How to Tune a Drum Kit – Step By Step
- Begin with both heads removed and first wipe down the bearing edge of the shell. The bearing edge is the angled edge of the drum shell where it meets the drum skin. Any debris here can damage the shell when the head is in place and affect the sound of the drum.
- Now take either head, fit it on the drum and place the hoop on top. Take each tension rod and screw them in until they are finger tight. Make sure you tension them evenly as this will make the rest of the tuning easier.
- Using a drum key, tighten each tension rod by 1 turn. Work across the drum tightening opposite rods, i.e. start at 12 o’clock (1 turn), 6 o’clock (1 turn) and move around the drum until you’re back to your starting point. This should be repeated until the drum skin is somewhere close to your target pitch.
- Now to fine tune, tap the drum head at each tension rod, about 1 inch from the rim and listen to the pitch. Move around the drum and consider which tension rods need to be tightened or loosened so they all are at the target pitch. Continue tapping, listening, tightening and loosening all around the drum until the pitches are the same and you are satisfied with the sound.
- Repeat this for each head on each drum of the kit.
Dampening
The final thing to consider is dampening the drums. This can help eliminate any nasty overtones and is done by restricting the vibration of the drum head. You can buy products such as Moongel to do this, which sticks to the drum head and does a great job of controlling its sound. Alternatively you can stick tape (usually gaffer tape) to the head, which I find is improved by sandwiching some tissue, sponge or a spare cymbal felt between the tape and the head.