How do you tune drums?

Question:Can someone plz tell me how to tune my drums becuase when I try it doesn't sound good.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Can someone plz tell me how to tune my drums becuase when I try it doesn't sound good.

1. Get a Drum key

2. Find the pitch you want, whether high or low. All drummers are picky about this.

3. Tune the 1st lug at the top of the Tom-tom. That is where you start.

4. Then, go down to opposite lug of the one you just tuned.
That is your 2nd one.

5.Then, go to the next lug of the first lug you tuned. That is your 3rd one.

6. Then, go to the next lug on the left of the 2nd one you just tuned. that is your 4th lug.

7. Continue this pattern until you are done with all the lugs till you come all the way back to the 1st lug you tuned. This is standard way method of tuning drums.

8. You do this pattern for all your drums on your kit. You Start with your Snare 1st, then you do the smallest Tom-tom 2nd, then the largest Tom-Tom 3rd, then you tune the Floor Toms (the big drum next to your hips on the floor) 4th. Then finally, you tune your Bass Drum last 5th. You always tune your drums from highest pitch drum to the lowest pitched drum on your drum kit.

9. This is how you tune your drums, plain and simple

10. Good luck

You need to buy a tuner from a music shop

Actually, there are thumb screws around the edge of most drums. They can be loosened or tightened to achieve a desired affect. Other than that, you may have to ask someone who sells musical instruments.

First you need a drum key which I assume you have.

On any drum do not tune clockwise or counter clockwise. This will stretch the skin proportionately causing the skin to have varied tension. Instead you have to do a bunch of diagonal lines. There are several ways you can do this. A snare has 10 tuning pegs. Start by doing a quarter turn on one peg and then skip 1 peg and then tune the next, follow this all the way around until you are back to where you started. Then start the pattern again on the peg you skipped. This will allow the skin to have equal tension. Adjust the same way, 1/4 and 1/8 turns. Remember slight turns make a difference because you are doing that all the way around.

This can be done on all sizes of drums. You can also do the star method (self explanatory). when you first put a skin on a frame, do not tighten the skin with the key. Tighten all the tuning pegs with your fingers so that they are secure, turn them to where you can't turn them any more. Then you tune with the drum key.

is this a drumset? i'm going to assume that it is for now,...

rules for proper tuning of drums;
1. never tighten lugnuts in circular rotation, aleays use a star pattern (like tightening lugnuts on a car wheel).
2. batter head (top) should be a little bit tighter than the bottom head (this reduces the "boing" sound)
3. if you still have too much over-ring "boing" sound,..try dampener rings on the batter heads, or put weather strip foam on the bottom of the bottom head.
4. tom-tom tunings should be at intervals of a minor 3rd, & a perfect 4th. for example----say your top tom pitch is an e flat, then #2 tom should be an c natural & floor tom should be a "g"
5. bass drum should be dampened with a pillow placed inside the drum-just against the batter head.

hope this was helpful!