Ep. 13 How to Tune a Tom Tom

In this episode, we take a step back and approach tuning tom toms as we did with the snare drum in episode 1. We start from scratch with brand new batter and reso heads on a Pearl Masters MMX Maple 9x12" tom.

While there are a multitude of methods available for tuning toms, we break down our go-to methods with a 2-ply batter and 1-ply reso on what would likely be considered a modern rock tom. This approach can be applied to other drums and with other heads. It's best to experiment with the methods shown here and make adjustments based on the sonic feedback from the drum.

Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media

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[petermuszkiewicz]

7:00 -medium range, rest Major 2nd above batter (A/B)
8:50 -reso 4th above batter (F#/B)
10:34 -reso minor 3rd above batter (F#/A)

[dandadrumman]

I am really digging this channel. While I am not an amazing drummer, I have always had a rep for being good at getting a good sound out of drums. This has refreshed a lot of things I had forgotten and given me some new ideas. Thanks for putting this all together. A lot of drummers struggle with getting a good sound from their drums. This channel will be invaluable for those players.

[thetenthandahalfdoctor]

"if it's been on there for six months I'll change it" *looks with horror at my resos that have been on there for 7 years*

[rogershaw]

This is all "black magic" to me. I've been playing for 50 years and I still can't tune my drums to sound decent. I even thought it was my cheap Ludwig drums so I bought a set of classic maples. I could have saved my money, they sound the same after I tune them! My Rogers Dynasonic that I've been playing since it was new in 1968 also sounds like something you would buy at Sears.
Thanks for the "Happy Birthday" song reference. I have no idea what all the major 5th, etc. mean. Of course, by the time I get the head in tune with itself, they are no longer anyways near the birthday song notes.



I still enjoy the channel, though.

[cartoune]

Really liked the Nolly approach of tuning to a set pitch and doing a semitone down from the pitch on the reso and 3 semitones down from that for the batter. Sounds phenomenal when he does it. Tried it on my kit and sounded like hot buttered garbage. I was super frustrated about it. Today I realized it's because I hadn't changed the stock resos since I got the kit IN EFFIN' 2007! I had to find out the year by finding my unboxing photos in Photobucket because FB wasn't fully a thing yet!

I realized the fault was mine, and now I'm going to the drum shop and getting some resos to set this thing right. You have my undying thanks.

[nikliass]

"this has tone... that USED to have tone.." legend! thanks for the info man. sub'd

[bryanholewski]

I’ve watched so many drum videos over the years looking for good clear tech info. These are by far the best. Thank you.

[benodaboy]

What a find!!!! just put a drum kit in my studio, looking for resources to learn how to tune and maintain a kit, and take Chanel is a Godsend

[shalaq]

After buying a kit with die cast hoops ( I was playing triple flanged for 15 years) I found out that this affects the way you tune you could talk about that. With triple flanged I could go crazy with different character tunings like detuning one lug etc and the drum would still sound good and somehow tune itself. With die cast hoops you always have to double check if the head is in balance or else you will lose a lot of sound.

[brianchisnell]

If you are not a head denter, heads last a long time. Just like guitar strings, when they stretch, you tighten them. I have a couple of kits with very old heads on them but the drums sound so good, I don't want to mess it up! Heads have a break in period.

[vipermad]

Damn. Guess I need to go change ALL my resonant heads. Great channel, great videos. Keep up the good, valuable, non-pretentious work!

[RobertFWalsh-owsd]

I can watch this dude video's all day

[sharper]

I believe what you are saying about the relationship of the top and bottom of the heads. The modern sound for rock and such usually has people pitching the reso head higher for more projection etc... However after doing this method for years (playing regular classic rock and such) I have finally discovered I like the opposite much, much better for 2 primary reasons. The first is that I find the drum much more “playable” if the batter is pitched higher than the reso. I find you can get a strange effect (tonal & feeling) sometimes when playing fast figures with the reso tighter. If the batter is slightly higher everything seems cleaner. The second reason I’ve come to like pitching the Tom reso lower is because 99% of the time a higher pitched tom reso is the #1 cause for snare buzz; at least for where I like my snare drum to be. If you pitch your snare to the sky like many folks do this isn’t an issue though I suppose. For reference I play a 12 rack and 14 floor tom; 12 is at A# and 14 is at D#. I guess my point for writing this is don’t be afraid to go against conventional wisdom. I did that for years and finally discovered I like the direct opposite much better. May not work well on all drums but it sure has on my current setup.

[SidLaw]

Excellent video! Worth watching twice.

[ronlatimer]

Cody, I love the info you guys put out. but I had to comment after seeing your t-shirt. Got into the recording studio business 30 years ago in the Seattle area. Billy Stapleton was one of our first projects. But we hadn't gotten our first drum set. Billy played often with Greg Keplinger so Billy asked him to pick out a good kit for us and it is the kit still sitting in the main room. Pearl kit by the way. learning more about drums lately. Keep it up please !!

[DirtyJobsGuy]

So glad I found your videos! They are absolutely terrific!

[joetoe]

Thanks (again!). Your explanations are so helpful. Appreciate your series.

[drumdelorean]

Hey man you're a great dude and I really like your channel 👊💥

[EricT]

Great series, guys, thanks! Would love to see a video about choosing intervals between the toms.

[williambock]

I’ve gotten really good at tuning the bottom a 4th above the top with the floor tom reso head the same pitch as the batter on next higher tom and repeat going up. I recently changed to maybe a third lower reso than the batter and my drums like it WAY more. The batter heads needed to be tuned higher than I was used to but it really brought out the pitch of the shells. Got em ringing quite nicely and they’re not too high, Which is what I was afraid of with this tuning scheme. They cut thru nicely when recording and still have just enough sustain. They still need some dialing in but this tuning has made my mid level price Premiers sound closer to something in the Yamaha recording custom range. I’m quite pleased with the results. Just have to spend some time with this scheme to get totally familiar with it. I find it takes months to really train your ear to what a particular tuning scheme does with your particular drums. But that’s the fun of it!