This is a great video to learn tuning drums very easily. Gavin Harrison mentioned Bob Gatzen during his workshop in Switzerland and it helped me a lot. Thanks
Thanks' for these great tuning videos Bob! As we all know, tuning drums is an imperfect science and it all comes down to personal preference on how each individual wants their tone. Every technique helps and I applied much of what you teach when I was in the studio last and walked away with the best sounding drum tone I've ever had!
Awesome. Finally a tutorial that references exact pitches for repeatability. Everyone else says just tune the resonant real tight then tune the batter until it sounds about good. C'mon man...
Thank you Bob. I've always felt I had a fairly good handle on my snare drum tuning. But after watching this and your other tuning videos; my DW Snare with Evans G2 coated head, sounds like a million. You Rock Bob!
Hi, Bob. Thanks for the guidance. UPS delivered my first snare drum today. I watched this vid four or five times while I was awaiting the drum. I played it again while I tuned my new drum. It sounds better than I imagined it could. I love your work.
LOL! After about 10 yrs of drumming, Ive NEVER had my snare sound as nearly perfect and professional as it does today thanx to this vid. Thought it was my drumhead choice, NOPE...TUNING!!!! And snare wire mounting...SWEET GRACE, used to be my ENEMY!!!! Thanx Bobby G.
thank you so much for making a USEFUL video (expertvillage doesnt know what theyre talking about at all). i tried tuning my snare drum on my own, and i could never get it to stop humming afterward. now my snare sounds great. thanks!
I've had a pearl ultracast 6.5" deep for 2 or 3 years now and have never really been happy with it.....until I tuned it to the same as in this video!!! I had it way to low (top and bottom) even though to my ears it still sounded high - but i was listening to the overtones not the fundamental note of the drum. Tuned bottom to A and top to C and BOOOOM!! The rim shot nearly killed me! haha
Hey Bob i just wanted to drop you a line to tell you about a cheap Mapex snare i had lying about. I could not get a sound i liked out of it but i watched some of your vids and decided to sort it out. Its now got an Evans G1 coated batter and a 300 hazy reso head with some puresound custom wires. I used your tuning method and gigged it at the weekend. My bass player complimented my "new snare drum". Enough said. Thanks to you it wont go in the bin.
Wow... what a great video.. I bought a new PDP 7 piece Maple Concept. I really haven't played acoustic drums for over 20 years and back then I sucked at tuning.. I couldn't get the sound I was looking for on my stock PDP snare, so I jammed down the snare side Hazy 300 to the "A" suggested and the top G2 coated head to a "G-G#".. This snare is is now singing like it costs $500. I LOVE IT.. THANKS BOB!!
Wow! I´ve got those Remo UX heads too, and I didn´t like how they sounds. But after I watched this video and did like you said, it sounds so amazing! So thank you Bob, you make my life musch easier ;)
"snares could be your good friend or worst enemy". Thats absolutely true and my snares are my enemies :( Tuning snare drum is horror for me, thanks for this video, i will try it:)
This snare drum tuning is my true North. I’ve tried other tunings, but they always end up sounding too tight, or too loose. This one always sounds just right, no matter what genre I play. From AC/DC to Orchestral, and everything in between!
tomorrow i'm about to tune my first "real" kit (so far i use a rhythm traveller and i only use mesh heads for practicing) and almost everything i know (if i can say that) is from you, Bob. Wish me luck! ;)
I've found tuning the reso side from about F-G is the highest it will go before choking out. A is killing it in my opinion. I tune the batter from A to C depending. In any case, tuning the reso to G makes all the difference from being a 'whack' sound to something quite tuneful.
I read somewhere the same thing, but it said that for the snare it's the opposite way: the batter head is high and the resonant is low. I followed the instruction and it sounded pretty good.
Bob, I've been a Remo guy my whole life (47 yrs.) but recently fell in love with the Evans Genera G1 coated head for my snare. As luck would have it, I see Evans has discontinued the Genera G1 and now offers a Genera as well as a G1 coated head. My question is which one is the replacement for the Genera G1? No success contacting Evans and the local shop is a bit unsure too. Love your videos. Keep up the good work...they are very insightful to many of us. Steve.
hes actually at A and c# (used a tune bot and double checked his accuracy) but im curious as to Gatzens decision to tune the batter higher than the reso. its not the most common method of tuning but its is acceptable. its just strange to me he never even touches upon his reason he does this or explains why other drummers would tune the batter a 5th lower than the reso which is more common
@hoygising1 That's because the resonant side of that tom has the same tension of the batter/resonant head of the snare. The sound frecuencies of the snare drum "match" with the resonant side and it vibrates. You could say they have the same notes. Try tuning the tom or the snare drum in other note. I guess that's the reason. I might be mistaken.
we are right indeed! and the best thing is, since writing this to you, i received another comment saying just because people cant sing, doesnt mean he is tone deaf. oh dear...
@MeideC another way to avoid that is to tighten the snares a little bit, maybe use some muffling (o-ring, drum gum, etc.) i find that some snare muffling takes care of the resonance.
omg bob, thanks. i thought id never understand this but my snare sounds great now, but i seen the tom tuning vid, and id have to say didnt sound the way id like.
@Refiep - if you take music in school, you will be required to be able to match pitch like that. especially if you play timpani. just practice matching pitch
I didn't see this until after I replied to your deleted comment. I respect that you decided to take the high road and reply in a mature way. I apologize for being a douche and insulting you. I'll check out your song, and yes, keep on drummin'!
@prodrumtips hey i have an old 70s or so crown drum set and the throw off for the snare is simply on or off, there is no knob to adjust the tension on the snare wires and i haven't been able to make it work, the strap simply slides through the clamp. how would you fix this?
I tune all my batter heads higher! I get a better sound that way IMO, that I like much better! I know of a lot of drummers that tune this way, including many professionals! I personally don't buy into that pitch machine/gadget deal he has and singing that particular pitch/note, and I realize he is well respected by many, and I have learned a lot from Mr. Gatzen and respect his opinions, but there are 1000's of videos etc out there on tuning and techniques, etc...I don't use gadgets anymore at all! I trust my ears, I get the head on centered, finger tighten the tension rods, then use a cross pattern til I bring the drum gradually up to sound good to my ears, then I play each drum, make a few tweaks, and DONE! I wasted a lot of money and time on drum dials and other gadgets that slowed me down, where as the way I tune now gets the same exact results, bottom line it works just fine for me and a lot less time!
@LOGonover Hey thanks for the reply! I got it fixed a few hours after posting the comment, It was the snare wires, i was messing with them a couple of days ago and the wires are really bent and i didnt put them back in their orginial position so they rattled everytime i hit off centre. But thanks for the reply :)
@llPurpleHazell this is called snare buzz and is normal. but if the buzz is very excessive it is a sign of bad tuning but if you tune it well the buzz should be minimal hope this helps
@casubla9, you have to mess withy the tightness of your snare heads. If the have the same resonant frequency as your snare, they will make it vibrate. Or, with the floor tom, the sound waves are strong enough to shake the wires. It's pretty annoying, but the only way to fix it is to move your kit to a really wide open place. The audience won't be able to hear it, so if you can get past the noise it makes then you're good.
@garrettgerbil13 When you use the dial do you turn the opposite lug of where the dial is placed? I have the digital dial and I never used the older design. Any preference?
bob.... if i can't get my snares as tight as i want, do i need a new strainer....... and also, when i hit my snare, the to head vibrates so much that it makes my snares rattle, how do i stop that?
To get the best snare sound should the reso head be tuned higher or lower than the batter head? I've seen videos where some say higher and some lower. Which gives the best sound?
Why is it when I hit my snare in the center it sounds pretty nice, but if I hit even a little bit off center it sounds horrible? It sounds pretty alright in the middle but oustide of it , the sound is almost like the snare buzzes/ farts/. How do I fix this?????? Any help would be appreciated.
Hey! All`s good in the wood! But the interesting thing is; when you start tuning the toms to sound good- you notice that the snare and the whole kit gets a whole new sound!
This is the gold standard for how to tune snare drums. Thanks Bob for your fantastic contributions to the drumming community.
RIP Bob you absolute legend.
Thank you for everything you did for the drumming world.
Every time I look at an Evans head, I think of you.
Much love ❤
Playing for 30 years and found this the best method of tuning a snare drum. Phenominal and what a time saver. Thanks!
This is a great video to learn tuning drums very easily. Gavin Harrison mentioned Bob Gatzen during his workshop in Switzerland and it helped me a lot. Thanks
Still use this method all these years later. Bob was a master. RIP legend
Thanks' for these great tuning videos Bob! As we all know, tuning drums is an imperfect science and it all comes down to personal preference on how each individual wants their tone. Every technique helps and I applied much of what you teach when I was in the studio last and walked away with the best sounding drum tone I've ever had!
Probably the best way for tuning a snare drum! Thanks Bob!
Awesome. Finally a tutorial that references exact pitches for repeatability. Everyone else says just tune the resonant real tight then tune the batter until it sounds about good. C'mon man...
Bob Gatzen is the drum Guru! and a hell of a nice guy to boot!
Thank you Bob. I've always felt I had a fairly good handle on my snare drum tuning. But after watching this and your other tuning videos; my DW Snare with Evans G2 coated head, sounds like a million.
You Rock Bob!
Hi, Bob. Thanks for the guidance. UPS delivered my first snare drum today. I watched this vid four or five times while I was awaiting the drum. I played it again while I tuned my new drum. It sounds better than I imagined it could. I love your work.
I've been drumming for a little over 5 years and this video showed me things I didn't even know.
LOL! After about 10 yrs of drumming, Ive NEVER had my snare sound as nearly perfect and professional as it does today thanx to this vid. Thought it was my drumhead choice, NOPE...TUNING!!!! And snare wire mounting...SWEET GRACE, used to be my ENEMY!!!! Thanx Bobby G.
thank you so much for making a USEFUL video (expertvillage doesnt know what theyre talking about at all). i tried tuning my snare drum on my own, and i could never get it to stop humming afterward. now my snare sounds great. thanks!
Thanks for the video, I have tuned my snare following these steps and it sounds very good, records perfectly through my shure sm-57.
Thanks a lot for this tutorial! It even helped with that snarebuzz when I hit first tom (because a had my snare tuned much more lower).
I've had a pearl ultracast 6.5" deep for 2 or 3 years now and have never really been happy with it.....until I tuned it to the same as in this video!!! I had it way to low (top and bottom) even though to my ears it still sounded high - but i was listening to the overtones not the fundamental note of the drum. Tuned bottom to A and top to C and BOOOOM!! The rim shot nearly killed me! haha
Awesome Bob. Best snare video I've seen so far.
I keep coming back to this it's so great. Thanks Bob.
Hey Bob i just wanted to drop you a line to tell you about a cheap Mapex snare i had lying about. I could not get a sound i liked out of it but i watched some of your vids and decided to sort it out. Its now got an Evans G1 coated batter and a 300 hazy reso head with some puresound custom wires. I used your tuning method and gigged it at the weekend. My bass player complimented my "new snare drum". Enough said. Thanks to you it wont go in the bin.
Wow... what a great video.. I bought a new PDP 7 piece Maple Concept. I really haven't played acoustic drums for over 20 years and back then I sucked at tuning.. I couldn't get the sound I was looking for on my stock PDP snare, so I jammed down the snare side Hazy 300 to the "A" suggested and the top G2 coated head to a "G-G#".. This snare is is now singing like it costs $500. I LOVE IT.. THANKS BOB!!
Bob knows his stuff worth watching thanks Bob
Wow! I´ve got those Remo UX heads too, and I didn´t like how they sounds. But after I watched this video and did like you said, it sounds so amazing! So thank you Bob, you make my life musch easier ;)
fianly, no one ever undertsands pitches when tuning snare drums. Thank you, now maybe others will be able to understand pitch on a snare
This guy is amazing at tuning drums
my snare is tuned so friggin high. love it. i used this method and it rules. you wont be disappointed if you use it.
DAMN!!!!!!! this video really help me a lot!!!!!! i thought i cannot tune my snare anymore.. tnx Bob gatzen!
Thanks for letting us hear how it sounded after tuning.
Voice of an angel
you did a good job of telling young drummers how to set up and tune there there drum
Thanks for this man! Finally I got the right tutorial for tuning my snare.
That OTT tip is great. I've been struggling with that. Thanks :)
"snares could be your good friend or worst enemy". Thats absolutely true and my snares are my enemies :( Tuning snare drum is horror for me, thanks for this video, i will try it:)
This snare drum tuning is my true North. I’ve tried other tunings, but they always end up sounding too tight, or too loose. This one always sounds just right, no matter what genre I play. From AC/DC to Orchestral, and everything in between!
hahaha! Just like a cooking show! They made it look so easy! "Here's a snare drum we prepared earlier" Those crazy buggers!!
tomorrow i'm about to tune my first "real" kit (so far i use a rhythm traveller and i only use mesh heads for practicing) and almost everything i know (if i can say that) is from you, Bob. Wish me luck! ;)
I've found tuning the reso side from about F-G is the highest it will go before choking out. A is killing it in my opinion.
I tune the batter from A to C depending.
In any case, tuning the reso to G makes all the difference from being a 'whack' sound to something quite tuneful.
reddieseled i
thanks for this :) now my snare drum finally sounds good :)
I read somewhere the same thing, but it said that for the snare it's the opposite way: the batter head is high and the resonant is low. I followed the instruction and it sounded pretty good.
thanks man you rock, my kit has never sounded so good.
Always great videos-miss the store. Stick under snares is cool trick
Bob, I've been a Remo guy my whole life (47 yrs.) but recently fell in love with the Evans Genera G1 coated head for my snare. As luck would have it, I see Evans has discontinued the Genera G1 and now offers a Genera as well as a G1 coated head. My question is which one is the replacement for the Genera G1? No success contacting Evans and the local shop is a bit unsure too. Love your videos. Keep up the good work...they are very insightful to many of us. Steve.
Thx for the info on tuning the snare Bob!
This helped me so much! i got remo ux heads, wich sucks. after this video my snare sounds exactly like bobs. omg. THANK YOU!
Sounds like I need new snares then. Was wondering what that ringing sound was caused by, now I know. Thanks Bob!
I really suck at tuning my snare. This helped a little.
damn thats an immaculate sounding snare drum
I think youre correct i noticed when i was trying to tune my snare vibrations was there specially on the high tuning. more power to you.
hes actually at A and c# (used a tune bot and double checked his accuracy) but im curious as to Gatzens decision to tune the batter higher than the reso. its not the most common method of tuning but its is acceptable. its just strange to me he never even touches upon his reason he does this or explains why other drummers would tune the batter a 5th lower than the reso which is more common
Best snare tuning video I’ve found. My Ludwig 15” Black Magic sounds so much better.
For those who cant get a great tuning sound with their pearl chad smiths, this tuning vid gives you the key! A on bottom and C/C# on top.
@hoygising1 That's because the resonant side of that tom has the same tension of the batter/resonant head of the snare. The sound frecuencies of the snare drum "match" with the resonant side and it vibrates. You could say they have the same notes. Try tuning the tom or the snare drum in other note. I guess that's the reason. I might be mistaken.
@llPurpleHazell Its not drum's fault. There should be a knob in your snare strainer and you can twist it to reduce snare buzz.
He is a real drumming master!
we are right indeed! and the best thing is, since writing this to you, i received another comment saying just because people cant sing, doesnt mean he is tone deaf. oh dear...
This man is my hero. THANK YOU
Thank you very much, Sir!!
This saved me a big hassle...thank you very much
great teacher
Congratulations.
THIS GUY'S A LEGEND!!
@MeideC another way to avoid that is to tighten the snares a little bit, maybe use some muffling (o-ring, drum gum, etc.) i find that some snare muffling takes care of the resonance.
Excellent video... thanks so much for providing this :) Really got my snare sounding good!
omg bob, thanks. i thought id never understand this but my snare sounds great now, but i seen the tom tuning vid, and id have to say didnt sound the way id like.
@Refiep - if you take music in school, you will be required to be able to match pitch like that. especially if you play timpani. just practice matching pitch
This dudes singing- EPIC WIN!
In the beginning of the video he has a stick under his snares. But how much pressure needs the snare to get a good and full sound?
snare was my worse nightmare since 7:45 min ago :) thanks a lot
I didn't see this until after I replied to your deleted comment. I respect that you decided to take the high road and reply in a mature way. I apologize for being a douche and insulting you. I'll check out your song, and yes, keep on drummin'!
@prodrumtips hey i have an old 70s or so crown drum set and the throw off for the snare is simply on or off, there is no knob to adjust the tension on the snare wires and i haven't been able to make it work, the strap simply slides through the clamp. how would you fix this?
OMG, this vid. helped me very much. Thank u Bob.
I tune all my batter heads higher! I get a better sound that way IMO, that I like much better! I know of a lot of drummers that tune this way, including many professionals! I personally don't buy into that pitch machine/gadget deal he has and singing that particular pitch/note, and I realize he is well respected by many, and I have learned a lot from Mr. Gatzen and respect his opinions, but there are 1000's of videos etc out there on tuning and techniques, etc...I don't use gadgets anymore at all! I trust my ears, I get the head on centered, finger tighten the tension rods, then use a cross pattern til I bring the drum gradually up to sound good to my ears, then I play each drum, make a few tweaks, and DONE! I wasted a lot of money and time on drum dials and other gadgets that slowed me down, where as the way I tune now gets the same exact results, bottom line it works just fine for me and a lot less time!
@LOGonover Hey thanks for the reply!
I got it fixed a few hours after posting the comment,
It was the snare wires, i was messing with them a couple of days ago and the wires are really bent and i didnt put them back in their orginial position so they rattled everytime i hit off centre. But thanks for the reply :)
also, if the skins are already on there does it harm them in anyway to losen them right of and start the tuning over? thanks
start off by "tuning" across until it is seated well, then you can switch to tuning around the drum (or across) to get the right pitch.
Thank You!!
My Snare Drum is great now!!
How do I get the snares wires to stop vibrating so much when I play the toms?
@llPurpleHazell this is called snare buzz and is normal. but if the buzz is very excessive it is a sign of bad tuning but if you tune it well the buzz should be minimal
hope this helps
@casubla9, you have to mess withy the tightness of your snare heads. If the have the same resonant frequency as your snare, they will make it vibrate.
Or, with the floor tom, the sound waves are strong enough to shake the wires.
It's pretty annoying, but the only way to fix it is to move your kit to a really wide open place. The audience won't be able to hear it, so if you can get past the noise it makes then you're good.
@garrettgerbil13 When you use the dial do you turn the opposite lug of where the dial is placed? I have the digital dial and I never used the older design. Any preference?
Nice 1 thanx Bob
bob.... if i can't get my snares as tight as i want, do i need a new strainer....... and also, when i hit my snare, the to head vibrates so much that it makes my snares rattle, how do i stop that?
@iTraceur Thanks man,
Im using an Evans Genera HD dry snare batter for my 14 inch snare.
@guledmalim
You mean the wires?
In that case, your snare drum is now just basiclly a tom tom...
You need the wires for the "pop" sound.
Hi Bob, I have a 5 piece kit how come every time i hit my snare drum the left tom vibrates and its anoying how d you fix that.
i got the same problem and would be interested to know how it can be helped
To get the best snare sound should the reso head be tuned higher or lower than the batter head? I've seen videos where some say higher and some lower. Which gives the best sound?
Now i feel like a tool for doing this completely wrong, lol! thanks for the info this helps alot!
@MikeAsHimself Thx a lot, probably I will try something like this. But i think for first times is good to learn it by own ears.
Absolutely perfect!
Why is it when I hit my snare in the center it sounds pretty nice, but if I hit even a little bit off center it sounds horrible? It sounds pretty alright in the middle but oustide of it , the sound is almost like the snare buzzes/ farts/. How do I fix this??????
Any help would be appreciated.
WOW his bottom head is tight, I'm gonna try that out tomorrow.
Hey! All`s good in the wood!
But the interesting thing is; when you start tuning the toms to sound good- you notice that the snare and the whole kit gets a whole new sound!
yea it works! i got it just tighten the knob but not to tight hope that helps
does the snare wires need to be on when I tighten them?
Why do you recommendottom tuning tom heads to the same pitch? I Like to tune up the bottom head- the Bonham way.
bob is like the best for these vids lol
A= 440 hz for snare side?
how many kinds of drum heads (not brands) are there and which are typically used in rock or jazz??
Hey is the berring edge supposed to dip on the reso side of my snare or is it warped cause no matter what I do my snare sounds awful