Tonal-Tuning "SING, SING, SING" Pt.1&2

[greaverashlee]

cool video .. thanks for posting .. keep it up =)

[bobgatzen]

@greaverashlee Sure will...thanks for writing back g

[rockdahaus]

I can play the "Bonanza Theme" intro on my toms. :-) Funny thing...

[bobgatzen]

@rockdahaus Dun-dada dun-dada dun-dada dun-dada dun....dun.... cool!

[jonnyboulanger]

hi bob, how can i get your music? "the power of 3" and anything else you composed. please! please! please!

[xMadmax5x]

Bob, you're boat load of info and an inspiration. Thanks for posting all your vids! They're a great help to me, and lm sure to alot of other drummers.

[bobgatzen]

@xMadmax5x Thanks for the kudos... really appreciate it... always a pleasure to help out my fellow drummers.

Bob

[CalTamaDrummer]

my favorite guitarist played the drums as well. but its not very known. Stevie Ray Vaughan. he recorded the drums for "The sky is crying" because the drummer was late.

[bobgatzen]

Interesting story...thanks for sharing it with us

[dbilo2112]

I have a question Bob.

I seem to have had this on most very Tom I've ever owned. You have corresponding tuning positions (2 lugs across from one another) that have a higher pitch and/or sound higher than the rest of the tuning positions/lugs? This occurs no matter what note your tuning the drum but, tends to fall off as you raise to higher note/tension.

Thanks in advance and that you for all you do, you're a gift to our craft.

[bobgatzen]

If it does this consistently regardless of the head choice than it's likely the bearing edges are not true (flat). The way to test it is to loosen all t-rods and rotate the head 45 degrees, retune. Then again another 45 and tune. If the same t-rods are higher regardless of the switches than the bearing egde are likely the culprit. Th only other possibility is the shell being out of round. I suggest locating a drum tech to evaluate the problem. Hope this helps

[dckeyhill]

Bob, id like to thank you for all youre tips, very very very helpful

[bobgatzen]

Wow!...3 very's... thanks for the great message d!

[seriago]

Wow! nice find and instructions here on drum tone and tunning. Thanks Bob!

[bobgatzen]

You're welcome seriago! It's a pleasure to share.

[scott111193]

I want to know what the best note is to tune my 12" tom. The tom is a very thin maple shell, almost vintage so a very warm sound, mainly because of its rounded 60 degree bearing edge but i dont know what the best note is for it. I Usually have it at an A and the 16" at an E. Have you got any sugestions??

[bobgatzen]

The "Overall" pitch of the 16 is generally between C-E. The variation in pitch depends on head style and the condition of the shell (trueness, concentricity) You should be able to tune the 12" drum an octave higher then the 10" a perfect 4th higher than the 12" Octaves and 4th's... powerful intervals!

[scott111193]

I have Remo clear pinstripes on the 12 and 16. I am a hard hitter so i need extra durability. I have had Evans ec2's before and they did sound good on the drums but lacked in durability.

[bobgatzen]

We have just released the the second generation EC-2. We came up with a better material for dampening that improves overall sound and longevity. So far we are hetting rave reviews...you can check emout on the Evans website.

[nanitomx]

hey bob, could you suggest a tuning relationship for my kit? ( its a 10 12 13 16 22) I mostly play rock thank you!

[bobgatzen]

Pitches can very somewhat depending on head combos, suspension systems and shell types. However, one of my favorite tunings for this configuration is

14">C#-D

10">"D" octave higher

12"> between G-Bb (below the 10").

13"> "E"

16> "B"

The largest 14-16-18 and smallest 8-10 diameter drum have the "least" amount of tuning range, so tune from the "bottom up".

Hope this helps,

Bob

[zash008]

I have to disagree a bit on this video. some drums and sizes just sound better at certain tuning ranges than others. tune the drum that sounds best for THAT drum. dont force an octave on a drum that it doesnt like. thats one reason why there are different sizes AND DEPTHS of drums.

[zash008]

well in general though he has good points... dont get me wrong.

[bobgatzen]

Absolutely, I agree with you.

I'm simply suggesting octaves are powerful. It's well proven that the listener relates to... and is drawn to the sound of octaves. Make good use of them "whenever possible".

[bamfireastound]

well i play rock... and i was wondering about the scale... don't know what scale should i tune my kit with... i really don't understand scales... i need help with it... i just need the scale... i can manage the ear thingy.. hehe thanks... you're a big help!

[bobgatzen]

You need a reference, a guitar or piano. If you don't have access or the $ pick up a "Melodica" It's a small keyboard that plays like a song flute. It's inexpensive and portable.

[bamfireastound]

my style is rock... and my configurations are 10" 12" 14" and 16"... thanks..

[bobgatzen]

Evans EC-2 claers with the EC-reso. Lot's of tuning and dynamic range combined with a fair dose of durability

[bamfireastound]

hi bob! i was thinking of getting new heads... what would you recommend for a gretsch maple kit? thanks...

[bobgatzen]

What style do you typically play in?

[Juda0326]

Hey Bob, since you're talking about "Tone Tuning", how about helping most of us by posting a video that tells this: if you want to tune a 10" tom to an F (for example), you need to tune the bottom and top heads to D. Or if you want to tune your 12" tom to X...Y..Z...you need to tune the heads to Y...Z.. etc. Small toms have a different tuning relation (head pitch vs. overall tom pitch) than larger toms. Don't you think that would be an awesome video?

[bobgatzen]

Your totally right. there's a big difference between head and overall pitch. For instance you can tune both heads@ d with the overall pitch sounding an Ab. It's acoustical phenomena that is probably not worth exploring scientifically. At least I haven't found a study on it. The important thing is to find the pitch relationships you can depend on from "your" drum set-up. This way you can duplicate, and put that info to work in your best interest.

[Laurenan69]

Watched your videos the whole day bob ! Getting a starclassic maple 5 piece set this year and cant wait to TUNE IT man ! Thanks a lot , you rock .

[bobgatzen]

Thanks lauren! Cool... don't forget to let us know how it works out.

[DestroyedDimension]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA lol

[bobgatzen]

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks D!

[94mrwhite]

I play metal, I'm tuning my toms. I have 2 tom-toms and 1 floor toms. Should I tune them like D-G-B or D-A-D(octave higer)?

[bobgatzen]

Both tuning will work well... you're the boss can't tell you which is better.I like octaves...theres power in dem octaves!

[ogskeetdizzle]

BOB.... read about the solfeggio arpeggio , search it on google, it's secret frequencies to heal dna and spirituality, ect. tune them to that. hehehe. would be a cool experiment.

[bobgatzen]

I'll do that...thanks for the tip

[ogskeetdizzle]

somone once told me to take off my rims and lugs and skins, hold the shell by a metal peice, hold it up off the ground, tap the inside with a stick, and that is the note/tone you tune the drum to, i figure it out on my guitar strings then tweak it. i've tried this it's neat, but mostly i play metal so i tune everything a bit low now haha. your videos rule bob. thanks

[bobgatzen]

Not necessarily true due to the fact that the shells vibrate at a different pitch with hardware mounted. As well, that pitch often has no direct relationship with your pitching the heads. However, shell pitch can relate to an array of toms by choosing shell pitches from high to low corresponding to diameter size. John Good @ DW does this sort of thing when selecting shells for a kit set-up.

[ogskeetdizzle]

i played guitar for 15yrs and drums for about 5yrs, i'm just really starting to blend the 2 together. knowing time signatures and the math helps a lot.

[bobgatzen]

Amen! wish I had picked up guitar when I was your age... oh well that train's left for Clarksville

[94mrwhite]

hey bob, what differenc is there between major and minor intervals, scales..and how do you know if my familiar tunes have spicific intervals?

[bobgatzen]

a 1/2 step apart changes the sound from "sad, dark sounding" (for example (C>Eb) to "happy, brighter tone (C-E).

Minor- "Greensleaves"

Major- "Halls of Montezuma" or 3 Blind Mice (E,D,C)

[Dystisis]

Great work. I agree with you on how musical scales can affect us in different ways, I plan to be much more aware of how I tune my drums now.

[8ptleading]

This is fantastic stuff Bob.

I'm a new drummer and I can't count the number of times I've asked experienced drummers about tuning and got the answer that "it doesn't really matter". I've always felt in my gut and soul that this had to be wrong but, who am I, I only had a drum kit a year. I'm going to rip you off Bob, shamelessly copy what you've shown us and see where it takes me. Thank you! We're musicians. Not just guys and girls that sit at the back going boom thud. BRavo!

[bobgatzen]

Thanks...I think lol. When it comes to ideas I copped a saying that Will Kennedy used very often..."Consider that stolen!!

It's OK.

[ArfasDrummer]

Brilliant!! It's working now, played straight away, I didn't even have to press play! Great ideas Bob and Great Video!!

Thanks

[bobgatzen]

Whew... thanks! Messages like yours mean so much. Always from the heart.

[bobgatzen]

Great... thanks!

[ArfasDrummer]

Hey, I can't get this video to play, it just displays the loading icon!! I have watched parts 3 & 4 and really want to see this - is anyone else having trouble with it?

Cheers

Al.

[bobgatzen]

No one has mentioned it. I tried it and it works fine. Must have something to do with your connection.

Try it again and let me know. Pt 1 important in connecting with the other parts.

[ArfasDrummer]

Hi Bob,

Unfortunately it still won't work - I can see all your other videos fine! Even if I add you video to my myspace page, or view it from someone elses website - I get an error say this video is no longer available when I try to play it.

Thanks for your help,

Alan

[nandoanalog]

Same here :(

[sarokas12]

I have the same problem. I've already tried with Ffox and Iexplorer and nothing.

[themancable]

I'm having the identical problem. Must be something with YouTube.

-Rob

[devhuman]

Hi Bob - Great vid's! If I'm wanting a slight drop in patch with the decay of the drum, if I understand it correctly, I tune my beater head slightly lower than my reso head. Right? So... if that's the case, and I'm trying to tune to pitches, which head do I center on the pitch and which head goes a little under?

[bobgatzen]

Thanks d, Yes, the best settings are equal tuning or 1/2 between top and bottom heads. I suggest experimenting by switching the hi & lo tunings for different "fee;s".

Truth is, it's a "loaded" question but a great question.I plan to addressing this issue on the next video for YT. Somewhat difficult to explain in 500 words or less. Please stay tuned.

[CheezeyWeezey]

Hey Bob, this is only lightly on the subject, but recently I decided to try out a coated G1 for the batter head of my 12" drum, and a clear G1 as the resonant head. It sounds sort of choked, and actually a little less resonant than my old combination of a clear G2 on top and a clear G1 on bottom. Would the drum sound less choked if I used a thinner weight head on the bottom?

[bobgatzen]

No, exactly the opposite. A lighter gauge reso will shorten the sound even more. Typically, a 7 mil (vs. 10mil) reso is used with a 2-ply batter to make the drum sound short & punchy. A 2-ply head produces less overtones generating more "fundamental" pitch & resonance. The single ply formula produces a more "colorful" tone, but not necessarily more resonance.

[CheezeyWeezey]

Ah, ok. I also noticed that the resonance of the clear G2 almost projected more, while the resonance of the coated G1 was more overtone-ish and was more subtle.

[deftdrummer]

awesome. I just got a pocket sized pitch tuner from my girlfriend, and was going to return it since I asked for a keychain drum key. After seeing this video, I think I might just keep the pocket pitch!

[bobgatzen]

Thanks! Good idea

[cearleywine]

Love your videos Bob.  Drums should definitely sound musical!

[bobgatzen]

Thank You!

[baterolla]

hey from argentina!!!, thanks bob for the info, cool stuffs...we are musician after all, so is very important to know whats going on around us...thats make the different between sport and music!

[bobgatzen]

Now those are words of wisdom!

[MagZ1905]

I agree with you 100% prosent..Drummers should think melodi as well and use it during tuning.. Thanks for all the greast vids:)

[bobgatzen]

BIG thanks back to you!

[fuq86]

what particular notes do u use to tune ive always heard to tune drums to g but it never sounds right is there a proper scale to tune to?

[bobgatzen]

Pitches can vary depending on drum design and heads but generally will tune nicely inside the "A" octave

[fuq86]

thanx bob being a guitarist that helps me enormously all the drummers i have worked with couldnt answer that question but their drums sounded awesome.your videos are very helpful to me thanx again.

[viyor]

You should sing bob!!

Thanks for the information

[bobgatzen]

Fuuny you say that. My latest passion is writing lyrics and singing on original tunes for our kid's program, "Start with the Arts". I'm having a ball! Hey, if Randy Newman can belt em out (out of tune) Why not give it a shot...life's too short!

[henpike]

Bob is a true scientist of drumming (let alone also a great person.) He knows his stuff in and out. I used to go to his store, Creative Music and I have seen some great clinics there. I also remember going there on Saturdays with my dad (dipy) as he would always go to try out ride cymbals. It's great Bob that you post some of your knowledgable information on the net. Thanks for the great vids Bob!

[bobgatzen]

Well, Thank you very much. I remember those Saturdays. The "Creative Music" years were wonderful! There's a part of me that misses it and another part that is really enjoying new possibilities...the future!

[brianthedrummer]

Thanks bob...exactly what I needed...

[bluzman2]

Hey Bob!! I'm subscribed and I think it's great how you are able to explain some complicated technical aspects of drums and tonality and make it simple for folks like me. Keep up the great work. Someday, I will be playing drums for you... well you ARE my teacher!! Thanks! Paul Toracinta

[MidnightFlight]

Usefull & informative !

Thanks !

[sticksbass]

very smart!

[Barbosa123]

Bob, your a genious

[pat23yanks]

Bob i can't even begin to tell you how much i learned from you thank you so much!

[DarthModa]

mine are gonna sing greensleeves in the morning...

[Superfro2]

Make your drums sing! Great info!! Thanks, Bob

[bobgatzen]

Thank you!