How the Pros Tune Their Drums (Feat. Gregg Bissonette)

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  • Опубліковано 26 лис 2024
  • In this episode, professional drummer Gregg Bissonette discusses how he sets up his drums and demonstrates how to tune them.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 231

  • @EzeeLinux
    @EzeeLinux 10 місяців тому +29

    I love how Gregg expressed exactly what sound he was going for... Fantastic!

  • @ciadella1971
    @ciadella1971 10 місяців тому +22

    Gregg is one of my favorite drummers. Such a versatile player. I met Gregg one time at Berklee in 1993. He was so down to earth and nice. He gave me a pair of his Vic Firth signature sticks.

    • @BongoBill
      @BongoBill 10 місяців тому

      I see what you did there.

  • @yetanothermusicboi
    @yetanothermusicboi 10 місяців тому +42

    Absolutely blown away at how good the kit sound mic'd up. Was not expecting that.

    • @DavidOakesMusic
      @DavidOakesMusic 10 місяців тому +5

      The kit plus a lot of microphones, gating, compression, EG, reverb etc etc.

    • @Nothing-db1zy
      @Nothing-db1zy 10 місяців тому

      ​@@DavidOakesMusicWell put. I think they could give us a taste in how it sounds naturally. By the other hand, if they work in studio or live performances, there will be microphones everywhere 😂

    • @DG-sf9ei
      @DG-sf9ei 2 місяці тому +1

      You need to acoustically hear a real drum kit tuned the way drums were intended to sound. Because without mics and enablers, this kit sounds like hollow cans with over tightened drum heads.

  • @Jp421JP
    @Jp421JP 10 місяців тому +77

    This is fascinating. Never seen anyone tune a drum. I could watch Greg all day.

    • @klchu
      @klchu 10 місяців тому +9

      You can tune a drum but you can't tune a fish.

    • @taekwanlew
      @taekwanlew 10 місяців тому +7

      First day on UA-cam? Welcome

    • @t.sewell1513
      @t.sewell1513 10 місяців тому +3

      Greg made that look far easier than it is!

    • @isihernandez9752
      @isihernandez9752 10 місяців тому

      ​@@klchu but you can fish a tuna...

    • @danielelise7348
      @danielelise7348 10 місяців тому

      Don't know that I could listen to him talk all day though.😫😁

  • @craigcraigster4999
    @craigcraigster4999 10 місяців тому +57

    Gregg is not only super talented, he's also super informative -- and super NICE! I always look forward to your presentations with him Rick, and I hope there's plenty more to come in 2024. Happy New Year!

  • @flashy5150
    @flashy5150 10 місяців тому +4

    Gregg, I’m 52, almost 53, and I still have my Stubbs from seeing you with David Lee Roth in 1986 & ‘88, you guys were the best concert I ever saw, especially in ‘86, for the “Eat em and smile” tour, damn … nothing more that needs to be said. 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

  • @michaelgehringmusic8440
    @michaelgehringmusic8440 10 місяців тому +9

    Greg is one of most supportive guys you will ever meet aside from a hell of a drummer.

  • @unclerhombus
    @unclerhombus 9 місяців тому +3

    Cool vid!
    The first rule of drums is that there *are no rules.* That’s what’s unique about drums.
    Whatever sounds best to you personally for tuning, heads, setup, muffling, etc. is what you should do.

  • @mongarcia9151
    @mongarcia9151 10 місяців тому +2

    For me another fascinating thing about this is that he just makes the sound with his voice to communicate to the audience the idea of how he tunes his drums. He says "toom! toom!", "boing", etc. Using technical terms (if any) won't really help less-informed audiences (like myself 😅) to understand the idea of what he's trying to communicate. Just making the sound with his voice made me understand immediately. Awesome.

  • @jimrogers7425
    @jimrogers7425 10 місяців тому +4

    Years ago when I still lived in Portland, Oregon, I was acquainted with Brian Willis, then the drummer of Quarterflash. His drums sounded very musical. When I asked him how he tuned his drums, he told me that he started with the snare and tuned them in descending fourths, beginning with the top head of the snare. So top of snare was a specific tone, bottom of the snare a fourth below, then first rack Tom, a fourth below bottom snare, then bottom head of first rack Tom, a fourth below the top head, continuing that way for the rest of the kit. Then he used powder puffs as bottom head mutes to control, at will, the resonance of the bottom head like a mechanical gate. Very elaborate, but his drums had a very uniquely musical sound.

  • @drummergetsthegig
    @drummergetsthegig 10 місяців тому +12

    Remember, Gregg has been tuning drums for a long time. It may take a while to develop your ear to be able to tune as quick as him. Also, love the gaff tape tents! Really great for helping to control the sustain of the drum. Met Gregg many years ago. Such a beacon of energy and positivity. Glad he's being featured on this channel.

  • @nathanielbrice8725
    @nathanielbrice8725 10 місяців тому +6

    Greg was my favourite drummer at the Buddy Rich Memorial concert back in the day. Cool drummer but also the coolest dude! Legend!

  • @MrSticks23
    @MrSticks23 10 місяців тому +6

    Very informative. I have watched lots of videos on this topic and I don’t recall hitting the side of the drum to get a pitch range.i will be trying it out very soon.

  • @TheEvertw
    @TheEvertw 10 місяців тому +2

    Very well explained! I have seen drummers spend an hour or more tuning their kit, this is so fast and efficient, with excellent results!

  • @danepaulstewart8464
    @danepaulstewart8464 10 місяців тому +2

    ⭐️ REMO Ambassador heads forever, baby! ⭐️
    Always worked for me recording drums.

  • @jobaecker9752
    @jobaecker9752 10 місяців тому +45

    Gregg is the kinda guy you could hang with and talk about anything...oatmeal, wallpaper paste, medical equipment...I don't care, he's just so down to earth and fun.

    • @byCampo
      @byCampo 10 місяців тому +2

      having had the pleasure of spending time with Gregg in an intimate setting, I can confirm he's down to earth and fun. Lovely guy, super inspiring and great to chat to.

  • @Cjzdrums
    @Cjzdrums 10 місяців тому +6

    Doesn’t get any cooler than Gregg, i remember playing his Vic Firth signature stick. AMAZING talented drummer and all around nice guy for the win!

  • @55billmarshall
    @55billmarshall 10 місяців тому +1

    Clearly Gregg knows his drums and the sounds they make superbly well and can take short cuts that most can't - kit sounds great at the end. I was a live sound engineer a lifetime ago and after learning a lot from a fine drummer early on I often taught and then collaborated with drummers on how to tune their drums better - it makes such a difference. Once I had one part of the head tuned to match the body as desired I would go to the opposite side tuning peg, get them the same and then go round one tuning peg and then back to its opposite, and repeat until we'd got back to the beginning. Always found that quicker and more consistent than going round the circle.
    One percussionist I worked with told a story of one of his tutors at music school listening to him tuning his kit, asking him to hit certain drums in order and then declared "A Minor" before walking off looking very satisfied!

  • @DempseyDixon
    @DempseyDixon 7 місяців тому

    Your Video Is So Awesome, I’ve Been Playing Drums For 57 Years, And I Tune My Drums, And My Drums Sound Exactly Like Yours, And I Was Unsure If I Was Tuning Them Right, But After Watching Your Video I Knew Then I Doing It Right, Thank You So Much, I Tune By Ear Too. You Rock Brother

  • @MashaT22
    @MashaT22 10 місяців тому +7

    I’ve always wondered how to tune drums. This is actually fun to watch, coming from a guitar! I find myself being more and more interested in understanding other instruments lately. I think it makes for a better guitar player when you can understand where other musicians and their instruments are coming from.

    • @SopranoPizzaJMFNJ
      @SopranoPizzaJMFNJ 10 місяців тому

      You Tune From The Resonant Head. It's Not That Challenging And You Will HEAR IT Immediately!

  • @RaincloudmusicTFS6
    @RaincloudmusicTFS6 9 місяців тому +5

    I have never heard anyone mention tuning to the pitch of the shell! That's brilliant.

    • @JohnSmith-fj5ew
      @JohnSmith-fj5ew 7 місяців тому

      Back in the day, DW used to rubber stamp their shells with the "note" at which it rang. Don't know if they still do that.

  • @viDUBla
    @viDUBla 10 місяців тому +1

    Greg has always been a great influence I remember being 13yo and drumming a long to a flexi disc I got from Modern Drummer with him playing I’m 50yo now I love he’s still at it

  • @shkyrbty
    @shkyrbty 10 місяців тому +3

    Fascinating! Drums sound great! Thank you all!

  • @williemammoth11
    @williemammoth11 10 місяців тому +1

    Gregg Bissonette is a world class drum teacher. This is a fantastic tutorial on how to tune a kit.

  • @wilftaylor9377
    @wilftaylor9377 8 місяців тому +1

    This is the best drum tuning video I’ve seen in years. Really useful stuff. Thank you Gregg!

  • @1toots
    @1toots 2 місяці тому

    He mentions it from 1:59 to 2:35 - Find the Natural resonance of the shell, and tune the top and bottom heads to that pitch - for a straight cannon tom sound. NOTE: Tune the bottom head a minor third lower, for the classic 'drop tone' tom sound. (LPT: to find the natural resonance, take the skins and hoops off the drum, tape down the spring loaded nuts with painter's tape so they don't rattle. then hold the drum sideways from the inside with your thumb, and strike the drum with the heel of your hand - a tuning app helps here) The pitch the shell makes (natural resonance pitch) is the pitch you shoot for when tuning your drum. I marked the pitch inside each of the shells with a sharpie... have used that technique for decades, never fails.

  • @carlosclerigadrums
    @carlosclerigadrums 10 місяців тому +4

    Beautiful sound!! Love Gregg, a real PRO and always sharing stories about the greats.

  • @paulemma8125
    @paulemma8125 10 місяців тому +44

    Greg, you didn't drop your tuning key and have it land right under your bass pedal. Thats what separates the pros from the rest. 😀

    • @DaGretschguy
      @DaGretschguy 10 місяців тому

      😂

    • @kcampbell3045
      @kcampbell3045 7 місяців тому

      😆 Best thing I've read all day. I was marveling that his key stayed where he set it and didn't have it move to another drum, or other part of the room. He has such amazing control.

    • @DG-sf9ei
      @DG-sf9ei 2 місяці тому +1

      Lol, I swear bass drum pedals have a magnetic field around them

  • @jmazoso
    @jmazoso 10 місяців тому +5

    Gregg is full of joy

  • @dougappel5924
    @dougappel5924 10 місяців тому +2

    So good. I could watch him play all day. Such natural flow.

  • @alexandremello6913
    @alexandremello6913 10 місяців тому

    The best drum educator out there. Such a fun guy to be around. And plays like a God.

  • @jimbodavis1944
    @jimbodavis1944 10 місяців тому +3

    This is one of the better tuning explanations I’ve seen. I’ve always been a little uncertain about the best approach. I like his organic and simple approach. I’ve been guilty of tuning out too much tone and natural character of the shell. His way gives you choices with a more natural starting point without the brain surgery.

  • @Will-Holland
    @Will-Holland 10 місяців тому +3

    Gregg is one of my favorites, an amazing drummer.

  • @DaveBare
    @DaveBare 10 місяців тому +1

    I just got a new KIT and this helped me SO much. Thank you BOTH!

  • @panheadcraig
    @panheadcraig 10 місяців тому

    I just met Gregg at my friends birthday party and he is the nicest guy you will ever meet ! We had the best time with Fred Coury of Cinderella !! What a night !!!

  • @Thorsten_Kueppers
    @Thorsten_Kueppers 10 місяців тому +2

    Fascinating to watch! 👍🏻 I‘ve seen my son‘s drum teacher tuning his kit once but I had absolutely no idea what his approach was 😂

  • @ourmindonmusic
    @ourmindonmusic 6 місяців тому

    This is fantastic! My classroom drum set has been sounding rough for a while now, and I will DEFINITELY be applying this to it on Monday morning! Thank you guys so much!

  • @jgoel3266
    @jgoel3266 10 місяців тому

    I have no clue what Gregg is talking about for the most part, and I don't care...he is so engaging! Love him.

  • @andresilvasophisma
    @andresilvasophisma 10 місяців тому +4

    This is how summoning the tone of the Drumming Gods looks like.

  • @borgullet3376
    @borgullet3376 10 місяців тому

    The Biss,. the gig taker, the hit maker.. This is Gold.

  • @hosenogginbrainhead
    @hosenogginbrainhead 10 місяців тому

    When he first started ringing them and tuning them while he was talking to you, I was not confident he was going to have a great sounding kit. But that little riff he does at the end proved me wrong. Especially the snare. The snare sounds amazing. That's why he's a pro!

    • @hosenogginbrainhead
      @hosenogginbrainhead 10 місяців тому

      Well... I hear them now. My ears are pleased! @mothflap

    • @benking9160
      @benking9160 10 місяців тому

      If you like dead thuddy sound without much sustain or pitch bend then yeah it sounds good

  • @jameswalstrom2433
    @jameswalstrom2433 10 місяців тому +1

    Bissonette... ALL TIME GREAT

  • @daveylong3089
    @daveylong3089 6 місяців тому +1

    Gregg is a legend!

  • @AllenGarberGuitarFun
    @AllenGarberGuitarFun 10 місяців тому +1

    He’s a god. Seriously one of the best.

  • @MarceloLaraM
    @MarceloLaraM 9 місяців тому

    beautiful rythm, sound, explaining and playing

  • @J_Drix
    @J_Drix 10 місяців тому +1

    holy crap that kit sounds amazing.

  • @ArborGeist
    @ArborGeist 10 місяців тому +2

    What snare was Gregg playing in the clip at the end?! Sounded great!

  • @mht525
    @mht525 10 місяців тому

    Agree Gregg, coated heads so good for rock and metal 👌 Gregg you are an inspiration for all drummers and smarter musicians. ✌️💛🤘🥁🏴🇦🇺

  • @Jahreas
    @Jahreas 2 місяці тому

    Greg is such an amazingly great drummer

  • @ScottDincorn
    @ScottDincorn 10 місяців тому +3

    This was awesome! More content with him please!

  • @edwardwaring3754
    @edwardwaring3754 10 місяців тому

    love this fella he a gift to the drumming world

  • @SopranoPizzaJMFNJ
    @SopranoPizzaJMFNJ 10 місяців тому

    Awesome Seeing The Wooden Hoops On The Acrylic Shell To Warm Up The Sound 👍

  • @kcampbell3045
    @kcampbell3045 7 місяців тому

    Love it. I just wish he'd gone into depth on tuning his snare. Does he also tune top and bottom head to the shell? Or does he does he run that reso head up tight? I'd love to know.

  • @ecordarodj
    @ecordarodj 10 місяців тому +1

    Classic Bob Gatzen tuning system ;) Greg ain't messing around!

  • @carolinewagenknecht1933
    @carolinewagenknecht1933 10 місяців тому +2

    Deep fried crispy snare Awesome!

  • @Alanb_69
    @Alanb_69 10 місяців тому

    I just bought that Dixon Bissonette signature snare. Incredible sound for a reasonable price. Gregg is one of my favorite drummers!

    • @RaincloudmusicTFS6
      @RaincloudmusicTFS6 9 місяців тому

      I don't think he tuned it on this clip, though! But, it sounds amazing!

  • @5Antvin
    @5Antvin 3 місяці тому

    drums sound killer ! What a legend !

  • @ricktheexplorer
    @ricktheexplorer 10 місяців тому

    Learning from the best. Sometimes this channel is magic.

  • @MrBluoct
    @MrBluoct 10 місяців тому

    Dr. Grove back at it ! Alway a welcomed video

  • @splashesin8
    @splashesin8 10 місяців тому

    ❤😊 Checking if you tube will not glitch on my third try at sending this for some reason only on this video. Gotta love this!

  • @Topjunkie-r4s
    @Topjunkie-r4s 10 місяців тому +2

    Greg is taking over for Dom as The Drumming Ambassador.

    • @rick3747
      @rick3747 10 місяців тому +1

      My thought exactly.
      Dom was a great drummer, teacher and drum ambassdor.
      RIP Dom

  • @td-12kx53
    @td-12kx53 10 місяців тому +1

    Interesting! This is precisely how I tune my drums!!!👍

  • @oscillatemusic1
    @oscillatemusic1 10 місяців тому

    Man, that kit sounded good at the end!

  • @ISpinsir
    @ISpinsir 10 місяців тому

    Awesome interview!!

  • @headlong_gypsy
    @headlong_gypsy 9 місяців тому

    I just found my picture of me with Greg from decades ago when he did a clinic in Detroit during his David Lee Roth days. Thankfully he spared us the Bodyglove outfit that day, but I've long been a fan of this dude for just being so damn cool. If you happen to speak with him again I'd love to here him talk about our mutual percussion tutor Myron McDonald from way back when.

  • @RichieRich980215
    @RichieRich980215 Місяць тому +1

    I agree as tuning the heads to the same exact pitch. But I disagree with using any kind of tape for sustain or dampening. All you have to do is get them heads, exactly the same pitch top and bottom and loosen the farthest lug away from you where you’re playing on the Batter head (AKE) top head where you’re sitting. Loosen that far away Lug (AKE) Tension Rod slowly to get to amount of sustain you want to ring out. Forget about that towel stuff, Gel and tape. Your controlling how much the drum is sustain by just loosening that one farthest Lug from you on your Tom’s. Drummers that try this method is going to be amazed, and I’ve been playing for 64 years. As far as the Bass drum, I totally agree with him with having a pillow to adjust sustain on that and tuning it as low as possible with no wrinkles.

  • @caryd67
    @caryd67 10 місяців тому

    I didn’t even know that Dixon was still in business! Some of the first hardware I bought in my teens was Dixon; I bought it because I was broke and it was affordable…. and it was crap. Absolute crap. Apparently, Dixon has raised their game since 1988; Gregg Bissonette just declared it’s his favourite brand 😮🤯 very interesting! But, nothing will ever replace my ‘61 Camco Ambassadors.

    • @RaincloudmusicTFS6
      @RaincloudmusicTFS6 9 місяців тому

      I play Gretsch Catalina Maple, seated on a Dixon Throne. It's a practice rig, really.

  • @LawrenceDelToroDrum
    @LawrenceDelToroDrum 10 місяців тому

    Greg is awesome , love it
    thank you so much sir drummer Greg

  • @Shug1145
    @Shug1145 10 місяців тому

    Wow that's awesome sounding kit micd up, he's a amazing drummer.

  • @bcancun123
    @bcancun123 10 місяців тому

    Simple set ups my fav set up salute Greg B

  • @markrichardson239
    @markrichardson239 9 місяців тому

    At last!
    I bought this drum bot, new to drums...
    Bought a nice set of Tama drums from somebody's kid, all outa-tune...
    Drum-bot has several tuning options...
    And, here I am , just starting out with drums....
    Which tuning???
    So confused.
    Tune to the shell.
    Thank you!!!

  • @jarrahdrum
    @jarrahdrum 10 місяців тому

    what an awesome drummer/musician

  • @thomasnappo6309
    @thomasnappo6309 10 місяців тому

    Greg is a Very underated drummer😊

  • @Volksgranadier
    @Volksgranadier 10 місяців тому

    technically, in the physics of sound and frequency. If you tune both heads equal, the probability of not getting a good tone is greater because is too difficult to achieve. Mostly you need to tune the drums in fifths, fourths or even in mayor thirds. Also you can control the sustain by that relation of freqs.

  • @keremeye
    @keremeye 10 місяців тому

    this is the best explanation i ever watched

  • @carvin69thinline65
    @carvin69thinline65 10 місяців тому +3

    Whinnie the Pooh plays drums… who knew? Seriously though watching Mr. Bissonette tune by ear is amazing.

    • @byCampo
      @byCampo 10 місяців тому

      nice reference!

  • @leorleorleor111
    @leorleorleor111 9 місяців тому

    Greg, great video. Time to ditch tape on the heads and get yourself some SnareWeight leather muffles. They work and look fantastic.

  • @CusterFlux
    @CusterFlux 10 місяців тому

    Gregg is so good, he makes this look easy …

  • @stanfordkoch1271
    @stanfordkoch1271 10 місяців тому

    Cool, i have the dixon cornerstone purple titanium snare, the 6,5x14. Killer snare

  • @daviddellit8344
    @daviddellit8344 3 місяці тому

    Amazing. Thank you.

  • @gameplayti2909
    @gameplayti2909 10 місяців тому

    I really like the floor tom with boing.

  • @schmargle
    @schmargle 10 місяців тому

    Nice to hear someone who likes to tune top and bottom heads to the same pitch.

  • @jj0b
    @jj0b 10 місяців тому

    Any tips on tuning the snare? It was the only thing he didn't tune in this video, unless I missed it...

  • @einarabelc5
    @einarabelc5 10 місяців тому

    All I can think when I see Greg is Drum Channel but I always go back to Summer song.

  • @jarrod8579
    @jarrod8579 10 місяців тому +1

    Awesome. This goes to show that you don't have to tune high for jazz!

  • @WardenOnDrums
    @WardenOnDrums 3 місяці тому

    Man is this where you track stuff remotely? Great gear 👌🏼

  • @michaelsargent4113
    @michaelsargent4113 10 місяців тому +1

    We've been tuning the drums to the key of the song we are recording. It really sounds great. Wonder if anyone else does that.

    • @mirkomarkovic3438
      @mirkomarkovic3438 10 місяців тому +1

      Of course!

    • @AndrewBeveridge461
      @AndrewBeveridge461 10 місяців тому

      I"ve never cared too much about that. But sometimes very tonally accurate drums can be great. My favorite example is the snare on NIN's We're In this Together Now. Just would not have nearly the same effect without that *PANG* of the snare ring being tuned just so.

  • @edzkymunoz3837
    @edzkymunoz3837 10 місяців тому

    Special dude... great drummer.

  • @mrbuttons1243
    @mrbuttons1243 10 місяців тому

    The Come Together tea towel thing was too cool.

  • @IIIElijah
    @IIIElijah 10 місяців тому

    A truly great drummer.
    A cool Canadian.

  • @Pure_KodiakWILD_Power
    @Pure_KodiakWILD_Power 10 місяців тому

    I'm not a wood hoop guy, but I really dig that acrylic snare. And she's a 12 lug 😍🥰

  • @bugmanuk
    @bugmanuk 9 місяців тому

    Those Dixons coming out now look great.

  • @dosgos
    @dosgos 10 місяців тому

    Last bit sounded like Bob Gullotti from The Fringe (w/ George Garzone & John Lockwood)

  • @vinaSOAD
    @vinaSOAD 10 місяців тому +1

    I love Gregg

  • @terrywinkle6010
    @terrywinkle6010 10 місяців тому

    Great Guy and great player!

  • @nateg2282
    @nateg2282 День тому

    10:52 drum solo starts

  • @brentharmonmusicproduction
    @brentharmonmusicproduction 10 місяців тому

    My question what is some of the microphones are that Greg likes to use both in the studio as well as live?

  • @fraserbremner1982
    @fraserbremner1982 10 місяців тому

    This is great... but what about tuning the snare???

  • @hawedehre
    @hawedehre 10 місяців тому +1

    Imteresting and helpful.

  • @the_katman2181
    @the_katman2181 4 місяці тому

    What a pretty kit.