Have you ever tuned your drums and thought they sounded great, only to hear something completely different when someone else plays them? In this post, I’m going to show you how to tune your resonant heads for the perfect sound, no matter where you’re playing. Stick around because these tips will make your drums sound like never before!
Tuning drums can be a tricky art, especially when it comes to resonant heads. These often-overlooked components are key to getting projection, tone, and sustain from your kit. If you’ve ever struggled to make your drums sound natural and balanced, you’re in the right place. Today, I’m going to break down my exact process for tuning resonant heads, so you can get that sweet spot of sound every time.
What Are Resonant Heads and Why Do They Matter?
Resonant heads aren’t just the ‘other side’ of the drum. They’re responsible for the projection, tone, and sustain of your drum’s sound. The batter head might handle feel and attack, and the general tone of the drum, but without the resonant head, you’ll never achieve the full-bodied sound your drum is capable of.
The resonant head really controls the degree to which the batter head sounds as you want it to, based on your desired tuning. As the batter head sets the main tone and sound of the drum, the resonant head fine tunes that sound, or refines it to project in a specific way. In effect, it controls whether your batter head bends downward, or whether it bends upward. This can make a deep sound deeper, and a higher tone sound higher. But if you like tighter batter heads, the resonant head can add depth to it. I like to look at the batter head of being the degree to which the batter head is deep, or high. It’s sort of like an additional tone. But this also includes a ring too. From fluttering depth to a higher depth. You will only understand what I am saying by experiencing it so in your quest for the greatest sound. Experiment with higher and lower-tuned resonant heads and you will come to understand what I am trying to describe.
My Step-by-Step Tuning Process:
Step 1: Reset Everything.
Start by detuning both the batter and resonant heads completely. Then, slowly tension each head just enough to remove wrinkles near the rims. This ensures they’re properly seated. You may want to press down on them with your hands to make absolutely sure they’re seated correctly. You may have to tighten the head a little after pressing on the head as it will most likely begin to stretch the head. Especially the edges where the head folds around the rim of the drum shell.
Step 2: Dial in the Resonant Head.
Give each lug on the resonant head a half-turn to increase tension. Then shift focus to the batter head, tuning it to achieve the general tone you want. Again, don’t forget to experiment with different tensions. In the end, this is really a process of trying to match the sound of the drum with the sound of the drum you have in your head. So like most things, it’s a good idea to have a basic idea of what you want the drum to sound like. Then mold your tuning technique until it produces the sound you want. We can begin to see that tuning is a really personal thing. Only experimentation will begin to bring out of you.
Step 3: Fine-tuning for Natural Sound.
Adjust individual lugs to refine the sound. If you want less ring and more boom, consider slackening a lug or two on the resonant head. In the end, you are trying to produce a specific sound you have which may include loosening just one or two lugs on either side of the drum. And, on either drum head. Or even adding a small piece of gaffer tape here and there. But as in all things less is more. Whenever I used gaffer tape on my heads, I would loop it so much less of the tape was in contact with the drum head. This allows for deeper tones and gives you more control of the sound. In the end, gaffer tape, batter, or resonant heads are the tools we use to produce the sound we want to hear. This is something only experience can teach. I am just giving some general pointers to get the beginner drummer started.
The Room Makes a Difference.
Always tune with the room in mind. The furnishings—whether it’s wood, curtains, or carpet—affect how your drums resonate. Test your drum’s sound at arm’s length to hear how it carries in the space. Soft furnishings help dampen the sound but hard wooden environments allow more ring. So, you may need to use more dampening in large wooden rooms than you would in softly furnished rooms.
But remember that the audience is sort of a soft furnishing. So, the ring of a wooden floored room is lessened slightly. Again, only experience will teach you how to get the sound you want in various locations and environments. Whether you mike the drums up or not. The drum should first sound the way you like it.
Pro Tips from Ralph Salmins.
Top session drummer Ralph Salmins suggests deriving more pitch from the resonant head and tuning both heads to a similar pitch for a clean, resonant decay. He also emphasizes the importance of changing resonant heads every few years for the best results. This is akin to a great starting point I suggested earlier. But then, you may want to refine things just a little. Or a lot.
Now you’ve got a foolproof method for tuning your resonant heads and unlocking your drum’s full potential. But what about that annoying snare drum buzz? In the next post, I’ll show you the best ways to tame snare drum buzz for a cleaner, more professional sound. I’ll see you there!
