DRUMMER CAFE

I cringe at attempting to answer your last question for fear of what may transpire.....but:

Perhaps you should check out Dave Weckl's suggestions for tuning or Neil Peart's (and I am sure countless others. I just happen to own their dvds).  They purport that this method of tuning first moves the drum up to its fundamental pitch.

VERY basically stated, start with both heads lose, start with one head, gently press down into center of head, tighten until "wrinkles" are no longer present, continue to tune each lug in VERY small increments until each lug (the head) is in tune with itself. Flip drum over, repeat. Again, this is THEIR preference, but they state at this point you have tuned the drum basically to it's starting point of resonance. I have had much success with this method, with no additional muffling required.  From this starting point you can continue to tune to your liking/needs.

James, have you ever tried tuning to a drum's fundamental? Can you tell me the relationship in pitch between the batter head and resonant head with such tuning?

It's one thing to knock something, it's another to knock it without trying it.
I've tuned everyway you can, including the old Hal Blaine 'drop off' method. Engineers, other musicians(many of them drummers) and the results on tape have confirmed to me, that this method works best.
Again, it's only MY experience. Maybe if you try it you'll see it's the superior method. I can't do the experimenting for you.
Every drumhead in a kit has an effect on the others. If you want to experience this, there's a simple exercise one can do.

Play a fast pattern on your kit btwn your bass drum and snare drum that involves a high level of control, try to do it in conjuction with a metronome or click. Tighten the reso head of your floor tom a quarter turn on every lug and play the exact same pattern again...... what happens?  

Please don't put words in my mouth.  

I never once knocked this approach to tuning - not in this thread, not ever.  I only questioned your assertion that it is the only "correct" way to tune a drum, and I offered one example of a drummer I know, who had tried more than one approach to tune his toms, only to opt for something other than your preferred approach.  

Had you originally posted, "Here is the most successful method I've found for tuning a drum -  I suggest that you try it," I never would have gotten involved in this thread.

Have a nice day.

I eagerly await your oration.

Clockwork has stated that his way is the only way worthwhile.  Others have contended that.

Its obvious noones mind is going to be changed at this point.  

If this is just going to turn into a glove slapping pissing match can we just lock the thread?  

That's cause you're not giving it.
I kinda figured that, who's protesting too much?


I can't make it any clearer.
Have fun experimenting, if in fact you are, AND if in fact you think it's fun.
I 'experimented' for years. I NEVER found it fun. I WANTED ANSWERS. I'm happy, I've got them. I've tried everything, I've decided what IMO and many others', sounds the BEST. Maybe you don't like pure drumsounds? That's fine(again), they're YOUR drums.

Valid point.   You gotta do what you gotta do and can afford to do.   But tuning is cheaper than foam and tape  So its worth a try first.

I can't. But that's because I'm not convinced a drum HAS a fundamental pitch. I mean, look at timpani. They are the one truly pitch-oriented drum, and they each have a range of a fifth or more.

I found Roto-Toms to be the most effective aid in learning about drum tuning. Put a head on a Roto, get it evenly tensioned from one tension rod to the next, and you can learn a lot about tuning.

Most Rotos I've messed with have several pitch ranges where the drum just SINGS. A little tighter or a little looser, and the drum is not nearly as full sounding.

I find the same to be true of conventional drums, but when you add the variables of shell size, depth, and material, combined with the addition of a second resonating head, you end up with a LOT of potential sonic combinations for each drum. And in my experience, each drum has more than one sound or pitch that really stands out as being "pure" (to use Clockwork's term), or full-sounding.

Sorry, Clock, but I've been doing this a LONG freakin' time, and the one thing I have absolutely learned is that there are no absolutes.

You say you want answers. But I fear what you really want is shortcuts. The problem with shortcuts is that they prevent you from taking all the other equally valid paths to a destination.

Slow down. Be patient. Be willing to learn. Be less eager to finish; to finalize your studies.

This is a lifelong process - if it weren't, we'd have already accomplished all that can be done on drums. In my opinion, we've only scratched the surface.

So, if it pleases you, enjoy your "answers." Me, I'll keep asking questions.

*Oi Vai*