How To Tune Drums - by DW's John Good

John Good brings you into the DW Assembly Line to show you how he suggests tuning your drums, regardless of the brand.

He tunes 3 different types of drums:
Tom @ 0:40
Snare @ 5:14
Bass Drum @ 10:52

John says it best, but to summarize the key points:

-Always do one head at a time

-Before tightening the tension rods, push hard on the center of the head to "seat/center" the head. You'll hear it crackle, but don't worry, you're not damaging the head. Only breaking it in.

-First use only your fingers to tighten the tension rods, tightening opposing rods so that the head seats flat and even. Similar to how you'd tighten lugs on a car wheel. Alternating in a criss-cross pattern.

-Once all the rods are finger-tight, it's time to use a key. A couple turns on each, still following a criss-cross pattern, is all you should do per round. Each time you complete a full circle, it's good to listen to where you're at.

-Now, each time you complete a round, is when you really do fine tuning. Lightly tap your finger about an inch from the edge of the drum on each rod and listen to hear which rods are higher or lower in pitch from the rest. This is the hardest part, because it takes a very critical ear (that most guitar players don't even have ;). You'll also find that if you come across a rod that is lower than the rest, the one directly across from it is probably also lower. It's good to think of them in pairs.

-Continue making rounds with a couple turns on each rod, followed by a round of fine tuning until you feel the head is at the pitch you desire.

-If you ever feel like you made a mistake or feel like it's just messed up, you can always completely loosen all the rods on that side and start over with the finger-tightening. Practice makes perfect!

-Remember that tuning is very subjective; everybody has a different preference. Many people prefer to tune the bottom head slightly lower than the top so that the note bends down in pitch when you hit it.

-Also, be sure to replace you bottom heads about once every four time you change the top. Many drummers assume that because they don't hit the bottom head, that they can last forever. But indeed they do take a sympathetic beating.


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[philmcrackin]

"I'll make this simple and easy to understand"
Places drum on mystical wheel. Tap tap tap....strange voodoo....tap tap tap.
"There we go! All done!"

[Tweek]

Best sounding snare drum I have ever heard and he calls it a good starting place :P. I really wanna hear what impresses John Good!

[timanderson]

I've played drums my whole life and really struggle achieving a balanced tone. This video will helped me in a huge way because obviously I've been doing it wrong my whole life. Thank you.

[SKARKIBANEZ]

If you dont have a turnable your drum chair ;)

[bigdukepod]

If I may offer another tip - use the " two key method " and use very precise turns or rotations of the tuning keys to ensure getting a full 360 degree or whatever fractional increment you're trying to achieve. Also small increments can result in huge tonal differences. Start with the lowest possible tuning option and work up. Lastly always tune up to pitch not down. Good Luck and All the Best!

[noamharel]

This is by far the best (and simplest) drum tuning video I've ever seen. And I've seen many.... DW, you've proved yourself once again

[dwdrums]

Glad you are liking the JG tuning video! Thanks for your experienced feedback!

[shadowsearcy]

Thanks, John, for taking the time out from your busy schedule to demonstrate all of this!

[dwdrums]

You are very welcome and we are so very happy to help! Thanks so much for your feedback, too!

[Scottjazz]

He is SUCH a drum master. And a real blessing to all us drummers in search of great drum sounds.

[dwdrums]

Thanks for choosing the Performance Series! Awesome you are loving your kit! Your bearing edge should be fine. Just make sure you are doing your best to keep even tension and your drums will continue do to the work for you. Enjoy!

[udosmidt]

Hello John Good, your video gives clear guidance: most important point: be comfortable when tuning! Thanks for these hints.

[fernandohernandez]

This is by far the best!!! I've been struggling for months trying to get my snare to sound like a rock genre, I love DW!

[dwdrums]

Thanks for coming back and stopping by!

[dwdrums]

Thanks so much for noticing! We will keep going forward and we hope we can bring you a smile or 2 in the process!

[stevenroach]

Back in the early 90s I attended a seminar with Sonny Emory. When it came to the question of tuning drums, here is what he said about tuning the snare drum - "Crank it til it sound good!" Like it or not, to this day there is a mystique to tuning drums that defies the logic and technical accuracy we wish to see when it comes to instructions. We may demand precise numbers but reality gives us riddles.

[eastbaymauiboy]

Tuning drums used to be a nightmare for me, for many years. I was always chasing the note. Pick one lug, tune it and the one directly across from it so they match, then bring up the lug next to it to match...Now the original lug you tuned is even higher...that kind of thing. Then you're just chasing the note all over the place until you just give up and say "Good enough!!".
I can't tell you how I figured it out, but I finally did. You just have to keep doing it, then it just clicks and you start catching the note instead of chasing it down. That's what it did for me anyway, and I don't really understand why.
I actually enjoy tuning drums now, which is crazy, and I'm pretty good now, which is even crazier.
Just keep doing it, keep chasing that note and suddenly you'll start catching it, it worked for me.
I could splain it better, but it would read like a short novel

[Blanno]

My God... I can't tune my 10" inch Yamaha Oak Custom tom tom spending 1 hour, and that floor tom just got tuned in minutes... That's why Mr. _John Good is the man!

[dwdrums]

That's a long DW family relationship! Glad our tuning video met your standards! Thanks!

[elivjaja]

16 years with my 5 pieces kit Maple Ddrum ... just until today I know the truly power and potential of my kit thank you so MUCH!!