How to tune Jazz drums - Bass Drum

The 1st part of a 3 parts lesson on how to tune the drums in a jazz/bebop style. In this lesson, we're approaching for an open tone, round and interesting sounding drum.
Other lessons:
• How to tune Jazz drums...
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[@mightymrmousempls]

I really enjoyed the commentary regarding the reso and batter head. Not a lot of drummers teach this or understand it. Well done sir.

[@Tune4media]

Thank you! I'm glad that you find this helpful

[@rhythmfield]

PS great idea to use a padded stick to check the note on the drum head as you tune-I’m playing 50 years and never thought of that! I usually just tap w/ finger-stick idea here is better-more clear and you get a round, definite note to check your tuning.

[@arthurazoubel5344]

Man, you absolutely nailed every concept! What if a hole was cutted in the front head, how do you think the sound would change? Also, do you usually play burying the beater?

[@Tune4media]

Thank you, I'm glad you find it helpful.
I personally don't like a porthole cut, it's great if you're recording drums and you're looking for modern punch and 'clickiness'. It can alter the sound a little bit (especially brighten up the tone) and it can be a bit trickier to tune if you want to be more 'surgical' about the pitch.
As for playing, that's a really good question, in open-sounded drums, the effect is very dramatic. Burying the beater or not is an artistic choice you make, personally, when I want big punch and presence, I bury the beater and play pretty hard. If I'm looking for a 'singing/humming' bass drum, I'm playing lightly and letting the drum 'sing'.

[@arthurazoubel5344]

@@Tune4media yeah! But having the front head unported, don't you think that burying the beater causes a lot of feedback on the batter head? Everytime I want that sound you just described, I feel my playing kinda uncomfortable

[@Tune4media]

​@@arthurazoubel5344 Letting the beater escape the head is actually a skill/technique that you have to practice. Before I played jazz, I used to play a lot of rock, and developing this technique was very weird at first.
Burying the beater in a relatively high pitched bass drum causes this feedback even with a porthole. If you want to reduce this effect, you can use heavier drum heads or/and larger beater, those puffy 'sheep' like beaters are actually really fun to bury.

[@palmbay1524]

@@Tune4media o 9 n.. N o. .. Po9 o mm MO

[@musicalala]

Hope you don't mind me chiming in here fellas. If you feel you need to bury the beater,you will have to be very careful you aren't getting double strokes that muddy up the sound. I play almost exclusively small ensemble straight ahead jazz and I avoid both feathering and burying the beater because there is no need and it can sound sloppy. I try to make my sound clean and strokes are always stoccato. When a jazz kick is tuned up tight it's hard to bury the beater cleanly and personally I can't think of a good reason to do so unless you are playing various genres of music within a gig. I'm actually doing that for a dance this weekend😜. I just use stoccato strokes for everything. Just more power if you need more volume for heavier music. Takes a lot of practice in the beginning but is 100% natural feeling when you have practiced it enough.

[@budda777pl]

What drum do we have here :)?

[@Tune4media]

Super super cheap Pearl kit. “Roadshow”

[@jonathansimon498]

@@Tune4media This is the exact one I have! I'm glad you can make it sound nice with new heads instead of having to purchase a new kit.

[@archisalcedo7045]

Be Bop tuning is waaaaaaay higher!

[@rhythmfield]

Great video, sensible and helpful - but please please don’t choose a front head because it “looks amazing onstage” - sound is everything, visuals need to always be secondary to the sound and the music. Yes, Fiberskyns look cool, but does it sound good? I think they do, I’m using them front and back on the bass drum because it’s the perfect sound for my drum and the styles of music I play-thank you!