Great explanation of tuning drums. It's not as complicated or scientific as so many try to make it. I really appreciate your explanation of a low sounding lug could be a result of the lug directly across from it. It took me years to figure that out, and I honestly can't recall ever seeing any other professional explain that. I will refer all drummers in need of help to this video right here.
I used the star method, now I use your method of going around the drum. Easier and faster and it WORKS!!!! THANK YOU!!! Please keep up the great work you do...
Thanks a bunch. I'm just a feel guy when it comes to tuning. I'm firing up the youtube channel again. Please let me know if there's anything you want me to dicscuss. Best, T
Thank you sooooo much! I have got a pretty great snare tuning and some pretty good cymbals, but have struggled with tuning toms and bass. Thanks for the help!
I didn't care for the techniques of tuning the top head, but you managed to achieve the good sound. Sometimes we tend to get to the same place, but with different methodology that's all. I'm finally happy to hear someone truly explain the concept of the bottom head tuning! You are spot on in that every drum will sing differently. All these technique guys go for pitch and intervals...intervals should only be considered for tom spread and not head individual head tuning IMO. Thanks for the video. Even though we differ on how to get the top head together, I thought you were very knowledgeable in concept and technique.
having learned this type of tuning and using it EXCLUSIVELY for many years....I've worked many many shows and studios with house kits or backline gear where I've been able to retune the kits and the sound engineers were just astounded at how much better the drums sounded naturally...
It woulb be a great honour to show you my city and know you in person! Humble artists like are awesome inspirations for youngs like me! A great hug! ;) Davide
Tommy, that was great! I've re-tuned my Pearl kit (Export Masters Custom, maple). I've always tuned close to the bottom end and never realized the open ringing sound the drum really peaks with! It'll take some getting used to because I never tuned like this before ... but, I can't wait to record with it!!! Looking forward to the snare, because I've always tuned to B Flat. Hope to see something on the kick drum too! Thanks!
Hiya Tommy, hope you guys are well? Just had a refresher course on tuning 🤣 Got another kit. Tuned easy with your method Checked out that it was six years ago that I found your tuning video
@@TommyHarden Thanks mate, yeah we’re good in the uk I’ve just got a Pdp fx for using at home. I’d tried a few other methods off UA-cam but wasn’t quite happy with the sound then realised that I’d saved your video in my favourites Sounds great now. Keep up the good work on your videos mate. It’s easy to understand what you are explaining on your videos and have helped no end for me with my drums. Regards Kev
I really love your videos! I just discovered your channel so I don't know if you have already discussed this topic, but I'd love to see a video where a pro like you explains what it really takes, not only musically but technically; how much you have to work on your rudiment, like that is to say, "work your hands until 220bpm" or "reach a degree of independence that lets you play X without problems" etc. I'm not only talking about speed of course, just an example! =) Hope you like it! Thanks Dav
That's a common set up for drum heads isn't it? i wish I went that route with my Sonor birch's. I had put Evans EC2's, they are to loud for me in the area I have my kit. Rarely get to play them due to being so loud...when I do get to play them it's for 20 minutes maximum. Thank you Tommy for the great information! I have been trying that guy from DW drums on how to tune the reso, I'll most deffinatly try it your way next time! Thanks again! :)
holy crap! you just tuned your drum in less than 10 minutes! that's insane, way to go. it usually takes me more than an hour to make one drum sound good.
I don't know if you still monitor this but just in case, I'll mention my problem w/ drum tuning. I don't hear the pitch right. I can tune a guitar or bass easy. I have no problem telling if a string is too low or too high. But... give me a drum to tune and that all goes out the window. Sometimes I'll got to the next lug and it sounds higher when it's really lower. Also happens the other way round.
WOW Another Harden...not too many of us!! Cool. Agreed...I've always thought each drum has it's best sound at a certain spot. Why I always hated the 13" and went 12" to 14" the best pitch and interval was perfect at at certain spot in each drum...Horses for courses though and each to their own.
thanks so much for the kind words! Each drum will sing at the spot it wants to. I try not to fight it. I'm firing up my youtube channel again finally, let me know if there's anything you wanna discuss. Best, T
It would be great if you could get each of your drums sounding the way you like it and then use a drum dial to measure the batter and reso heads and see what the tension is. That would be a cool experiment. And then post that for each of your drums. That would be really helpful. Your drum sounds are awesome.
Thanks so much, I don't even own a drum dial! It's just a feel thing for me. I'm firing up the youtube channel again, so lemme know what you'd like to talk about. Best, T
Any way you could tell me how to tune your toms to like a paramore type sound? Like where it doesn't ring as much... not sure how to describe it. Any feedback would be great. Thanks!
You are very good at tuning by ear, but if you used a frequency reference and something like a tune-bot, your drums would sound even better. not that they sound bad, but my kit sounded very good for a long time until I started precisely tuning to notes, and now it is in a whole other league. Especially since the drums sound harmonious with the other instruments, and each other. I love to hit the kick and hear a chord sound from the vibrations of the toms.
Great vid, Tommy. Thanks. Made good sense. Maple vs Birch... Seems like maple has a much more broad tuning range and birch has a "sweet spot". Is it just my kits or has everyone found this to be true ?
I don't have the best Toms since I'm barley starting out 7 months ago. My toms do not have bottom heads, forgot what they are called, but I also struggle to get it at the tuning I want. I also struggle to tell which tone or pitch I need to listen to.
I have a Tama Superstar Hyperdrive and 12 inch tom is what I'm having the most problems with. I've tried the rob brown method and tiny changes and everything just doesnt sound right......so im gonna try this method but im not sure where your reso head is tuned to? is it loose?
I like the sound you've got my toms don't sound like yours maybe I need some new heads..but I'm strapped for cash at the moment.ive got 2 make do with what I've got stagg it's ok I guess for what It is and what I payed for it £150 pounds I just wish I could make it sound better Some great tips on your video by the way
i tune them myself. Drum paradise will tune drums, but I'm pretty persnickety about drum tones, I tune them myself. Sometimes it's even dependent on the studio and engineer, if something is not working I'll try something else til it does. t
Tommy, Great stuff. I used to play with you circa 97-2000 at BCC. Learned a lot watching your work ethic and commitment to excellence with humility. What tom mics are you using?
+Tommy Harden its a Pearl Export Series. im not sure on the wood sorry :/ the reso heads are the pearl ones they came with and i have evans coated 360 G2 on the batter side.
Exports are poplar and/or mahogany depending on when they were made. Great drums for the price, but when you're comparing sound, remember that this guy is playing high-end drums, which will sound a lot different than Exports. Also, the room acoustics make a big difference in how a drum sounds. A professional studio is going to sound a lot different than a room in a typical house.
Cory Iodine well Cory his fat time you hear us after prossesing and Eq I get a time close to his without the mics and compression and equalizing. I'll copy and paste the videos I learned from and I'll warn you now everyone downgrades how I time but they come out sounding better then any time not or most other techniques I've tried and ask the lugs come out at the same pitch and tones are in the right frequencies. and I can tune my entire kit in 15 minutes..
Do people tune there drums with note books like they will see the degrees on a note book or something like that...as for Toms do they tune it for 80degrees only and the othes they tune in other degrees or no?
not sure I understand the question. I just tune to each drum, each drum has a range where it opens up, where it 'sings'. I tune to that. Thanks for watching! Where are you from?
these are discontinued, but they are the SE 3500's. They are a bit persnickety, they can't handle really huge SPL, SE has a new mic that is the same capsule but has a db pad and can handle more spl.
i have a question..every time i tune toms to where they (sing) sound good,i have a lot of ringing going on from kick,or other toms being hit. do you use gates to control that or is it a tuning thing?
Standing on a drum head? As in your full body weight? i can understand pressing with your hand but standing on a drum head couldn't be good for the bearing edge. Maybe its only partial weight but still.. kind of a risk.
I need to change my batter heads. I am thinking of using ambassadors. I have cheap Remo resonance heads. should I change both? does it make a difference? should the batters and resos be the same? Thank you.
I always use clear emperors on the tom tops, and clear ambassadors on the bottoms. The emperors are double ply, they sound just as good and they last 4 times as long. That's just my take on it.
Dave Smith! Those are SE 3500's they stopped making them about 10 years ago, but man they sound great. they make one now called the 4400 that they swear to me is the same capsule with better electronics. Thanks so much for watching. t
quite informative rather than the usual "how to get each lug in tune with the others" videos elsewhere on UA-cam. You give little tiny bits of extra info that make all the difference.
+Tommy Harden...... I said it, so you can quote it...... after getting nowhere, I've finally found the key to improving my Tom sound ( pun may as well be intended)
+Tommy Harden...... I said it, so you can quote it...... after getting nowhere, I've finally found the key to improving my Tom sound ( pun may as well be intended)
Great explanation of tuning drums. It's not as complicated or scientific as so many try to make it. I really appreciate your explanation of a low sounding lug could be a result of the lug directly across from it. It took me years to figure that out, and I honestly can't recall ever seeing any other professional explain that. I will refer all drummers in need of help to this video right here.
Thought the same.
Bob Gatzen is the only other person I've ever heard say that. He's right
You are a really good drummer 'and human being...thank you for taking the time to share your gifts...God bless you.
thanks!
I used the star method, now I use your method of going around the drum. Easier and faster and it WORKS!!!! THANK YOU!!! Please keep up the great work you do...
Thanks a bunch. I'm just a feel guy when it comes to tuning. I'm firing up the youtube channel again. Please let me know if there's anything you want me to dicscuss. Best,
T
This is great. Probably one of the best tuning vids i have seen.
I had a good teacher when it came to tuning. Jim Delong, he's amazing. T
Thank you sooooo much! I have got a pretty great snare tuning and some pretty good cymbals, but have struggled with tuning toms and bass. Thanks for the help!
I didn't care for the techniques of tuning the top head, but you managed to achieve the good sound. Sometimes we tend to get to the same place, but with different methodology that's all. I'm finally happy to hear someone truly explain the concept of the bottom head tuning! You are spot on in that every drum will sing differently. All these technique guys go for pitch and intervals...intervals should only be considered for tom spread and not head individual head tuning IMO. Thanks for the video. Even though we differ on how to get the top head together, I thought you were very knowledgeable in concept and technique.
this is the best tuning video ive found on youtube
Dude some of the tracks you've laid down there in Nashville are filthy! Keep up the good work brother!
Many thanks for posting this informative tutorial.
this is gonna help me tune my toms a million thank you thank yous!!
You rock Tommy! I believe this is the same set that I played on when i came over to your house with the family many years ago. Still sounds amazing!
having learned this type of tuning and using it EXCLUSIVELY for many years....I've worked many many shows and studios with house kits or backline gear where I've been able to retune the kits and the sound engineers were just astounded at how much better the drums sounded naturally...
yep same here, it's amazing what happens to drums when you tune them :)
Thanx Mr.T !.. even though I'm a guitar player, I love to bang on the drums, but don't know the maintenance side of things. But I do now !
awesome job explaining what your aiming for. This helped me emensly.
Thanks for watching!
It woulb be a great honour to show you my city and know you in person! Humble artists like are awesome inspirations for youngs like me!
A great hug! ;)
Davide
Tommy, that was great! I've re-tuned my Pearl kit (Export Masters Custom, maple). I've always tuned close to the bottom end and never realized the open ringing sound the drum really peaks with! It'll take some getting used to because I never tuned like this before ... but, I can't wait to record with it!!! Looking forward to the snare, because I've always tuned to B Flat. Hope to see something on the kick drum too! Thanks!
PEARL EXPORT MASTERS CUSTOM MAPLE !!!???
FEB 23 / 2020. Thanks from Australia. Great video
Your welcome
Thank you so much. Great sound and tips. I'm using Yamaha myself (Recording Custom). Best brand ever!
Greetings from Norway!
Hello! Been to Norway!! What a beautiful country!!!
I'm still referring back to this, Tommy, in March 2019!
Awesome Yamaha drum kit! Love it!
You got that drum ringing pretty good!!! Well done.
Great job.. Thanks for the help. I have a new Pearl Export. I really would like to get it sounding better.
. Man, i didn't want that intro piece you played to stop- enjoyable! -Joseph
+truthaboveagenda Thanks for the kind words Joseph!
Hiya Tommy,
hope you guys are well?
Just had a refresher course on tuning 🤣
Got another kit.
Tuned easy with your method
Checked out that it was six years ago that I found your tuning video
Wow! I need to post some more stuff -). Hope you’re well! What kind of kit? T
@@TommyHarden
Thanks mate, yeah we’re good in the uk
I’ve just got a Pdp fx for using at home.
I’d tried a few other methods off UA-cam but wasn’t quite happy with the sound then realised that I’d saved your video in my favourites
Sounds great now.
Keep up the good work on your videos mate.
It’s easy to understand what you are explaining on your videos and have helped no end for me with my drums.
Regards
Kev
man,great videos, great sound and great playing!!!
I'm in wpb florida thanks for replying back
Nice. Like the practical approach with no tuning voodoo involved.
great laidback timing man. sounds awesome
Thanks a bunch :) Appreciate that.
Even kick sound. Very good mix on your kick.
thanks bro! appreciate that
Great video... need to make 1 for floor toms I have a 16 and 18 inch floor toms
I really really love the tom sound XDD
and your video really help me a lot ,thanks for that :))
I will keep follow your videos
God bless you ! :)
I really love your videos! I just discovered your channel so I don't know if you have already discussed this topic, but I'd love to see a video where a pro like you explains what it really takes, not only musically but technically; how much you have to work on your rudiment, like that is to say, "work your hands until 220bpm" or "reach a degree of independence that lets you play X without problems" etc. I'm not only talking about speed of course, just an example! =) Hope you like it! Thanks
Dav
wow!! fantastic! Hope to see you there someday!
YES, the drum sings! Not many drummers are not aware of that expression and result. Thanks.
Great video.
redsevenbox thanks a bunch -)
Thanks for your help guys
ur welcome :)
That's a common set up for drum heads isn't it? i wish I went that route with my Sonor birch's. I had put Evans EC2's, they are to loud for me in the area I have my kit. Rarely get to play them due to being so loud...when I do get to play them it's for 20 minutes maximum. Thank you Tommy for the great information! I have been trying that guy from DW drums on how to tune the reso, I'll most deffinatly try it your way next time! Thanks again! :)
Hilo sir . What a good sound to tune snare .
great video 👍👍👍👍
Glad I found you,..Good info,..
Great video!
Still helpful, Tommy, Dec 2017. Thank you.
insightful vid; tight drumming as well !
Thanks Tommy ! I'm from Naples, Italy ;)
holy crap! you just tuned your drum in less than 10 minutes! that's insane, way to go. it usually takes me more than an hour to make one drum sound good.
nope
good advice! thanks
great stuff
Thanks bro -)
I don't know if you still monitor this but just in case, I'll mention my problem w/ drum tuning. I don't hear the pitch right. I can tune a guitar or bass easy. I have no problem telling if a string is too low or too high. But... give me a drum to tune and that all goes out the window. Sometimes I'll got to the next lug and it sounds higher when it's really lower. Also happens the other way round.
agre.. very nice tom sound!! thanx
WOW Another Harden...not too many of us!! Cool. Agreed...I've always thought each drum has it's best sound at a certain spot. Why I always hated the 13" and went 12" to 14" the best pitch and interval was perfect at at certain spot in each drum...Horses for courses though and each to their own.
thanks so much for the kind words! Each drum will sing at the spot it wants to. I try not to fight it. I'm firing up my youtube channel again finally, let me know if there's anything you wanna discuss. Best,
T
@@TommyHarden Cheers,....Shall do.
2:13 gotta blow that junk bro
+7headed1 waa??
He's quoting you hahaha
Junk blown! Lmfaooo
yes, yes, I messed that up :) Not unloosen!! ha. Also Dan, that's not a rule in my book, I've never heard that before.
Mikes vs. Cutting acoustic soinds is a whole nother rabbit hole...
not sure I understand what you're trying to say????
cool stuff, thanks.
Emporors on top and bottom? Thanks so much for the vidoes!
ambassadors on the bottom. Thanks! Sorry for the slow reply! T
It would be great if you could get each of your drums sounding the way you like it and then use a drum dial to measure the batter and reso heads and see what the tension is. That would be a cool experiment. And then post that for each of your drums. That would be really helpful. Your drum sounds are awesome.
Thanks so much, I don't even own a drum dial! It's just a feel thing for me. I'm firing up the youtube channel again, so lemme know what you'd like to talk about. Best, T
The buckle is because you went around in a circle. Unloosen? Stand on a drum?
Any way you could tell me how to tune your toms to like a paramore type sound? Like where it doesn't ring as much... not sure how to describe it. Any feedback would be great. Thanks!
Really helpful cheers
You are very good at tuning by ear, but if you used a frequency reference and something like a tune-bot, your drums would sound even better. not that they sound bad, but my kit sounded very good for a long time until I started precisely tuning to notes, and now it is in a whole other league. Especially since the drums sound harmonious with the other instruments, and each other. I love to hit the kick and hear a chord sound from the vibrations of the toms.
Great vid, Tommy. Thanks. Made good sense. Maple vs Birch... Seems like maple has a much more broad tuning range and birch has a "sweet spot". Is it just my kits or has everyone found this to be true ?
I don't have the best Toms since I'm barley starting out 7 months ago. My toms do not have bottom heads, forgot what they are called, but I also struggle to get it at the tuning I want. I also struggle to tell which tone or pitch I need to listen to.
Alex Diaz keep working on it!
Good sound on your tom, what size socket could I use for a drum key?
where do igot the spin thing?
I have a Tama Superstar Hyperdrive and 12 inch tom is what I'm having the most problems with. I've tried the rob brown method and tiny changes and everything just doesnt sound right......so im gonna try this method but im not sure where your reso head is tuned to? is it loose?
great video!!! thx!!!
Great instruction! What brand of drum key is that? Never seen one like that before.
I like the sound you've got my toms don't sound like yours maybe I need some new heads..but I'm strapped for cash at the moment.ive got 2 make do with what I've got stagg it's ok I guess for what It is and what I payed for it £150 pounds I just wish I could make it sound better Some great tips on your video by the way
will do, that's a great idea. Where are you from?
i tune them myself. Drum paradise will tune drums, but I'm pretty persnickety about drum tones, I tune them myself. Sometimes it's even dependent on the studio and engineer, if something is not working I'll try something else til it does. t
You look like Michael Anthony. With all the new tuning gadgets we forget to trust our ears. And how the lug feels when tuning.
Yup, the ears work way better, the dials don't take into consideration all kinds of factors. The ears tell you if it sounds good or sucks.
Why do you seat the head? I was wondering
because if you don't the head will quickly detune from hitting it. It's like stretching guitar strings before you put them on.
Oh... I see..good point.. Thanks.. U have an awesome sound/playing!
Still the best sounding tom on the internet.
Tommy, Great stuff. I used to play with you circa 97-2000 at BCC. Learned a lot watching your work ethic and commitment to excellence with humility. What tom mics are you using?
So what's the tone of the resonant head though? Since you showed tuning the top head already? Tnx
sir, can i know what kind of snare head that u use in this video?
how do you get a fat thick tone? mine sound tuned but loud and echoey
what kind of drums, what kind of wood, and what heads are you using?
+Tommy Harden its a Pearl Export Series. im not sure on the wood sorry :/ the reso heads are the pearl ones they came with and i have evans coated 360 G2 on the batter side.
Exports are poplar and/or mahogany depending on when they were made. Great drums for the price, but when you're comparing sound, remember that this guy is playing high-end drums, which will sound a lot different than Exports. Also, the room acoustics make a big difference in how a drum sounds. A professional studio is going to sound a lot different than a room in a typical house.
+Michael Engle yeah i just learned two days ago mine are poplar wood. Thanks for the advice man!
Cory Iodine well Cory his fat time you hear us after prossesing and Eq I get a time close to his without the mics and compression and equalizing. I'll copy and paste the videos I learned from and I'll warn you now everyone downgrades how I time but they come out sounding better then any time not or most other techniques I've tried and ask the lugs come out at the same pitch and tones are in the right frequencies. and I can tune my entire kit in 15 minutes..
Just wondering what is this stick grip called?
+Christopher Twombly it's just a matched grip, but with the left hand holding the butt end. :)
Thats what I thought, what effect does holding the butt end have btw?
Man, thanks a lot, I swear; I've been struggling to tune my drums till now, they sound perfect!
Do people tune there drums with note books like they will see the degrees on a note book or something like that...as for Toms do they tune it for 80degrees only and the othes they tune in other degrees or no?
not sure I understand the question. I just tune to each drum, each drum has a range where it opens up, where it 'sings'. I tune to that.
Thanks for watching! Where are you from?
I love how this video is 10 min long as it takes 5 min to tune
what's a drum peach?
Tommy...is it Emperor for both top and bottom...?
Dave Smith emps on top, ambassadors on the bottom
Hi what tom mics you are using?
these are discontinued, but they are the SE 3500's. They are a bit persnickety, they can't handle really huge SPL, SE has a new mic that is the same capsule but has a db pad and can handle more spl.
thanks a bunch!
Did you use an emperor for the resonant head too?
No, ambassadors on the bottom
Tomas Ferreira No I generally use clear emporers on top and clear ambassadors on the bottom. I hardly ever change bottom heads.
i have a question..every time i tune toms to where they (sing) sound good,i have a lot of ringing going on from kick,or other toms being hit. do you use gates to control that or is it a tuning thing?
You mentioned that the bottom head was a bit tighter than the top head. It sounded lower to me. Maybe you misspoke?
Wich microphones are you using on toms?
SE 3500
nice vid. you look the 80's van halen version of michael anthony minus the jack daniels
Standing on a drum head? As in your full body weight? i can understand pressing with your hand but standing on a drum head couldn't be good for the bearing edge. Maybe its only partial weight but still.. kind of a risk.
Stephen Crosmer no just a knee is enough, full body weight would be too much :) thanks for watching.
I need to change my batter heads. I am thinking of using ambassadors. I have cheap Remo resonance heads. should I change both? does it make a difference? should the batters and resos be the same? Thank you.
I always use clear emperors on the tom tops, and clear ambassadors on the bottoms. The emperors are double ply, they sound just as good and they last 4 times as long. That's just my take on it.
no, clear emp's on top, clear ambassadors on the bottom. Thanks for watching! th
thanks that was cool
cheers mate
thanks for the kind words. Glad to be of help! Say hi to the boys for me :) t
Tommy...what mics are you using on the toms...?
Dave Smith! Those are SE 3500's they stopped making them about 10 years ago, but man they sound great. they make one now called the 4400 that they swear to me is the same capsule with better electronics. Thanks so much for watching. t
Tommy Harden ...Thanks buddy...love all the things your putting out...!...your an awesome player...make things look so easy...!
"un-loosen" lol
Nice vid... should we call this 10 minute monday though?
haha, I guess on this one, sometimes 5 mins just isn't enough :)
quite informative rather than the usual "how to get each lug in tune with the others" videos elsewhere on UA-cam. You give little tiny bits of extra info that make all the difference.
+jtwrally can I quote you on that? I'd like to use that on my website. Thanks! t
+Tommy Harden...... I said it, so you can quote it...... after getting nowhere, I've finally found the key to improving my Tom sound ( pun may as well be intended)
+Tommy Harden...... I said it, so you can quote it...... after getting nowhere, I've finally found the key to improving my Tom sound ( pun may as well be intended)