Friend of mine recommended your channel and sent me a link a few weeks ago. I watched one of your tuning videos and it's helped me a lot to finally understand (with more practice) on how to tune by ear. Your channel is growing on me. Possibly my favorite lol. I've put too much trust into fancy gadgets and getting more confused and frustrated over the years than using the free tool we all have... Our ears.
What I Do : 1. Finger tight 2. Couple of half turns on each lug 3. Snare off. Hit the snare right by each lug and go back and forth between two -to see which pitch is lower. It's a bit like tuning by harmonics on the 5th and 7th fret on guitar. There's no such thing as getting a drum " 100% in tune " so don't stress about it ! Also the reso head needs to be a little higher than the batter side ! 🙂x
DavidOakesMusic - Pretty much the same way I tune, except I place my left index finger in the center of the head while I tap 2 times with a stick about 2 inches away from each lug. I also tune the reso heads tighter than the batters.
Yep, pretty much what we did between exercise 1 and 2 in this episode. Just to be clear, you can certainly get a head in tune with itself so that there’s no audible “wobble” in overtones. This is what practicing helps to make easier. Let’s not go giving ourselves excuses to cut corners when a little extra effort makes all the difference. Also, the reso head may be higher in pitch but is usually lower in tension than the batter, though that’s not part of the exercises shown in this episode.
@@SoundsLikeADrum - You certainly do an informative and thorough job of explaining/teaching, however, being a 55+ year drummer myself, I can tell you with certainty that “tuning” to get a specific drum tone/pitch is highly subjective in order to achieve your wanted sound and often is done according to the type/style of music you are playing. So yeah, I definitely tune my reso heads at a higher tension than I do the batter heads to achieve the THUD tone/pitch that I prefer with my pinstripe heads.
So much truth here. I remember struggling 6-7 years ago with this. I remember it used to take me 45 mins to an hour to clear a drum. I'm so blessed to find myself doing it at church rehearsal between songs. lol I wanted it bad enough & kept doing it. OVER & OVER AGAIN. I struggled with pitch & stull do. If I can do it, anyone can! TY!
The only way to improve at tuning is by doing it? You mean I have to work at improving skills I want to improve at?! Say it ain't so Cody!!!!!!!!!! Seriously though, love this.
If you stop the bottom head from resonating by either reaching under the drum and placing your hand across the head, or by resting the drum on your leg, or by placing the drum on a folded up towel when you tune it you will hear the inconsistencies of the pitches around the lugs of the head you are tuning much easier. This is especially apparent when tuning toms. It makes it very hard, if not impossible, to get a head in tune if you are hearing both heads resonate when you are trying to tune one side of a drum. When you do this it will also be easier to hear what the actual pitch of the head is and will allow you to experiment with different pitch intervals between the top and bottom head, such as minor third, major third, perfect fourth, etc. When I’m tweaking my snare batter on a gig I will shove my hand in between the snare side head and the snare wires so I can clearly hear the pitches of my batter head lugs, no need the place a finger in the center of the head (which I did for years).
Using a mallet instead of a stick while tuning has helped me to hear less of the attack of the note. That loud transient can hide the actual pitch produced, esp for beginners. Cheers!
For some people it makes it easier, for others it’s an added challenge. In the absence of a mallet, using a finger like we demonstrated here will do the trick. Regardless of your preferred method, the practice exercise is the part that counts.
What i do,especialy in loud surroundings,or short before a show,when you should not make any noice,is to tune by thumbpressure,witch meen,go to each lug and slightly press into the head about 1 1/2 inch from the rim with your thumb and feel,how tight it is.....with a little practice and experience,you can get pritty close to the method by listening to the pitch....at least good enough for playing live afterwards....
Hi Cody, I think I saw your name in the credits for a Mario Duplantier drum solo video? I could be mistaken? If so, a video on that would be super cool. His drums sounded amazing, and I'd love to hear what you did to get them to sound like that (head selection, tuning, muffling, EQ...).
Hey there! Thanks for your interest. Cody has talked about this as well has his time teching for the drum sessions for the latest Gojira album over on our Patreon in the past. Cheers! -Ben
Thanks Ben and Cody for all of the great tuning tips! Because of watching, and listening, to your videos over the years I've gotten pretty decent at tuning my drums. Practice makes perfect. Thanks again. 🥁❤️
These are great videos! Could you guys do a video where you go really crazy with the snare wires? I've noticed that having the wires centered and straight doesnt really make any difference soundwise.
Thanks! We've done lots of videos with snare wire adjustments and have to say that having wires centered and even/straight has a significant impact on their performance but this is dependent on you ears as well. The more you've trained your ears to pick up on subtleties and nuance, the more you become aware of the issues that may have been blindspots in the past.
@@jasondrew6369 I don't care about sympathetic snare buzz. IMHO drums don't sound good without it. I didn't notice it having any difference. It's weird, checking snare wires are straight is usually the first thing people suggest when something is off on the snare. But I've never managed to get the snare to sound weird by installing the wires crooked or non centered.
@conholster I'm not suggesting snare buzz is a bad thing. To say there's no difference in sound is laughable. It's perfectly fine for that to be acceptable to you, of course.
I enjoy the channel, but I can't help but think you're limiting your content from being sponsored by Evans. So many product demos like head comparisons are often very popular/helpful vids. Anyway, cue the non-sequitur drum groove. Said with love, haha.
We appreciate your comment though very few of our episodes are specific to a model of drumhead (meaning that this doesn't limit us). We've done some drumhead comparisons in the past and don't really have any interest in doing that sort of thing these days, particularly since our viewers don't show as much interest in those comparisons. It's important to clarify that we don't currently have any sponsors and are reliant on the support of our Patreon members to help make this channel possible. Evans provides drumheads for our weekly Tuesday videos, but our channel isn't exclusively endorsing any drumhead company.
It’s to my knowledge that most companies that make drum heads have very little difference in sound between they’re most popular heads. Evans and remo offer a very similar range of Mylar single ply heads. Everything they talk about at sounds like a drum is directly applicable to any company’s product.
@@DavidOakesMusic sounds like a you problem if it’s happening to “every single remo skin” you’ve had. I’ve always played remo as my local shop stocks mainly their products. I like to also have a uniform drum set. In my years playing remo not once has this happened. I wonder if you’re drums would be better suited to vintage size heads? Or maybe your tuning methods aren’t working with your equipment. Certainly not a problem with the product.
@@liamdempsey7072 We've heard of this happening and I've seen it first hand. It can be exacerbated if there are issues with the epoxy formula and/or curing process and can go unchecked. The open, U-shaped design of the Remo flesh hoop is such that it's entirely reliant on the epoxy to keep the film anchored. As a result, it can't take nearly as much tension as the heads from Aquarian or Evans. Their hoop designs provide an added degree of resistance to pull outs. I tested this quite a bit when I worked for D'Addario. -Ben
Friend of mine recommended your channel and sent me a link a few weeks ago. I watched one of your tuning videos and it's helped me a lot to finally understand (with more practice) on how to tune by ear. Your channel is growing on me. Possibly my favorite lol. I've put too much trust into fancy gadgets and getting more confused and frustrated over the years than using the free tool we all have... Our ears.
Where were you 50yrs ago man? Sure could've used all of this. Hey, Not too late! Keep'em coming please.
This channel is pure gold✌️
Keep slayin’ dudes
What I Do :
1. Finger tight
2. Couple of half turns on each lug
3. Snare off. Hit the snare right by each lug and go back and forth between two -to see which pitch is lower. It's a bit like tuning by harmonics on the 5th and 7th fret on guitar. There's no such thing as getting a drum " 100% in tune " so don't stress about it ! Also the reso head needs to be a little higher than the batter side ! 🙂x
DavidOakesMusic - Pretty much the same way I tune, except I place my left index finger in the center of the head while I tap 2 times with a stick about 2 inches away from each lug. I also tune the reso heads tighter than the batters.
Yep, pretty much what we did between exercise 1 and 2 in this episode. Just to be clear, you can certainly get a head in tune with itself so that there’s no audible “wobble” in overtones. This is what practicing helps to make easier. Let’s not go giving ourselves excuses to cut corners when a little extra effort makes all the difference. Also, the reso head may be higher in pitch but is usually lower in tension than the batter, though that’s not part of the exercises shown in this episode.
@@SoundsLikeADrum - You certainly do an informative and thorough job of explaining/teaching, however, being a 55+ year drummer myself, I can tell you with certainty that “tuning” to get a specific drum tone/pitch is highly subjective in order to achieve your wanted sound and often is done according to the type/style of music you are playing. So yeah, I definitely tune my reso heads at a higher tension than I do the batter heads to achieve the THUD tone/pitch that I prefer with my pinstripe heads.
So much truth here. I remember struggling 6-7 years ago with this. I remember it used to take me 45 mins to an hour to clear a drum. I'm so blessed to find myself doing it at church rehearsal between songs. lol I wanted it bad enough & kept doing it. OVER & OVER AGAIN. I struggled with pitch & stull do. If I can do it, anyone can! TY!
Also, I learned about Attack drum heads from this channel and now I am a complete convert!
The only way to improve at tuning is by doing it? You mean I have to work at improving skills I want to improve at?! Say it ain't so Cody!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, love this.
If you stop the bottom head from resonating by either reaching under the drum and placing your hand across the head, or by resting the drum on your leg, or by placing the drum on a folded up towel when you tune it you will hear the inconsistencies of the pitches around the lugs of the head you are tuning much easier. This is especially apparent when tuning toms. It makes it very hard, if not impossible, to get a head in tune if you are hearing both heads resonate when you are trying to tune one side of a drum. When you do this it will also be easier to hear what the actual pitch of the head is and will allow you to experiment with different pitch intervals between the top and bottom head, such as minor third, major third, perfect fourth, etc. When I’m tweaking my snare batter on a gig I will shove my hand in between the snare side head and the snare wires so I can clearly hear the pitches of my batter head lugs, no need the place a finger in the center of the head (which I did for years).
Using a mallet instead of a stick while tuning has helped me to hear less of the attack of the note. That loud transient can hide the actual pitch produced, esp for beginners. Cheers!
For some people it makes it easier, for others it’s an added challenge. In the absence of a mallet, using a finger like we demonstrated here will do the trick. Regardless of your preferred method, the practice exercise is the part that counts.
Very practical exercises, TY
What i do,especialy in loud surroundings,or short before a show,when you should not make any noice,is to tune by thumbpressure,witch meen,go to each lug and slightly press into the head about 1 1/2 inch from the rim with your thumb and feel,how tight it is.....with a little practice and experience,you can get pritty close to the method by listening to the pitch....at least good enough for playing live afterwards....
First!!! Love your channel! So helpful for tuning!
The snare drum still eludes me
I wonder how many grey t-shirts Cody has... 😁
Not nearly as many as I do! 😂 -Ben
Pretty sure he has all of them. I woke up this morning and all of mine were missing.
Hi Cody, I think I saw your name in the credits for a Mario Duplantier drum solo video? I could be mistaken? If so, a video on that would be super cool. His drums sounded amazing, and I'd love to hear what you did to get them to sound like that (head selection, tuning, muffling, EQ...).
Hey there! Thanks for your interest. Cody has talked about this as well has his time teching for the drum sessions for the latest Gojira album over on our Patreon in the past. Cheers! -Ben
Thanks Ben and Cody for all of the great tuning tips! Because of watching, and listening, to your videos over the years I've gotten pretty decent at tuning my drums. Practice makes perfect. Thanks again. 🥁❤️
These are great videos! Could you guys do a video where you go really crazy with the snare wires? I've noticed that having the wires centered and straight doesnt really make any difference soundwise.
Like pulling one end of the wires almost out of the hoop. Or even having the wires in a shape of an 'S'.
Thanks! We've done lots of videos with snare wire adjustments and have to say that having wires centered and even/straight has a significant impact on their performance but this is dependent on you ears as well. The more you've trained your ears to pick up on subtleties and nuance, the more you become aware of the issues that may have been blindspots in the past.
Centering the wires ABSOLUTELY makes a difference....especially regarding sympathetic snare buzz .
@@jasondrew6369 I don't care about sympathetic snare buzz. IMHO drums don't sound good without it. I didn't notice it having any difference. It's weird, checking snare wires are straight is usually the first thing people suggest when something is off on the snare. But I've never managed to get the snare to sound weird by installing the wires crooked or non centered.
@conholster I'm not suggesting snare buzz is a bad thing. To say there's no difference in sound is laughable. It's perfectly fine for that to be acceptable to you, of course.
I enjoy the channel, but I can't help but think you're limiting your content from being sponsored by Evans. So many product demos like head comparisons are often very popular/helpful vids. Anyway, cue the non-sequitur drum groove. Said with love, haha.
We appreciate your comment though very few of our episodes are specific to a model of drumhead (meaning that this doesn't limit us). We've done some drumhead comparisons in the past and don't really have any interest in doing that sort of thing these days, particularly since our viewers don't show as much interest in those comparisons.
It's important to clarify that we don't currently have any sponsors and are reliant on the support of our Patreon members to help make this channel possible. Evans provides drumheads for our weekly Tuesday videos, but our channel isn't exclusively endorsing any drumhead company.
It’s to my knowledge that most companies that make drum heads have very little difference in sound between they’re most popular heads. Evans and remo offer a very similar range of Mylar single ply heads. Everything they talk about at sounds like a drum is directly applicable to any company’s product.
I stopped using REMO since every single REMO skin I bought ended up jumping out of its collar - and i'd have to glue it back in. EVERY ONE.
@@DavidOakesMusic sounds like a you problem if it’s happening to “every single remo skin” you’ve had. I’ve always played remo as my local shop stocks mainly their products. I like to also have a uniform drum set. In my years playing remo not once has this happened.
I wonder if you’re drums would be better suited to vintage size heads? Or maybe your tuning methods aren’t working with your equipment. Certainly not a problem with the product.
@@liamdempsey7072 We've heard of this happening and I've seen it first hand. It can be exacerbated if there are issues with the epoxy formula and/or curing process and can go unchecked. The open, U-shaped design of the Remo flesh hoop is such that it's entirely reliant on the epoxy to keep the film anchored. As a result, it can't take nearly as much tension as the heads from Aquarian or Evans. Their hoop designs provide an added degree of resistance to pull outs. I tested this quite a bit when I worked for D'Addario. -Ben