Here’s a little trick I use for the bottom head: after putting a stick under the snare wires, I also put a felt under the stick. It gets pressed into the head by the stick, and now you don’t have to hold your finger there any more.
Appreciate this man, very timely indeed for me. I have lost all confidence in my SD tuning hustle, thought it was the old head.. turns out it may just be my old head.
We could rephrase that to mean 'hit' it sooo hard? There comes a point where playing so hard becomes just hitting? To my mind that's not playing, that's just what is ends up sounding like - knocking things about...
Everybody has their way. Memorizing the tuning pattern is a bit much IMHO, I ID the rod that's most out and start there. What's out changes as you go anyway. The only tip I have to offer about tuning is that we generally speak in terms of 1/2 turns and 1/4 turns and sometimes just a few millimeters one way or the other can make a world of difference when evening out the pitch of each lug going around the drum.
Using 2 keys at a time, tightening opposing pairs, will save you a lot of that fine tuning time. Many times (using 2 keys, in a + x pattern for 8 lugs say) you’ll end up right where you want with no ‘fixing’. 2 keys! Thank me later. (The best keys for the job are Tama Tdk10 or a similar key with a knurled knipple on top - use just the top to get everything “finger” tight)
@@kelleesmi Kinda weird question, but here goes nothing: You draw the line at the number of HANDS you have. Yup. Just the 2. 2 keys works and works well. It’s consistent, it’s fast, and it’s even. It eliminates a lot of frustration and quickly gets the head in tune. When you tighten one rod, you affect the tension of the opposing rod - and this can cause issues when trying to get a head evenly tuned. The +x method with 2 keys solves that and more. Watch Kenny Sharetts tune a snare, he’s tuned more drums than we’ve had hot dinners.
10:20 that sound very much like mine.. I hate this sound actualy.. Please what should i do ? Tuning like what? I love the sound like bill withers album. Should i crack more?
Hey Man, Happy New Year 80/20 Drummer. How do you handle Snare Buzz. I'm always on the mission for that "perfect" sound from the Toms (I watched your comparison Video [Brown, Jared, Ric B, and even DW's John] which is elusive to me on a PDP Concept Maple Kit. Close but no Real Cigar. I use e-Rings form Evans on 4 Toms (10, 12 " Racks, and 14 & 16 Floor Toms). But after tweaking the Toms recently, I started getting more Snare BUZZ. But only on the 14 X 5 " PDP snare, much less Buzzing when I use my DW Design Series Nickel /Brass 14 X 6.5 Snare? I just tried to install Prosound 30 strand snare wires, but I couldn't do it properly (something wrong with me?). But when I re-installed the standard 20 strand wires which came with the drum (marked DW wires), I did experience slightly less Buzz when hitting the rack Toms (I have a 8" too mounted on a cymbal stand). What did I do Right?? I'm a 70 YO guy, retired, who plays for Fun and a Hobby , about 1 hour a day to My Music. I truly enjoy your Videos.... You have a nice Deadpan delivery with little Nonsense but great Info !!
What are you usually starting with as the reference pitch? Something in your head or one of the lugs? Also how does the cross lug thing usually work with how you were doing that early in the video with one across effecting another across?
whats your opinion on the masshoff method of tuning drums? I find it really practical, especially as a gigging drummer, where you sometimes cant find a quiet place to tune by ear.
ive been playing with my phone / moon gell on the snare for a while but im in this wierd place where no kits are micd and the bands im playing with are super loud so im having to tune with no mutes
Everyone Everyone around here Everyone is so near It's holding on It's holding on Everyone Everyone is so near Everyone has got the fear It's holding on It's holding on It's holding on It's holding on It's holding on
I feel like it’s easier to get rid of the overtone trash when tuning up but when you actually want that low tuning it’s more difficult to get the trash out.
Anyone else use this as 'ear training' and play guess the lug that will be tuned next?! Also disappointed you didn't title the video "tune your snare to perfection with this one weird trick!" ;-)
I never thought of sliding the stick under the snares to tune the bottom head. I have to try that next time. And I think carrying a drum dial with you and your gig bag might help instead of trying to tune by ear which might take a little longer. And he didn't cover much about the difference between tuning the bottom head higher or lower than the batter head. I prefer tuning higher
Honestly if the guy before me could actually get a good low and beefy snare sound I would leave it and be happy with it lol, I just cant figure a good low tuning out.
@@8020drummer Wow, thanks for the quick reply! BTW, love your videos and all the great stuff you teach, and I'm not even a drummer! I own a music school so I have a lot to learn about drums. At 3:00 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OPYRaWs1-vc.html you say "remember that melody, bah bha bha bha..." Do you have some other video that explains the melody and why you use it?
I‘m actually faster in that scenario, just by open up all lugs und start tuning from the beginning just by adding pressure and get rid of the wrinkles at the edges and then tune it up, and than do the tappy tap wich then it‘ll be just one or two Lugs, that are not in tune….done
If you have time that's always a good strategy. Trouble is, manually detuning and retuning all those lugs eats time like a mother@#$%@#. That's why if you're lazy like me or in a hurry, starting with the drum they handed you can usually work.
I love that approach, I can almost always get the sound that I want in about 3 minutes. The past year every time I went to shed I untuned and retuned my snare head, and now I'm Sonic
My snare still sounds like wet dogshit. You gotta take the video down now. It’s a PDP M5 so it’s a stock snare but I’m really baffled as to why it sounds so bad (not even like a snare, it just buzzes but not in a good way). The previous owner slapped a Remo X14 on it so I don’t know if thats the issue? I wouldn’t think so though
Turbo .. Hey Man, I have the same Snare (PDP Concept Maple 6 drum kit with a 14 X 5 Snare). I sounded like Dog shit when I first got it (Used form Guitar Center - It was great deal last year at $450 for entire kit which is like new). I replaced the Batter heads on all the drums with Evans G2s for the Toms ( a drum store recommendation), and a Evans HD Dry for the Snare - kept the standard Snare side and Reso heads on all the drums. Granted Tuning is an Art, despite what Rob Brown says - watch his videos, he is very Funny with a nice arcane presentation - and I am Learning this as a only a recreational player at 70 years old (now retired and picked up drumming again after 50 YEARS). The HD Dry head made just about an instant difference and I made the snare side head "Table Top Tight". Then I just started Tweaking a little here and there and produced a pretty good snare sound. It will never be a Vintage Ludwig Snare or a top shelf Yamaha snare, but to my ear, pretty good. I don't record, I just play along to My Music in my finished basement to tunes of: Mellencamp, Petty, Clapton, Stones, Beatles, CCR, Cars, Talking Heads, etc... PS: I also purchased a used DW Design series 14 X 6.5 Snare (Nickel over Brass), which came with a HD Dry batter head. It tunes pretty damn tight. When I hit that drum (purchased on Line E-Bay for $250), right out of the box, BINGO it was Sound Love At First Sight. So I switch off as the mode strikes me. Hell, I have to do something in retirement except just stare at the Wifey all day. I play about an 1 hour a day, no practice pads. If I can perform certain songs in Time and add some of my own Fills, etc., I'm a Happy Camper (at least on that day !!). Good Luck and Happy New Year