There seems a trade-off involved - or is there are sweet spot (and how do you find it)?

[@davidmcaninch4714]

When I finger-tighten the tension rods, I prefer to use the middle of the rods to tighten them down.

[@tom-fq5cf]

To reduce ring I use a zero ring that just lays on the head....Or you can make a ring by cutting an old drum head into strips anywhere from an inch to 3 inches wide just cut with the curve of the head material you can use a quarter round strip half round full round until you get the muffle you're looking for.....Just try to use the least dented old drum head material you have ...Almost forgot its best to use the same size old head material as your snare size (not thickness diameter) the arc matches WAY better.

[@kaybhee6]

good work

[@Assimilator702]

If you use the Tama tuning key that ships with all their drums it has 1/2” extension on top to spin the key while there’s no tension on the head. That way you don’t have to use the key meant for a drill. I honestly can’t use anything other than that Tama key. It spoiled me. Everything else is a clunker. Evans has one with a similar design.

[@Jarhead1313]

I've got an OCDP 14x8 Chrome snare with shark tooth lugs that I can't get to tune hardly at all,even spent $50 on an Evans Hybrid snare head and still not quite right, Ill try this method and see if it works.

[@bavingeter423]

Did it work?

[@leanderthal-z]

I put moon gel on the resonant head and on the batter head, it killed the ring good.

[@Chiroman527]

Stephen, I'm a little late to the party. I have a question: If I have my snare side Clear head Table Top Tight, and I loosen it to re-apply tuning it, is the head over stretched ? Is it wise to do that? I'm looking to do this on a PDP Concept Maple Snare 14 X 5.5 . I am using the standard Remo Clear snare head, and a Evans HD Dry Batter head?

[@illgazillion]

Any thoughts about tensioners?

[@Corbrwl]

So how tight is "tight" on the bottom and top heads, say using a DrumDial? 70/80/90 for loose/medium/tight? Should the bottom always be tight or more matching tension of the top?

[@gbengston14]

On a drum dial 78 would be loose, 80 to 82 medium, 83 to 85 tight. The drum dial company warns people about going higher than 85 on the reso. On a tune bot it would probably be about 369 (low), 384 (medium), 400 (tight). Tune bot warns people about going over 400hz for the reso.

[@codersexpo1580]

Great vid. TRY DIFFERENT HEADS! Huge tip.

[@Chiroman527]

what about moongel? Which I don't know what that is? I have tried tape on the drum head too which seemed to help a little.

[@anthonydeanministries2.03]

What style music has low tone snare

[@TheStretch68]

Black Beauty with reso head tight. Batter head Emperor X, Slightly less. Sounds like a cannon. Its got that Alex Van Halen slight ring to it.

[@Andrew3154]

Excellent!!! No tape on drums!!! 😁😁😁

[@saintjames7387]

what kinda snare is the steel boy? thanks

[@lassesortland7634]

I get kind of a ugly ring sound from my snare when the bass or guitarplayer in the band I play in make a high sound. Any ways to get rid of that so the snare won’t ruin the song/good sound?

[@adambascal]

replacing the stock snares (if you've not already done that) can possibly fix it

[@Eurodrummer666]

Try to have their cabinets not looking at the drumkit if possible. When they play a note matching your snare tuning, the wires start to buzz. I partially resolved this by using wires with less strands (and it makes the snares less responsive to the other shells of my kit too).

[@Eurodrummer666]

And I agree with +DekuNut64, snare wires might need to be replaced when they are too used. You can check this when you lay them flat untentionned. If some individual strands are not aligned with the others it means replacement. If you want to experiment, you can cut the loose ones (and do so for the opposite ones). This deterioration of the wires can be explained by uneven tension. There is a video about this topic.

[@Eurodrummer666]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZSrcnmdlsuDoac

[@benking9160]

You can finger tighten by grabbing the thread not the head of the tension rods! Much easier.

[@chrismallios1621]

O.K. I just subscribed too.

[@psantiboogie9726]

$@#&%$&^ I just discovered my hoops are bent , warped sort of pringle shape. Vintage Ludwig ... How would you fix that?

[@januszo.2180]

Thank you :)

[@jamesberlo4298]

The Ring on the Steel Body Drum sounds nice !

[@rukuvetetseonaga2496]

Hello Sir,,,, I'm 1 of the biggest fan from India,,, anyway can I ask u something about drum stuff real quick? If u don't mind please??.. I want to know a little better understanding from u..... Why do lots n lots of drummer around the world set up drum without Large Tom? Hoping for the answer soon on ur new video upload...my name is Rukuve Tetseo

[@rsdouglass9643]

Gang..get a relatively inexpensive rechargeable screwdriver/drill..with adjustable torque setting..($30 bucks at ikea..)..and a lug hex bit..like he used to finger tighten..set torque pretty low..and tighten each side to what you want..lug-torque matching is what we're after..tighter on snare side, tweak on batter side to preference...for toms... the drums incremental size, tuned to matching torques, will give the pitch interval you desire..try it..

[@sandyhancock5521]

I crank the bottom head! Like a table top!!👍

[@robertryder1097]

Great lesson - THANKS!

[@5johnster]

Haha, yeah... this “ONE” Mistake??? Which “ONE”? 27 mins covering one tuning mistake... buckle up

[@taroosullivan193]

I'm an old fart so we didn't have the benefit of the internet to show how to tune, or the tricks that one learns over time. I think Stephen makes an important point that each drum regardless of quality can sound the best any given drum will sound. Does that mean that a cheaper snare will sound as good, or play as well as, say, a Pearl Masterworks snare, or a classic Ludwig snare, but each drum, regardless of price can sound its best. We just have to find the most appropriate head and tune them correctly to sound the best they can. I have a larger kit and I like to change heads fairly frequently, so I use a speed key and a drumdial initially as I put on a new head. I mark the optimun setting on my drum dial chart provided and get it close on the first try. The drum dial shouldn't be the only thing you do, but it gets you in the neighborhood so that you can fine tune it. Good stuff. I wish I had internet in my youth, it would have given me more information. BTW, a Dave Schulmer snare from Gretsch that was quite cheap back in 2011 when I purchased it, is one of my favorite snares. Its a 13 x 6.5 and is awsome. Only 1 snare that I paid over $900 bucks ended up worth the money. Right now, my favorite go to snare is a 14 x 7 Mapex Black Panther maple 11 ply that costs only a little over 500 bucks but it sounds so good in the low to medium tune and great for classic rock type sound. The Gretsch is a higher tuned snare and I use it for more a funk or jazz type stuff. If you all are in a market for a snare, try those two. Both are wood. For non wood, I found the Pearl Reference snare 14 x 5 brass is amazing! Also a Tama Starphonic or a Ludwig Black Beaty is great. Out.

[@hanten10]

I found it's hard to tune my cheap pearl export drum 😅

[@glennbeckman7815]

When i stumble on a cool sound, i like to take readings with a TuneBot and record them, so that i can duplicate it again.

[@CraigShawCraigShaw]

After watching so many of these snare tuning videos I've learned that if you're not liking your snare drum sound, your reso head is probably not tight enough.

[@nevertooldtolearnmore]

So informative and helpful, BRAVO, but it could have been just as helpful but shorter if much of your turning lugs, etc. had been removed.

[@Santaheckler]

I’d be very careful using a drill to tighten the tension rods…easy to cross thread with some lugs. I’d only use the drill to take out the tension rods. Best solution I’ve found is make adequate time to tune your drums. It’s not something you’ll likely do well if you’re in a hurry anyway.

[@ipissed]

Drums have intonation just like a guitar. You will find that once you get your intonation correct the ringing of the bell will complement the batter and not warble. The heads must match in tune and they both have to be close to perfect. Adjust the tune at the two lugs adjacent to the strainer tensioner last. The tensioner pull itself will throw it out of phase a little. Do this correctly and you will never want a baffle again.

[@SeanLaMontagne]

When are you collabing with Stephen Taylor?

[@gti3599]

Can't register e-mail, can't use several e-mail, how to do？

[@bradt.3555]

Nice video but I wish you drummer guy's would give some notes to tune to. Bob Gatzen is the only one I've seen. He tuned bottom to an A and top to a C# , I went to C and my snare finally has a sound I really like. Just hearing it on utube is pretty tough to tell, Just saying having a note to go with the sound would help some of us. I'm a guitar player (I think) and watching you guy's press on a head and say that's pretty tight but let's go a little higher, ah I have no idea what your feeling. I have a nice set of PDP concept maple drums that sound pretty good. I have them so drummers don't have to lug their kits over and I am learning to play too. actually the first instrument I tried (about 50 yrs ago).

[@angelahall4402]

Resonance wise, they will sound different because one is wool and the other is metal.

[@johnlynch3150]

I usually like my snare really high (2.75-3 turns on each head)

[@roybeckerman9253]

Good tuning, shouldn’t need any muffling.

[@imsublime69]

Always depends on the sound you're going for .

[@MeTuLHeD]

I'd put a Genera on that metal drum and keep the tuning you got at 15:15. Phat sitty.

[@garycordle5295]

Go out and buy a drum dial and the guessing game stop's 👍