This Seems Odd But it Works... | Season Six, Episode 52

“Just above wrinkle” or J.A.W. tuning is a common approach to take with the bass drum for a deep, punchy sound. But there’s a counterintuitive aspect hidden in what can be gained through such small adjustments to the batter head that might just surprise you.
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[@hannokerstan2917]

A few years ago (when I got my tune-bot) I started experimenting with higher bass drum pitches. I did it mainly to have a bit more rebound on the batter head for playing double bass. But then I discovered that - with the right amount of muffling added - it also gave me a more defined and punchy sound than the super low tuning, so I stuck with it. Thank you for the comparison!

[@GlenChamberlain]

As always, a very informative video. Sounds Like A Drum is one of my favourite drum channels. 👍 Cheers!

[@hardhittinghartmann6635]

That was an eye opener Thank you

[@1111Paiste]

I’m listening to this with my car stereo and I can tell a HUGE difference. I never really subscribed to the J.A.W. tuning on a kick and was immediately turned off to it when I first saw and heard it on a friend’s kit back in the early 80s. It’s probably also because Bonham was, and is, my biggest influence.

[@LarkVsOwl-de3op]

My 24x14 bass drum can "get away" with jaw, but, like you demonstrated, it's just all plastic attack. Even medium-loose tension start to make it sound like a real drum, and gives it tone and body. For that drum, I will never go back to jaw. Thanks for this video.

[@clayfoster8234]

Once I started recording I noticed a super weird rattling sound out of my kick (ported, both heads JAW, and a bath towel inside). Anyways, a good 3 full turns on all the reso lugs not only fixed that problem but also added a ton of resonance and actual “note” to my kick drum.

[@benkitay9015]

Superb explanation. Thank you.

[@DidYouReadEULA]

My Edifier speakers / bass woofer pick up on the nuances very well. Great job as usual, thank you!

[@johnmckenna1776]

Many drummers add weight to the bass drum in order to get more low end, like a small bag filled with sand, for example. Even Yamaha added small weights to the inside of their bass drums in their live custom hybrid oak drums. I think Simon Phillips uses small paint cans filled with sand to achieve a low-end punch to the bass drum sound. Maybe try adding weight to the bass drum to see what happens to the low end of the sound? Great video on this subject, and I agree we have to experiment with all kinds of techniques to find the sound we're looking for, and along the way we learn about things that help with the playability of our drums as well as the sound they make.

[@BuddhistDrummer]

They have done this, actually! A few years ago. I actually started doing that when I saw that episode, and it's definitely a game changer!

[@johnmckenna1776]

@@BuddhistDrummer Thanks for the info! I'll have to check out their video on using weights.

[@studhammer_]

The KickPro weighted pillow is the best I've found. Definitely adds that low think without stuffing your drum full of random crap

[@joc8]

Yes, I’ve read about Simon Phillips and the paint cans, too. Experimentation is the key.

[@jerrygamez5723]

Thanks for the video. I have to try this.

[@DrummerRIP]

12 OUT OF 10! I appreciate everything shared here. Thank you for your amazing knowledge & content creation. Keep up the great work! Also love the bonus tidbit on playing bass drums setup different! Well done!

[@murkshroom]

I have noticed the same effects re kick reso head tuning. Nice video!

[@OFLHLGZ28]

Big boomy bass drums don’t have pillows in them

[@ricklieffering241]

I wanna have the pitch and attack from the low tuning and full body/resonance from the higher tuning. But again with the low pitch. The higher pitch sounds kinda off for me. Awesome content btw! But I'm definately gonna try a higher tuning!

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

Higher Tuning 2 is how my kit sounds atm - but extends in the space I have them in I have no baffling ect - too low it gets cruddy in my space.

[@paulrevelli]

I actually tune up until the only time I'm able to see wrinkles is when I press pretty hard into the center of the head. Not sure if that qualifies as J.A.W. tuning, but I love the way my kicks sound. I also don't bury the beater into the head which to me lets the bass drum boom a bit more.

[@norbertrenner9364]

There is a big difference between a unmiked drum in a live situation,that has to fill a given room with sound,....and a drum that is closemiked for recording especially,but for live as well....this should be keeped in mind allways.John Bohnham comes from a time,where it was standard,that the drums where not miked in live situations,and as the gitars and bass where getting louder,he was trying to keep up,by playing the biggest drums he could find.Today,where pritty often everything is heavyly miked,the situation is dramaticly differend.

[@SimonKranzDrums]

I would imagine that J.A.W. can give us more low end if we mic'ed inside the shell, due to the proximity effect. I'm not sure if that will make up for all the low end the higher tunings added, but it should make a difference.

[@HessianHunter]

Beautiful! I've always personally preferred the resonance and softer attack of a tuned-up bass drum, even for heavy music where people assume attack = good. Eloy Casagrande uses a higher kick drum tuning so maybe more people will catch on to that option!

[@hazardeur]

dude, ,basically all th ereally fast metal drummers use a high tuning on the batter. they want that rebound that only a harder surface can provide

[@HessianHunter]

@@hazardeur That makes sense. Most drummers in that world seem to favor a really dead clicky sound I associate with JAW tuning but obviously that's not the only variable at play. Eloy's kick drums sound notably resonant and click-light for his style, which is what I hope catches on.

[@dalekay9ine]

I can't stand "clicky" bass drum sounds- the ONLY exception where I think it sounds perfect for the music is Pantera, Vinnie gets a pass.

[@brucelogan8861]

Different beater heads are also an option in changing the “slap” sound and spongy feel with the JAW method. Secondly I feel what we are hearing is a matter of “frequency”. We usually think of tuning to musical notes. Maybe we should pay attention to what frequencies we are tuning to….much like speaker selection in an audio setup. Our bass is kinda like a sub, so when tuning , we have to use a crossover(lug tension) to get the desired low frequency right where it sounds best.

[@jorgegarza7111]

Notes are frequencies

[@DidYouReadEULA]

Pearl and Gretsch bass drums, across all lines, have such a great tone to my ears. A drum snob once told me it was all the glue Pearl uses between plies, and I said if so, it sure as heck works!!! 😃

[@stanfordkoch1271]

How is the fronthead tuned in this setting?

[@brucethomson168]

Very noticeable difference. I do prefer a slightly higher tuning on the batter. On recordings it sounds blah on the lower tuning.

[@ambroulard]

Not a fan of- need more Boom in my bass drum,, it FeeLS so much better- Carlock and Joey Barron often use Unmuffled bass drums and they sound fantastic- but again for me its the way it feels when playing-

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

That's certainly fine, though it's important to know that Keith also uses a muffled bass drum tuned up higher for certain gigs. As with any great musician, he's making decisions based on what the context and his performance approach will dictate.

[@jrfrondelli2023]

JAW tuning sucks, and I don't know how ANYONE can think it's good. I mean, MAYBE from the driver's seat perspective, and in certain recording situations, but by and large, there is NOT resonance from the drums with such slack heads, ESEPCIALLY bass drums. I don't get it.

[@scottapthorpe6172]

Simon Phillips uses jaw tuning on his bass drums, and well to my ear, sound huge....

[@vorkap]

@@scottapthorpe6172 So does Luke Holland. I've been tuning the kick like that since forever, and also prefer this tuning sound wise in this video among the two examples. But main reason sometimes also being more control, especially for faster hits, I hate bouncy heads on the kick.

[@betulaobscura]

Want more lower frequencies? Get big drum and tune it quite high. Physics. All that "j. a. w." (and similar) methods are BS which works only for studio situations with no live playing, isolated tracks, close microphones recording it, pro tools and strong compression mix. Shell needs to resonate.