TUNING FOR “THAT” SOUND

Okay….granted….this will be a “duh” statement…..but tuning drums is  a personal thing. Some other drummers can graciously share how they achieve the sounds made by their drum kits.   It may be exactly the tip you needed to create that very exact sound with your drums…..if that’s what you need for your performances.

I have heard many drum sets that sounded amazing with music being performed, and I was certainly impressed.  One drummer can have a great sounding kit that works great for his/her situation, but it may not necessarily work for  YOUR situation(s).  Maybe another way of expressing the concept is that: not everyone chooses the same “flavor of ice cream”….although they ALL may be really good!

I really like the fact that…with drums…. there are many, many variations that they all can sound very cool within their own unique musical contexts.  Plus some drummers have their very own “signature sound” and don’t want to sound like the other drummers.

Just think about it a moment.  A great many (if not all of us) will agree that snare drum tuning possibilities seem endless and that bass drum sounds go way beyond just whether you have a hole in your front head or not.

MY PERSONAL SITUATIONS

For my work, it is quite possible for a drum kit to have a killer sound in one performance situation and then be very out-of-context for another kind of performance situation.  For example, I know when I use that deep pitch-bend rock-style tom sound that it takes a heavier stroke than the acoustic jazz tunings for producing a rich full sound using a lighter stroke.  Those are the opposite ends of the drum sound continuum for me.

 It may not apply to your work, but I perform a lot of different styles, so one drum sound just doesn’t cover it all for me.  My sound combinations are affected by the musical genre I will be performing.  So, I use different sized drums; different kinds of heads; different pitches and relational tunings depending on the style of music I’m being paid to do.  My jazz set; my big band set, my pop/rock/country set and my funk/fusion sets…..all…. have distinctively different sounds. The jazz set has to sound full and rich in low and medium volumes.  The big band set has to go from soft  up to powerfully kicking an 18 piece band shout chorus (with anywhere from “no sound reinforcement” to “just bass drum and overhead” microphones).  The other sets are close mic’d and those weird harmonics and overtones have to be minimized.

 So basically for me, anyway…the different venues…..and different genres affect the way the kit is set up for sound and functionality.

Now there are, indeed, some really good tips on this site, and perhaps on the web;  for seating new heads, sequential tensioning, and even selecting the heads with the sound characteristics that best suit your needs…..but the drum sound you tune for always comes down your own preferences.

Obviously there are so many things affect the sound of drums other than the sizes and the drum shell material.  That can include the combination of batter and resonant heads (same thickness?…different thickness?…coated?….clear?…..muffling/overtone control  head  designs?, etc) the tension/pitch relationships of the top and bottom heads, as well as, the size sticks you use and the way you play your stokes.  

My point is there are many, many variables…..and although there are some “wrongs” (i.e. uneven tension that can warp the hoops and stress the drum shell….) ….there are multiple “rights”.

 IT JUST ALL DEPENDS ON THE KIND OF SOUND YOU WANT!

Well, until the next time….

CHEERS!

KEN SANDERS

IBJAMN in Nashville

Tags: Tuning