Learn Drums

Tuning your drums is essential for getting the best sound and also for extending the life of the drum heads so you don’t have to replace them as often.

If you have a set of drums and you are putting the drum skins for the first time the easy to follow steps below should get you on the right track.

Placing the Drum Head in Position

At the beginning you will have an empty shell. Before doing anything give your drum rim and the drum head a good wipe with a clean dry cloth. You are trying to remove dirt and grime that may cause damage to the drum skin.
Next place the drum head onto the shell. It is important to check that the drum head is the correct size. It should fit over the top of the shell but it should not hang too loosely.

Once you have the drum head in place tighten all the lugs just enough to stop the drum head slipping. You are not concerned about tuning just now.

Stretch the drum head slightly by pressing down on it. This prevents it going out of tune easily.

Tuning the Drums

The next thing you need to do is tune your drums to the correct key. It is important not to tighten the lugs one after the other as this will stretch the drum head incorrectly.

• Follow these steps to tune correctly.

• Pick any lug and tighten it by 1 turn.

• Now tighten the lug directly opposite by 1 turn.

• Tighten the lug immediately to the left of the 1st lug by 1 turn and then tighten the lug directly opposite that.

• Continue using this pattern. The idea is the keep the pressure on the drum head uniform throughout the tuning process.

• To tune your drums tap lightly on the drum head close to one of the lugs. If the sound is similar to what you want use this lug as a guide to tune the rest of the lugs.

• Continue adjusting the lugs evenly around the drum until you get the sound you want. If you start to hear crackling while you tune don’t worry this is normal in new drum heads.

Filed under: Learn Drums