The
following suggests any choice of head from the single ply medium weight muffled category such as the Evan’s Genera Batter,
REMO PowerStroke or Aquarian Studio X, all Texture Coated coupled with the Genera Hazy 200 Snare or REMO Diplomat Clear resonant
side. Objective, a controlled ring, focused sound, very good resonance with excellent articulation and stick response. For
more “open”, resonant big band type sound, go with either a REMO Ambassador coated, EVANS G1 coated or Aquarian
Satin Texture Coated.
Note:
We are working for the drum sound without the snare wires installed.
1. Start by placing the bottom or resonant head
on the drum, we want to tune the bottom without the top to the lowest clear tone exactly the same as described above under
“Learning How, Resonant Side Tuning - The beginning” in the section
“Tuning and Seating the Heads, All Drums”.
2. Once you have achieved the lowest pitch for
this drum on the resonant head, now the procedure changes just a bit. On the resonant head, bring each lug up one half of
one turn to one full turn on each lug and even out again. This is a good starting point.
3. On the batter head, continue to follow the
tuning directions under “Batter Side Tuning” under the tom section, including installing and tuning the batter
side as described under “Batter Side Tuning”.
4. Once you have achieved the lowest pitch for
this drum on the batter head, now listen for the pitch and feel of the drum. I suggest you tune this head fairly high or 3
to 5 notes higher than your highest tom.
5. This gives excellent stick and brush response
and even though the batter is now much higher in pitch than the resonant, it will still have that complex resonance produced
by the resonant head being low. This overall feel or resonance of the pitch can be controlled by snare tension (discussed
below).
6. If it’s too low in resonance after
tuning the batter and applying the snares, you then crank the snare side up 1/4 to ½ turn per lug. Again, I suggest you do
this after applying the snares. Once you get the desired resonance, stick response, etc. without the snare wires installed,
its time to replace the snare bed.
7. Jump to “General Snare Tuning Guidelines”
and then to “Installing The Snares” section.
Note:
Proceed without snares installed
1. Replace the heads exactly as described in
Method 1.
2. Rather than tuning the batter/top head higher
in pitch, tune it identically in pitch to the resonant/snare side head.
3. Now move just the bottom snare side head
up in pitch about 3 notes higher than the batter head.
4. Jump to “General Snare Tuning Guidelines”
and then to “Installing The Snares” section.
Note: Proceed without snares installed
1. Replace the heads exactly as described in
Method 1 and use single ply medium weight unmuffled texture coated heads on the batter and either Diplomat Clear or Evans
Hazy 200 snare side. For warmer but more focused and a bit softer while resonant,
use the Ambassador, Aquarian Classic, or Evan’s Hazy 300.
2. Rather than tuning the batter/top head higher
in pitch, tune it identically in pitch to the resonant/snare side head.
3. Now move just the bottom snare side head
up in pitch just ever so slightly and listen carefully to the tone of the zone you are in.
Move tiny amounts and listen for that point of most resonance.
4. Jump to “General Snare Tuning Guidelines”
and then to “Installing The Snares” section.
1. Work your way up through the tuning zones
as you would a tom but rather than tuning the top head up in pitch, your tuning the bottom head up in pitch.
2. Work in a typical “X” fashion
as best you can or better yet, use 2 keys 180 degrees apart. The thin snare side
heads are easy to knock out of whack if you pull one side tighter than the other, so move up in small ¼ turn increments for
best results.
3. Once you get the differential relationship
be it for a “fat” or “pop” tuning, then you can move the entire drum up in pitch for a higher overall
pitch. By this I mean that both heads must maintain the 2-3-note differential
in tuning at all times. Minute changes in this relationship cause phase cancellations
(or should) and as a result, usually by moving one head or the other minuscule amounts, you can cause the drum to kill allot
of the overtones or accentuate them making the need for muffled heads less desirable.
4. If you want a fat wet sound, keep the resonant
head low pitched regardless of the pitch of the batter.
5. If you want a more articulated, cutting sound,
tune the bottom head up in pitch and keep the batter head lower in pitch than the resonant head.
6. The tension of the snare bed also controls
that punch you can feel in your stomach. If the head is too tight, the snare can't seat itself as well into the snare beds.
