How To Tune Your Drums (Jared Falk) 

“Little bit flat right?” No, I have no idea that’s why I’m here 😂

Jared, I am a 64 year old woman (not at heart!) learning the drums FINALLY. I have to say you are a wonderful teacher! You explain everything so anyone could understand it. I have wanted to play since I was 7 years old, and for many reasons it did not work out. I want to learn enough so I can play in my worship band at church. THANK YOU so much for helping me live out my dream! God bless you!

Just tried tuning my drums. They sound 10x worse than before

After all this years of playing. That "Du Du Du" is all I need to learn to tune this kit. Thanks man

Drums are a musical instrument. It's strange how so many drummers pay tuning little attention.

Even the detensioned drums sound better than my drums now

Jared has taught me more about drumming in a few months watching these drumeo videos than I did in over a decade playing! Made me such a better drummer, very grateful for these! Many thanks guys and please keep it up :)

Thanks, Jared--good video! I'm a 65 year-old disabled Veteran (spinal trauma and TBI) who tired of weekly physical and occupational therapy appointments. Decided to re-teach myself on how to play the drums to establish coordination and brain processing. Bought a Ludwig 7-piece kit with the intention to learn how to tune myself with 'later on' help from you! When installing the heads, I some how knew to finger tighten and eventually tension batter and resonance head two turns each. Amazing results--watched your video and you provided me with the advanced skills--especially with the snare drum AND, the importance to tune to 'what sounds good in my head'. Recently bought some 'Mutt Muffs' (canine hearing protection) for my service dog Layla (named after my favorite Clapton song) for wear during my incessant pounding on the kit! Well on to your next video (kit set-up) 'Rudiments On', Jared--Bruce sends.

Beginner drummer here and I just wanted to say your videos are awesome. I spent most of 2018/2019 having fun and getting acquainted with my kit. In the last 3 months, I have been watching RU-vid videos to develop technique and to really learn how to play. Your videos have improved my abilities faster than I ever would have imagined. I've been practicing heel-toe for about 6 weeks, and it is now making its way into my playing in a natural way. Thanks for making drumming seem like something anyone can do. I've played stringed instruments since I was 11(36 now), and drumming for 2 years has even improved those skills. (Ex. Coming back around to the 1 in free form jamming seems more natural and relaxed, so much less anxiety about where to go and how to get back to the groove).

Hey Jared, thanks for the video, I’m just setting up my first acoustic set and your comments about “finding what works for me” really made sense. The vid gives me more confidence to keep trying different things and get to know how it works, so thanks!

Thank you, I just acquired a drum set after more than 35 years of pause, be blessed !

I think a really big thing to consider here is that many people think that tuning alone is going to get them a really focused and rich tone because of what they see and hear on the internet. Drums will NEVER sound processed, compressed, and EQ’d just from tuning techniques, so knowing, accepting, and working with that fact is essential when starting out.

Thanks for the heads up on tuning. I'm an old school player getting back into drumming and am loving all your stuff. All the little thing l've struggled with when l was younger are getting fixed with your help. So thanks and keep being your best. Serge

I loved your videos and explanations! They are so natural, no technical stuff or such. All prompts to you Jared!!! Thank you for making me feel that playing drums can be about having fun and not being frustrated about perfection in notes and tones. Thank you!

It didn't work on my Remo Silentstroke. 😂

Jared left me encouraged to tune my drums all over again. Thank you!

I loved the direction that gives freedom to simply tune your drums to what you like and ditch what you don't like. Seems ultra simple, but given the tips to know how to tune your drums here mixed with tuning til you like it is great! Thank you!

Thank you for this. Best tuning your kit vid under 20mins I’ve seen. All good, no filler with un needed info that would just confuse a newb like me anyway.

This is straight forward and confirms that "at the end of the day" it's preference and ear that will make your drums sound great to you! Thanks Jared!

Hi Jared. I'm ILIAS. I come from Greece. I'm 55 years old and i just got my first drums set. It's a Pearl Decade Maple set. I'm now making my first steps in playing drums and your videos have helped me a lot. These days i tried to tune my set. More or less i almost managed to do it and now i'm trying to take my first lessons, watching your videos of course. Also i saw the video about holding the sticks in the correct way. Thank you very much for your help. Keep doing that so usefull to us work.

I love your way of explaining. Relaxing and educational. There are a lot of tuning videos on RU-vid, but yours is, in my humble opinion, the best😉 Thanks✌️

Very practical and instructive at the same time. I am a beginner but I love it, thanks.

I love it! Will be trying with my drums at church! I've been playing for a few years but I've never learned to tune them! So wish me luck 😁

Thank for this, my son got into drumming this year and we got him a used set for his 12th birthday. I know nothing about drums so this video helped a lot and now I can help him tune his set!

I been a drummer since 1960. I enjoy watching videos of different drummers methods on how they turn their drums. I turn my DW Collector's Series to a lower tone. I love the sound of deep sounding drums.

I'll be 55 years old this year and bought a set of drums to learn. And I figured listening and learning a little background before I start would be good. I have subscribed.

I consider myself a novice. A beginner even. (after years of "playing") And while I have done all of what you and other pro's do, it never ceases to amaze me how good it makes me feel to know I am NOT doing it wrong. lol. I set my 1st kit up based off of how I thought it should be. I started my stick work on how I thought it should be.(grip, style) Then after some time(unknown months) I looked up whether what I was doing was wrong or bad. Come to find out, there is NO WRONG to it. It is always about personal comfort and preferences. Pro's will admit after 20+ years they are still reconfiguring their kits. Still adjusting things. Tinkering. And having epiphanies decades later. I should have done this years ago! lol. My 1st major epiphany had to do with the angle my toms were at. After months of an extreme angle, (because I seen someones kit that way)I adjusted the pieces to a flatter position and wholly @#$%! I should have done that months ago! lol I don't know that I will ever feel like I am past a beginner, but I know that no matter how bad I play, I am in good company when it comes to set ups and the mechanics of all this.

I was a remo guy for many years, but have since switched to the evans EC2 And dry on my snare. Still run the Aquarian on my kick. I have been playing self Taught for almost 20 years as well, and tune in the same way. the star pattern is tried and true for me, and it’s mostly by ear/feel. Like most things experience is best , but I greatly Appreciate the info as we can always learn something new. If nothing else it’s assurance I am (mostly) on the right path. Thank you as always drumeo, your knowledge is second to none

Great stuff I just bought a gretsch energy 5PC, never played before, but I did tune them very similar to your method, and like you said , its preference of sound , try different things and have a great time, I am 60 yrs old and having a blast learning to play my set

I’ve been playing drums now for several years and never concerned myself with tuning. I’ve never had lessons, I play by ear. But now I’m playing in a praise band at church and I want to learn everything I can. Thank you so much for your help. Steve

this was super helpful im glad i found this video, i recently got a drum set and i was really stressed about the tuning but this guy made it really easy and its not as complicated as you might think it is!

Hi Jared, I had no idea I had to tune my drum kit (I bought it as a decoration for my bar), now I wish to play the kit once in a while. I'll be doing this during a quiet time to see the results. Great inspiration thank you.

Thanks Jared. That was very helpful. Building a set of Rogues for 3 small boys from Katmandu Napal. New heads, symbols, and thanks to you they sound pretty good. Hard to hang pearls on a pig, but it's a good start for them.

I dig the way you do it works for me🤘I dont even use a drum dial anymore. Thank you for all the good knowledge. You and all the folks at Drumeo are priceless for what your doing for the music community!!

Hello 😁 No but serious, great video, i remember your one of the first videos on Drumeo about tuning. That video gives me a lot. A was tuning my drums by putting fist on the center of the head and remowe wrinkles by drum key. But it is not always a great method 😉 but thanks for this new "tutorial", i have been playing drums for 3 years now, so i still learning. Thanks again, great job 😎

Once again a great video! Of the hundreds of different tuning videos I have watched over the years, there is only one piece of advice they can all agree on: Just start tuning and find your own way :)

Thank you for posting the video. I use the star patter when tightening the heads. I use a stick and my ear at each lug to see if the pitch is about the same all the way around. You showed a trick in another video where you put a stick between the snare and hoop when working on the res head. Love that trick.

I know this is about a year old, but I just tuned my drums with this video and man does it help. Thanks Jared!

Hey Jared I follow you a lot and I take your teachings and apply them to my kit. I have been playing since I was nine years old. I am 46 now and still learning new things. I use a torque key to tune my kid on the bottom I usually tune them to an nine and on the top I tune them to an eight and get a really good sound. My Band Madewell? Recordings turned out amazing using this tuning method. It is quick and the drums sound great also I get a lot of complement on the sound of my bass drum as well. For damping I use a pillow. I love the video. Thank you.

I really appreciate your videos. As a very low budget drummer I would love to be able to afford some of the kits you show on the channel. I have been playing for 25+ years as an amateur. Thank you Drumeo for teaching people like me to never give up!

Got got my First $100 drum kit! Thanking you heaps and heaps! Really appreciate how you explained it, easy and simple, absolute legend! Peace! 👍

So helpful Jared! I always use the Phil Collins fill to tune my toms LOL Seriously one of the most challenging aspects of learning this instrument and teaching my students is how to tune drums. Nice work as always sir.

Wow Jared! thanks for this great tip! I've been tuning my drums in star patern hiting with the stick the head closer to every lug every time to match the tune in every spot for years, and takes forever and not always I got the result that I want it, and already try your way and, honestly, was awesome, great sound inmediately and quick! no more time wasted! thank you very much

Now I know how important it is to tune drums. Thank you Jared!

Thanks for the tip's.I exactly do the same procedure.It's all about listening and feeling.

Hey Jared great video....I first started playing drums in my mid teens in the mid 70s, and played in a couple of bands after I left school. I also play clarinet and sax and tended to concentrate on them for quite a few years. I have only recently joined a four piece covers band and bought my first kit in nearly 40 years. It's so long since I tuned drums I couldn't remember how although I had a fair idea. Thankfully your video came to the rescue, so I'm going to go and tune them up now. Thanks again.

In my opinion, I think that floor tom was perfection right after finger tight, the first time around. Sounded amazing. Reminded me of Mario Duplantier tom sound. Thank you for the video by the way.

Great tutorial mate, I've tried many different ways and this I find is the most consistent..thanks for the helpful hints 👍

Jared, you did a fantastic job re-doing how to tune your drums. I have a Pearl Masters Set at home and play on a cheapo set for our church. Let me say that by just changing the heads made a dramatic and distinct difference. I went with the Evans E-2 heads for all of them and happy you were the influence behind that. Thank you.

really appreciate your simplicity thanks I'm a real beginner I found your video and saw how easy it would be to get the set up and running I dont intend on playing concert but want to use it as a therapy I'll follow this steps and see what I come up with! thanks

You make it very simple and interesting to tune Drums 🥁.. Great job.

Jared, I've been watching your videos for a really long time dude. Just wanna say thank you for sticking to your role as teacher when I failed to stay a student - "Let me play that for you now."

Amazing Jared, I am just starting to learn drums and your videos help a lot. Thank you..

I learnt how to tune from a hobby drummer and I've tuned my kit every few years, this is pretty spot on

Great job. Clear, cheerful, easy to follow.

I'm new at drumming and you're helping me tremendously, thank you

Hey my kit sounds great now this is the sound I’ve been looking for. NOT what my drum dial setting recommends lol. I like them low

Between this, tru tuner, and drum dial I finally got what I was looking for! My one floor tom needs some adjustment but I'm happier than ever with my sound at this point. Not sure if anyone else is using 2 16in floor Tom's tuned to different nites but it sounds cool as hell. If I use the one floor tom with my rack Tom's it sounds slightly upbeat, if I use the other one with them it goes to dark as hell like flipping a switch! Thnx guys!

Thank you so much for doing this. I have struggled for years to get my drum heads to sound like yours. I have old Remo heads, and I am ordering the G2 coated and will use your method of tuning. Thanks again great job.

Jared, I'm 58 starting over playong drums relearning almost everything. Anyway. I use the same method tuning my drums as you. I learned as a kid from my best friends brother who is one of the best southpaw drummers I've ever seen. The only difference is the muffling technique for the bass drum. A felt gauze strip is laid across the inside of the resonance head then tuned. Many disagree because the beveled edge of the drum may be affected. Then to get a deeper sound a felt pad is placed on the batter head where the beater meets the head. In my l opinion it has a good deep sound without using blankets or towels as mufflers. Thanks to Drumeo it's helps relearning technique while educating me on the changes/upgeades on the hardware.

Jared, love your Videos... Asa 69 YO, retiree, who returned to playing after over 50 Years of a Hiatus, I'm learning soooo much by watching. I just upgraded my Cheapo Kit (Gammon - my gifted to me for XMAS in 2018 for my anticipated Retirement - forced by my spinal disabilities in April 2021), to a PDP Concept Maple 6 Piece Kit. I replaced all the Batter heads with Evans G2s (a G2 Dry on the snares [ I have 2 Snares , the PDP 14 X 5.5 and a previously purchased used DW Design Series Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5}. I really Like the warmer sound reached with the G2s... Really Close to that Doooo, Dooooo sound. As just got the 7th piece to the Kit - 8 X 7 Rack Tom - new from PDP. Just ordered the new Evans G2 for it yesterday. THX again.

Just got my it it's been awhile but the way you tune yours is how I started many years ago! Hopefully I don't anoy anyone! Thanks

Good video but... is reverb really important on a tuning video?😅

Thanks for the vid. Guitar player for 15 years but just got a drumset gifted to me and have been kinda lost. This was super easy to follow.

I just purchased my 10 year old grandson a set for Christmas. Just finished putting them together after watching videos on RU-vid. Next was watching your video on tuning, very informative, I will need to go back and adjust those screws on the heads, I think I tightened them a little too tight! Thanks for the video !

I've had a yamaha used kit for around 4 years now, this helped alot!

Great tips! Actually got a pearl target series to sound quite nice with G2s for the toms and 360s for the snare and kick. Thanks a bunch!

Can I just have someone to tune these?? Damn the stress

I'm a new drummer with my first, gently used kit. NOW I know where to start experimenting with tones, etc without worry. Thanx!

How often would you recommend to tune your drums (detension and bring back up) and how often would you recommend to replace your drum heads?

Massive help! Cheers Jared!! Keen to learn more tuning wise! 🤘

Thanks so much! Very helpful.. Beginner drummer and your videos are so helpful and informative!!

Rob Brown has a really good drumming series

Thanks for sharing that video. Believe it or not I am a bass player . I carry an extra drum key and a few tools at all times. I enjoy helping out drummers in a pinch so the video is super helpful.

Thanks for the tips Jared!

I've been waiting for a tutorial like this for ages! Thank you Jared! This is very helpful!!!!

I am getting back into playing after it’s been at least 20yrs short story I had an accident and quit playing, but I miss them and recently picked up a set and then I went on to RU-vid to see if anything had changed in regards to tuning and I loved your video it’s exactly how I was taught :) and I also using Evans heads I love them, and I also love your teaching style and while I consider myself an ok drummer I am actually considering your course because of your teaching style and I still need to practice as I have plenty more to learn and your style of teaching is clear and concise :) Also love how you have your drums setup mine are setup old school, but I think I will change to your setup I like how it looks, but also think it’s more ergonomic for playing :) Thanks 🙏

Great video! I find it really does help to sing the notes you want (as you demonstrate) and then tune the drums to match.

Hi I love drumeo, it's a great way to learn drums. Thanks for sharing.Take care.

Thanks for another great one Jared! I learnt a lot!!

Nice video Jarad. I am going to use this method to tune my drums. Thanks a lot. God Bless.

Hello 😄. Thanks for the video. Quite useful actually. I will try this on my drums. I also appreciate that you mentioned different names of heads to purchase.

I bought a drum like 12 years ago cause i always wanted to play , i became good enought to play the songs i like , but guess what , i never knew you could tune a drum , mine seems to work just fine for me , but after i came up with your video , i'm not so sure , i'm gonna try this right now , it might change the way i love my drum.I don't play very hard and never replaced the skin , i might try that afterward , great video , very inspiring and very well done, Thaks a bunch dude.

Now That is the most helpful tip I’ve ever had for drums. Thanks Jared

Great video, Thank you for sharing, I’m just starting out with drums and your videos get me on the right foot Cheers 👍🇨🇦

I use no resos except for snare. Randomly picked up this habit after two tours in a seventh generation Toyota Corolla with a four-piece Americana band... drums, bass, two guitars. Amps and even a small P.A. Drums had to stack inside each other inside a cartop carrier. I now love the sustain and control of using a single head. I feel like I can get a lot of different sounds out of each drum. Side note: We broke the key to the cartop carrier at one point, and I had to have my arm out the window holding it shut for six hours a day for three days. HAHAHA. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I decided to learn to play the drums. Started 1 year ago. I have a disease that finally destroyed the bones in my hips and back. Drums have helped me rehab my leg muscles. After your video I found the soud I was looking for. Snare is giving me problems though. Thanks for the video and the only reason I mentioned the disease is that I went from playing 2 minutes to 30 or 45 minutes.

You are the guy who can easily be understood in every way. 👌

Great tutorial mate 👍 Good to see someone else that tunes the same as I do and has fairly similar tastes in drum tones ☺️ Very nice.

Jared, you're a freaking beast. I know that little grin wants to turn into a smile. If I ever get as good as you I'll feel the same way. I bet you were in school band. I can tell you know your fundamentals.

Hi Jared Thank you so much for the drum tips, I am not a drummer I mplay guitar but you made playing drums so easy for me. Thank you so much once again

Good stuff Jared!

Hi Jared thanks very much for this great tutorial ! I cannot believe how much better my drums sound ! Cheers bud 😁👍

Right or wrong, I loosen the lugs then with the key I bring it in to where it just starts to grab. I'll go twice around then I start putting tension. I love my tom skins quite loose, my floor tom is like you said Benny Greb does. More like a kick drum, a real whack or crack sound. Thank you Jared for your free videos. Gotta love 'em!

Actually I do the same way of tuning because of you Sir Jared Falk, when I watched the video about how to tune your drums here in Drumeo and that’s actually you who is teaching. And it turns out great and I prefer tuning your drums by ears, I mean it is great tubing your drum with those dials but what if you don’t have one or can’t afford. Just sharing😊😅

awesome videos!! It helps me so much last 4 weeks that i have my electric kit.

Excellent Jared. I use the exact same method.

This had great insight! I'm a new drummer (just got my set today!) And i love the way it sounds now! Thank you!!!

you just schooled an old skool drummer, thanks man.. you are awesome.

Objective completed, i haven't bought drum yet bcoz i was making sure to my self why not learn the process of becoming a proper drummer. Look what I found, a perfect way to tune your weapon. Thanks brother 👍