Tuning Toms To Exact Notes - Is It Necessary? 

*Let me just say for the record that I DO NOT condone trollin’ of any sort ✋🏾😑 But I kinda had fun doing this one 😏 Enjoy the video!*

Greatest intro of all time.

Rob Brown: "I think tuning your toms to specific notes is kinda stupid." Terry Bozzio: * *TRIGGERED* * 😂😂

I absolutely lost it when he hit the tom and it was a piano hahahahaha

Rob, that intro just about killed me. I was laughing so hard , I missed the first 2 mins. of the video. I have a D.W. kit and I've never tuned it to the notes on the inside of the shell. I got a new Gretsch USA Custom kit last weekend. No notes on the inside of the shell, just the gray sealer. I've been tuning my drums using the finger in the middle of the head, and tightening the tension rods until the wrinkles are gone. like you show in a previous video. Works great every time. Thanks Rob for all your great videos!!!

I’m fifty years old and I’ve been playing drums most of my life. This is one of the best channels on RU-vid. I really enjoy Rob’s playing, teaching, input, and enthusiasm. Another quality video. Thank you.

"I don't care what your grandmom told you, SHE WAS WRONG! " Lol You craked me up with that one... 🤣

“Nobody cares!” - My all time favorite reason of them all!! Love it! It is absolutely the truth!! I love the dig on DW too. Having toured the factory and talked to John Good and a few of the folks who build them, the purpose of that stamp is so you know the primary pitch of the drum shell without anything added. You know when your tuning a Tom and you hit that “sweet spot” where the shell just comes alive and sings? You are near that core note and the frequencies are just working better than the rest of the range. That so called “sweet spot” and the core note of the shell are somewhat related. But that’s all there is to it. As you said; there’s a range. And it is absolutely true that nobody cares!! Lol... Keep it focused on rhythm!!

BRUH I LOST IT WHEN YOU HIT THE TOM ANDA PIANO TRIGGERD LMAO

He said: “Never sacrifice your snare drum for the sound of your toms.” 🤯 I’ve spent more than two weeks trying to figure out why my snare drum is buzzing every time I hit the toms. I’ve been looking everywhere until I got into this video wow. I hope this knowledge will help me to fix the issue when I get into my studio.

The piano note when you struck the drum was so perfect.

100% correct. Especially about the "Nobody Cares". Tune according to what you like to hear, and in the way that's going to get you there the fastest. i recently changed the heads on the church kit last week for service recording. Took me about 20 minutes to remove all 3 old heads, place the new heads, give them a little stretch, and tune them up to my desired pitches. 20 minutes to reskin the entire kit (minus the kick drum. That one is still sounding amazing) and my sound guy, who also happens to do sound semi-professionally and does recordings all the time, said "The drums sound amazing. I can't wait to record them". Tuning drums is not rocket science. Make sure you're getting a clear tone, and simply your 10 inch tom should be a higher pitch than your 12 and 16.

It goes back to what you said in another video. "It's not the drums that sound good. It's me." 100% true! I could sit on your set and still sound like an amateur, because that's exactly what I am. And you could sit on my set and sound like a professional, because that's what you are. Great video and thank you very much...

Best intro I have seen in any RU-vid video 🤣🤣🤣

OMG THAT INTRO WAS PERFECT

I've been tuning my drums the way I learned from you for a long time, and my kit sounds badass always.. Thanks for the vid man... Hope all is groovy..

Agree with ya brother. It just doesn’t matter. Early in my playing ‘life’, I tuned to notes for a few years. Man it takes a long time. Then realized that a drum shell has a resonant-sweet spot. THAT is where that thing will sing, regardless of note. (Which can be quite a large range). Make them sound good from one tom to the next, and in turn your kit will sound kick-ass on its own. 🇨🇦👍🏼

Your drums sound amazing

So, you're telling me all the time I've spent developing the C flat infrared helical signature from my 13" rack tom was in vain? And all I really had to do was relax, have fun experimenting and use a little common sense (with a little guidance from BeatDown)? Joking aside, I did try pitch tuning many years ago and learned quickly that it was not worth the effort. What a pain in the keester for such an insignificant result. Not to mention that I had no clue what notes to even try tuning them to. Thanks for another great vid!

I 100% agree with you. The only thing that confuses me, is... Why does my set sound so good when they are tuned to set frequencies (220 Hz, 330 Hz) and intervals (4ths, 5ths, etc)? I totally agree with your logic, but for an ordinary person like me, tuning to tensions/pitches with a drum tuner, really does make it generally easier to get a consistent sound...

That's a relief! Thanks for all the logic Rob

Buddy Rich once said, “You don't tune drums. You tension them.”

Rob - My first introduction to you was your video, "TUNE YOUR TOMS QUICK & EASY!! - TOM TUNING 2018 WORKSHOP". More than removing my frustration as a new drummer not knowing how to to tune my kit and the science lesson a well meaning drummer friend extended, it gave me lasting confidence to tune all my drums and the ability to relate to the excellent points you make here. Great job.

Dude, I SO ENJOYED your take on that whole thing! Not only were you SPOT ON, but very entertaining as well. I got the biggest kick out of some of your analogies. There was absolutely NOTHING for anyone to get angry about in this video, (well, maybe my Grandma, lol) Thank you for the enjoyable take on this much debated subject. I'm in your camp with this all the way! 🥁

I started watching and was like, WTH...? when you hit the drum, I died laughing!! I watched it a couple more times!!

The guys at Sounds Like A Drum would be frothing at the mouth if ever they see this video 😂. Nice explanation Rob!

Iconic fills....anything that Neil Peart played

Well said I had a moment of insanity I was thinking of buying a tuning toolbut I thought to myself I'm just tuning for my room not for a gig.I found your tutorials for tuning snare Tom Tom's floor Tom's and kick drums are absolutely what I needed. Thank you for the video.

I love how straight to the point you are lol legend 💚

Just love your presentations Rob. Wether or not we all totally agree they are honest, challenging and refreshing. One of the most humorous presenters ever - that's a compliment as humour adds colour to the subject matter and makes it easier to understand.

Couldn't agree more, Rob! Always love your videos.

"i think it's pretty stupid --but i'm gonna be respectful"

Mr. Brown, this is the 3rd or 4th video I've seen of yours (1st one was during Covid lockdown when you reviewed "silent" practice heads and cymbals) and your videos always have positive and relative impact on common drum/drumming issues. Thank you sir!

Beautiful drums and great playing. I do disagree somewhat with what you’re saying. First off, I would say any instrument is melodic in it’s own way. A French horn, a guitar and a piano are all melodic but very different. Whether or not the sound of the Tom rings out for two seconds or just a fraction of a second, it’s still striking a pitch frequency from the initial attack. I think it just comes down to a matter of taste and preference. Once the toms opens up and starts to resonate, there is a variance of notes to be had in there before it starts to be over tightened and choke out. I’ve tried tuning both ways with one being just where the Tom starts to resonate and the other with finding an exact pitch note. It seems like you’re never more than just a quarter turn at most from landing on an exact pitch note… So why not? I have found that once the Tom starts to open and resonate, it’s very easy to find the pitch note of E, Ed, and F’. I experimented with this and I tuned my snare to E, then my 10 inch Tom to A, my 12 inch Tom to E, and my 14 inch Tom to B, with my kick drum at E. When I did this, what I noticed immediately was, that striking two Toms together they sounded very musical and evenly spaced. I pose this question to everyone who reads this… If it’s important to tune a Tom to itself and that all the lugs are evenly tensioned so they produce the same tone at all corners, How much better would the whole kit sound if all the toms were tuned to a corresponding pitch with one another regardless of how long the initial tone lingers ? If drums aren’t musical, then why is it important to find the same pitch at all corners of a Tom with the lugs? Toms can still resonate even if the lugs are unevenly pitched….yet, Everyone strives to get the same pitch tone at every lug.

I always have a clear idea of what toms should sound like compared to eachother based on thousands of records and live shows that I heard and I just tune until I reach those notes.

Thanks, Rob. You’re a seasoned musician and an amazing educator; experienced, knowledgeable and FUN to be taught with. 🎉

always like to come and check some of your videos, common sense and experience and loads of good tips. good job Rob!

This was dead on! After years of tuning experimentation early on in drumming, at some point I found drums had sweet spots and just about any kit will sound good if you find the sweet spot of the lowest tom and tune the rest of the kit to "First Call" (the trumpet call that lines up horses before a horse race.) all the drums will just sound great! I never play more than a 2 up 2 down kit, usually 1 up 2 down so, with my snares off I tune my snare to the highest tone but when playing with 2 floor and 2 rack I tune them to First Call and the bass and snare to something that just feels right! This way, as you say, you're tuning the drums not to a specific key but to themselves instead. This has worked for me for over 40 years of drumming.

Thats what I like about your videos. You dont make a rocket science out of everything when it can be done much more the simpler way with the same endproduct. Just like your drum tuning videos, nice and simple with the result the most are looking for not like other complicated videos that make you wanna just leave haha.

A tune-bot is great for helping you determine the tuning for each head of your kit and saving those frequencies in the tuner so you can check and retune your drums that same way (especially in a recording studio) every time. The end game is remembering those tones so you can tune them by ear, which of course is much more efficient.

Mr. Rob Brown, you’re a very reasonable man and I like what you play and the sound you get. I’m glad you’re on RU-vid. Thanks!

I do use a tunebot and tune to a specific resonance on each tom and a set interval. I do this to eliminate competing frequencies and minimize sympathetic snare buzz and to have systematic way to keep the interval range between Tom's consistent. It is kind of pain staking, but I like the tone I get. I completely agree that it is silly to think that it is melodic or that it has to be a set note. You are absolutely right about range within each tom and I liked the fact that you lead with the snare and work around that, not the the other way around. Love your videos.

You are the best. Good comedy and learning channel.

This is great. I've always done it by ear, use the "crinkle" method and then dial it in from there. Always gotten compliments since I started doing it that way. I try to keep the intervals between toms appropriate but again, it's all by ear

You are 1000% right about this!Nothing else to say!Except as you said NOBODY CARES!As allways great video!Thanks, bro!

Your last reason was perfect. I used similar response when ask if I tune my toms to specific note. I was a CB keek back in the day and like using CB codes to reply to questions the were dubious at best. When ask if I tuned to exact note I would respond " that's a big 10/28 on that good buddy" which translate..." obviously you've mistaken me for someone who gives a s..t"😉🎼🎶😎

I 100% agree with your points. but you would totally rock Mary Had A Little Lamb, just saying. My first book on drums in high school. Basic for the Untuned Percussion. The only "drum" instrument that I can think of that is tuned is the timpani/kettle drum, but that makes sense because they really resonate and hold the note.

Simply, great! I am so relaxed now. And the intro is hilarious! All the best!

Answered every beginner question I've ever had in two videos

Being self taught, I was always intimidated about knowing how to properly tune. I have bought tunebots, torque keys, and drum dials. But once i saw Rob Brown's first tuning video, I tried it and never looked back. Next time Rob, pull out the thermometer to see if the drums are feeling well too. Lol

awesome intro,,knocked me for a loop drummer humor

That piano note had me cracking up!! LOL!!

I totally agree! And really laughed out loud in several spots in this video... totally loved the tuning intro to the video! 🤣😂😅😆🤣

Thanks for this relevant approach that demistify drum tuning, it really helps to turn the keys without mind complications and more than everything, it goes straight to the point. I'm sure this kind of mindset is also a huge source of freedom and happinness when playing, which certainly makes us sound better or at least feel true authentic good vibes, kind of essence of drumming. Your snare sounds so good.

Rob, you killed me with this video dude!😂😂..... I know nothing of notes or scales but i can tell high from low!.... served me pretty well so far!... keep it up dude, absolute gold!🙌

Good on you Rob. I totally agree with your views here. There are literally too many variables to tune a drum kit to specific notes, without getting into specific issues. Surely thinking people do have some kind of clues on this point. Shalom.

Man you got it all going on. It's a pleasure watching your vids loaded with a wealth of knowledge and experience and topped off with a heavy layer of common sense.

Said no fan ever “Hey man, those drums sound great! Did I hear E flat coming from your 12”?

Dude....you kill me! I've been playing for a very long time and am super appreciative of the instruction. That said, I tune in as much for the belly laughs I get. Grandma was wrong.

Im glad I listened till the end. this tuning farce goes all the way back to around 1975 give or take a few years, when a drum store salesman advised me to tune my drums in thirds starting with the bass drum at "G". I used a piano to acomplish this task and when I showed up at my next gig, not one other guy in the band noticed any difference in the drum sounds. so # 11 Rob, if you dont tell anybody, they absolutely wont know. lol good video..

Rob is right, the sound of your drums are personal and unique to you, don't try and be some one else. Rock on Rob 🥁

Another superb video! Couldn’t agree more. Once I started using your tuning method I’ve never looked back

Good video, Rob! I would say the Interval between drums does matter. If two toms are only a half step apart they will sound "the same". I've been taught that the smallest interval between any combination of toms should be a Minor Third. Start with the Floor Tom and works UP from there. The wider, the better. Rock on, Bro.

I simply love your bullshit-free content and really "sober" way of thinking about drums and music. The first video of yours that I saw a billion years ago was just about tuning the toms. While this is not always working for me in a studio (some sound engineers decide to tune my drums themself to their liking - I have no issues with that), it is working 99% at live gigs when there is little to none time and space to tune any drums, especially some backline drums shared by everyone.

Great Video 👍 thanks Rob I agree 100%

I have worked a pro drum tech for the last 30 years and let's just say that if I was not able to pitch a drum and tune with the correct intervals then I would not be tuning for the likes of Steve DiStanislao and be up to the standard required for clients such as David Gilmour. I can also thank DW for letting us know the fundamental note of the shell so you know where to start. So i guess the choice is yours, either a drum set that goes kinda thump bash bonk or a set with pleasing sustain that has a musical signature. Finally I can thank Aquarian drum heads for making all this possible.

“I don’t care what your grandma told ya. She was wrong.” Hahaha

I used to obsess about tuning until I watched your 'wrinkly head/not wrinkly head' tuning vid a couple years back.You lifted a heavy weight off my shoulders back then and I never looked back or worried anymore about it.

Rob Brown: “Drums are not a melodic instrument.” Terry Bozzio: “Hold my beer!”

Yeah, DW puts notes value on their shells.That is the resonant frequency of the shell. But as soon as you add hardware, and heads, all bets are off. You are completely correct. Just set them where you like them.

Rob, the single best reason, that sums it up succinctly, that you said is: “Drums are not a melodic instrument, regardless of the fact that you may want to change the tone of a Tom to fit the style of music being played”. Thank you.

This is why I chose you as my go to RU-vid drum guy. You talk sense and lots of it, humour too and you are just way too cool. Great Video. 👍

Excellent info, I agree. Sounding good is what matters.

First, I wanna say thank you for the insightful video. It's really got me thinking about things. Can't lie. Second, that was one of the best intros I've ever seen in my whole life. And that's saying a lot because I've seen the MTR intro (the song is awesome). Third, and this is the most important..........what you said about what my grandma told me, you take that back........😤😤😤😤😤 The third one is only 30% a joke. The other 70% I mean. Bonus fourth, I agree that drums are rhythmic instruments, but we do kinda gotta leave the door open for melodic imo. I respect your experience and perspective, but I gotta throw that in there. Hot take: Terry Bozzio is a great example this. He was OD as shit, and doing no less than the _absolute_ most, but he knew what he was doing. I thought man's was out of his friggin mind until I heard him play. (I still think he's insane because his kit ain't practical; I'll take my 5-piece gladly. But he's an insane genius.) Plus, when I was in marching band in college, we played P.I.M.P. by 50 cent on the bass drums, and one of our directors recognized it and gave us props for it. So I'm just saying, the possibilities are endless! 😆 EDIT: Forgot to mention that regarding what you mentioned about being able to bang out Mary Had a Little Lamb not making the drums melodic, you may have a point. But that might be a matter of perspective. Because now we have to ask whether the drums are a rhythmic instrument with melodic capabilities, or if the drums _are_ a rhythmic _and_ melodic instrument _because_ it has melodic capabilities? That gets tough to noodle out. 😅 Sorry for being long winded.

I am a guitar player who decided a few years ago to try playing drums. So the first thing I wanted to know was, 'how do I tune my drums?' Looking on RU-vid, there were countless methods and theories about the subject. I think I tried most of them, but at the end of the day, I think you're right- tune your drums so they sound good to you. Also, I appreciate the tip about not making an adjustment at the snare if you have resonance between it and another drum. That makes sense, and what you said about not tuning to a specific note makes sense too!

Great video! Tuning by ear is the best way to do things. You'll learn a lot that way. I do own a Drum Dial and a Tune Bot, but they normally sit dormant in a box. Both can be tools to help you along the way, but should be used as tools. I find it helpful most times to tune by ear, and then check tensions with a Drum Dial and use that to fine tune anything that might be off.

Love the intro...you comedic sense of timing is also on point

glad SOMEONE said it!!! life-long drummer here, & i've found whole "tuning thing" (including snare) kinda random/hap hazard -dependent on MANY factors!! for most part, i'm HOPING sounds good (& once it does, DON'T "F..." WITH IT!!)

Hey man just wanted to say that I’ve recently started watching your videos and I really enjoy them. They’re really helpful. And you seem real you know? Keep them coming.

Every Drummer has his own way of tuning drums and this will result in unique drum sounds, which is a good thing. Do you have to tune the drum to a specific note ? No. If you achieve your great drum sounds by other methods, there is nothing wrong with that. There is no wrong or right way of tuning drums, only good or bad sounding drums. But for me personally the "Tuning to certain pitches"-method and the "Resonant head a minor third above the batterhead"-method has worked wonderfully. And its consistent! And that's the most important thing about any tuning method imo. It should give you the same sound every day, once you know what sound you're after. Plus: It only takes me a few minutes to install new heads and tune it the way I want it.

I had a 32 year break from playing drums but got into playing again with the band a use to play with back then (Horse of Troja) I had forgetting most of my drumming skills so I had to start all over again. Like tuning my drums. And then I found you👍 And my life gets so much easier 🤗 So big thank you for all of your great videos. I'm very greatful to have found your videos. Have a great week 😎

I love your easy, quick and very practical method of tuning toms as it averts great frustration and needless agony hahaha love your channel man you are the best!

#1 did it for me! just subscribed!! 63 here and could not agree more! STILL way rockin!!!

ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS !! You're the best 😂😂🤣🤣

You Entertain,,, AND,, Educate,,,, I cracked up at the intro to this!

Thanks for all of your videos and hard work, rob. Hope you're healthy and safe.

💯% agree. I’ve been tuning my drums on Rob Brown way after saw your tuning video few years ago

Mary had a little lamb. Lol straight up broke my side on that. 🤣

I use a tunebot for tom and snare tuning. Learned to do it by ear first, but was introduced to the bot later by a studio engineer I worked with. He was a stickler for maintaining tom and snare tuning thorough the recordings so that the drums sounded the exact same in every song. It’s something that I utilize at all times now because it is easy, consistent, and reliable.

Great Tip Man Thanks 👍

I thumbs-up'd this video 20 seconds in. Lol! Rob, BRILLIANT explanation re tom tuning being a complete waste of time. Just listening and watching you play at master level tells me instinctually to follow whatever you recommend. In all reality, none of us here will ever be half as good as you, at best. If you tell me to eat lima beans, im gonna eat lima beans. Thank you brother Rob for setting this topic straight.

I have two different kits, different makes and I use coated heads on the older kit and clears on the new one ...I use your tuning method...simple and easy...when the drum sounds good to my ear , that’s where I leave it..I couldn’t tell you what note it’s tuned to...I don’t care...lol...thank you for making it easy to tune ANY drum...I’ve been hitting them since 1968 and never too old or too late to learn new ways

simple tuning is (low to high) E A D G....Those are the strings on a bass and you both occupy the same sonic space. This a perfect 4th of musical intervals, one of the most pleasing sounding intervals of tone

Reason number 10 was the most important one.

Love how you do it Rob!....... You flow with what you know and pass it down to the rest of us so it stays fun and pleasing...... Thanks my brother......😄👍🏾🙏🏾👏🏾👌🏾

You nailed it. 😎 You rock!

I totally agree with everything you said here. The pros that played every week doesnt care about that. But the amateurs in their basement do ! Lol.

Stan Lynch, drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did this very thing. Tuned to whatever song they were cutting in the studio and it did make a difference in the overall quality of the songs. When Steve Ferrone took over, he didn’t do that and as a fellow drummer, I felt Tom’s whole sound changed. Great video brother!

I'm offended by how impossibly and ridiculously lovely that kit looks and sounds. You and Weckl are quickly creating a fan of those Yamaha hybrid maples. Thanks for the free lesson Sir Brown. PS, back in the days of my Tama 5pc, I actually tuned my three toms as close as time and head condition allowed to Mary had a Little Lamb...lol.

I'm on the other side of this trade... kinda. I don’t really care about the exact notes for the same reasons Rob mensioned in the video. Bozzio's ridiculous! However... don’t discount tuning drums to known values. If you use a Tunebot to tune the top and bottom head to relative frequencies to each other, you can control tone, resonance and decay - and - eliminate unwanted overtones and ringing without using dampeners. 1:1 = long resonance. 1:3 shorter and so on. Since the ratios are relative to each other in thirds, fourths or fifths and not thirds-and-a-quarters or fourths-and-a-eights you do not get annoying overtone ringing. My method allows you buy less expensive drums. I have DW's mid-grade drums with Aquarian single ply coated heads on top (for tone) and Evans hydraulics on the bottom (for control) tuned to the exact same frequency. My DW Performance series kit sounds excellent at half the price.