Tuning your Drums

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of playing drums for many people, whether they are beginners or established players with years of experience, is the realization that for some reason their drum set just doesn't sound right, that when they play their drums they hear dissonant sounds unlike the sounds they hear on their favourite recorded music or when they see other drummers playing live.

This often leads to the mistaken notion that their drum set is somehow inferior, and then the person embarks on a never ending quest for "a better drum set". This often results in the purchase of various brands and models of drums for the sole reason that they think it is merely a matter of a drums "brand name" or design that makes it sound good or bad and that eventually they will stumble across that "good set" that is going to have the sound they desire.

The truth of the matter is, even though high quality drums will always sound "better", and to the discriminating professional there are subtle yet noticeable differences in sound between drum brands and models and also that fine quality drums do offer advantages in features and beauty, there is no reason that even the cheapest, most basic budget drumset can't be made to sound "OK" through proper choice of quality drumheads, and most importantly, proper TUNING of those heads.

Often a customer will come into our drum shop and state that his drums just don't sound right and he's reached the point of frustration because he/she feels they have tried everything and that it must be the fault of the drums. Usually though, it is the case that we find at least one of these tell-tale symptoms when we look at the their drums:

1. The original heads that were on the set when it was purchased are still on it, often just thin economy heads which simply can't be tuned to sound like a good quality drumhead by a name brand manufacturer.

2. The heads on the drums have been played abusively and are full of dents and "baggy spots" which make the drums sound bad and do not allow them to be tuned well.

3. The heads on the drums are of the wrong variety for the kind of music the drummer plays or the sound he/she wishes to emulate, or a misguided choice in drumhead selection has caused him/her to use the wrong type of head for a purpose which is contrary to normal usage, and is making the drum sound bad.

4. The heads are either too loose, over-tightened or simply not "cleared" (the same note produced all the way around the perimeter of the drum at each tension rod).

5. The heads have been "doctored up" with adhesive foam, duct tape, paper napkins taped to the heads, felt strips or pieces of cloth stretched across the drum underneath the heads, or various other "last resort" methods in an attempt to control unattractive, dissonant drumhead overtones.