Drum Tuning Series Pt. 1 INTRO

[jtnoodle]

unfortunately, as my drums sound better and the better I feel about that, the more my neighbors hate me.

[bobgatzen]

@jtnoodle been down that road!!... after awhile they'll get use to it...play "musically" on the drums whenever you can... it softens the blow to your neighbors... than you can WAIL! LOL!!

[XxBrandonBaileyxX]

thank god i've finally found someone that actually knows what they're talking about! im looking forward for the rest of he series! thank you so much!

[bobgatzen]

@XxBrandonBaileyxX Thanks Brandon! I'm working on it!! Hope to have some new vids in February

[capacripzo]

totally agree... when it's not only to sound good it's to feel good... when a drumhead sounds good for me it freaks me out!

[bobgatzen]

@capacripzo Simple formula that works... thanks for sharing cap!

[rikku350]

BOB GATZEN IS MY HERO!!!! MY DRUMSET WENT FROM "CRUNCH CRACK CRAP" TO " BAM BOOM POW" AFTER FOLLOWING THESE VIDS!!! WOOTTT!!!!!

[bobgatzen]

@rikku350 Man...there's nothing like a successful drum story! Thanks for writing rik! Ya hear that guys?...I wish life were this simple...just follow the directions and enjoy your kit more than you ever before!.

[scott111193]

Hey Bob

I have my kit set up in a room with extremely bad acoustics, so my toms sound flat and dull. Generally concrete floor or hard wood floor works best for me. My toms just don't sing because they are setup upstairs and are on a softer wood floor and the walls are the same. I just cannot achieve the maximum for my drums. I need to do something.

How do you find these situations??

[bobgatzen]

@scott111193 Need more info. What brand drums, sizes and heads you're currently using? When was the last time you renewed your heads?

B

[saundersa]

Bob i would like to thank you... after all your lessons and LOTS of mistakes and LOTS of time... I am now known within my small city as on of the better tuners! All because of your lessons!

[bobgatzen]

@saundersa That' great to hear saunder! My philosohphy is...There are no secrets, it's important to share. This is how our little industry grows and flourishes. Keep up the good work my friend!

[BlackLego36]

Hi Bob! I"m from Québec,Canada. Thx alot for all your tips and lessons!! I just bought a drum for my 9 years old boy and didnt have no clue how to tune this... But thx to you my Friend!! Eric. L.

[bobgatzen]

Feel free to ask questions... perhaps I can be of help to get your boy cookin'!!

[warrier12003]

Hi Bob, this worked out good, i will find out later how they sound, it is morning so i will have to wait to really beat them. Another question, I was thinking about coated g2s over coated g1s like the Bonham tuning, he liked to tune the resos higher, how much should the resos be tuned up, and are the batters tuned up high to, thks again for the great advice.

[warrier12003]

Hi Bob, just bought some g2s for my 12 and 14 in toms, the 14 tuned up nice, the 12 had some wrinkles in at very low tension, got the wrinkles out, but the drum sounded ratty, i tuned in small increments, untill it sounded better, by that time the tension on the rods was maxed, is there something wrong with the head or do i need to stretch it out nd retune a few times?

[bobgatzen]

The 12" should be the easiest to tune. Try this... loosen all t-rods but do not remove them. Rotate the head 90 degrees (12:00>3:00) inside the hoop. Next, re-tension by turning each t-rod a 1/4 turn in around the drum in clock-wise motion while lightly tapping the center of head. Once you hit a spot that sounds decent, tap at the edge of head @ each t-rod location to the same pitch. Please let me know how it works out.

[aceisking]

Hey Bob i just got a new kit and want to know how would i tune them properly as i have never learned how to tune properly the sizes of the drums are this. 24" x 18" bass drum

13" x 9" rack tom

16" x 14" floor tom

18" x 16" floor tom

7" x 14" snare drum

If you could help me i would be appreciate it.

[Yewzi]

Hey Bob! I've watched all of your videos on the Evans site and am glad to find someone with a great knowledge of tone! I would like to ask what notes should i tune my kit to, to get the best tone out of each drum? My kit consists of (Diameter First):

Bass - 22"x18"

Snare - 14" x 5.5"

Tom - 10" x 6.5"

Tom - 12" x 7"

Floor Tom - 14" x 12"

Floor Tom - 16" x 14"

The depths of the toms are shallow because it's a Tama Hyperdrive kit.. Would this affect the tuning range?

Thank you,

Sam

[bobgatzen]

Pitches can vary but here are some "ballparkers"

Bass - 22"x18"

Snare - 14" x 5.5"> reso@A batter between B-C#

Tom - 10" x 6.5">F-G

Tom - 12" x 7">Octave higher than 16"

Floor Tom - 14" x 12"> E-F

Floor Tom - 16" x 14"> C-D

General rule is the deeper the shell depth the less tuning range. Hope this helps.

[majidmhd2005]

all right  man

thank you

you are number 1

[bobgatzen]

Thanks M!

[majidmhd2005]

hi bob i tuned my drums as you told

it just sound much better than befor

and i tuned all bottom heads half step higher than top heads but i could'nt get pitch effect !!!!?

im using single ply heads on both side is that the reason of it?

[bobgatzen]

No. "Like" heads pitch bend very well.

Begin by setting the batter & reso to the same pitch. Strike the drum, you should hear no pitch bend, just an even sustainboooo Lower the batter head 1/2 step, listen. You should detect a boo-wah sound. Reverse the batter to 1/2 step above the reso. Listen. The sound should change to a bah-ooo sound. Just keep experimenting with this process until you discover the sound your after.

[majidmhd2005]

thank you very mach i appreciate

i do my best to tune the drums on the notes you explained

[bobgatzen]

You're welcome, let's us know how it works out

[majidmhd2005]

hi bob i have a question

i have a drums kit Bass Drum 22 x 16

Tom #1 12 x 9

Tom #2 13 x 10

Floor tom 16 x 16

Snare (wood) 14 x 5.5

my question is on witch notes shoud i tune my drums to get best sound out of it

im realy confiuse about it

if you can help me i realy appreciate

thanks

[bobgatzen]

Generally, the 13" tom is the most difficult to tune, very limited tuning range. Individual head pitches can vary quite a bit dependent upon heads, shell and means of suspension.

However, here are "Overall" pitches that might work for U.

13" between E-G

16" "C-D"

12" @ C octave higher than the 16"

14 snare A snare side, C batter

BD- Lowest possible pitch both batter & reso heads. Than raise batter a bit higher.

[Preacher65]

Bob, I just wanted to say that your knowledge and passion for drumming is a gift for the rest of us. Thanks for the inspiration!

Preacher65

Vancouver,BC

[bobgatzen]

You're welcome and thanks back to you for taking the time say that. Inspiration goes both ways!

[THEUNHINGEDSANITY]

thanks for the enlightment!

finally someone gets it right!

kudos!

XD

[bobgatzen]

Ha! Nothing I enjoy more than "brevity" in a message. Thank you big time XD!

[darksymphonydrummer]

hey umm not too soung cocky or anything. but how did u get partnered with evans. like what did it take to get sponsered/. endorsed

[bobgatzen]

My "day" gig is R & D in the drum industry. I was recommended to Evans by the world-renown drummer, Peter Erskine. I've been with Evans for almost 20 year now. I designed most of the drum set heads.

[Hady1994]

how much is your dvd?

[bobgatzen]

Good question...I think it's priced between 20-25$

[protorobsmos]

Big fan of these videos, I'm definitely getting my hands on this dvd!

[bobgatzen]

Thanks proto!

[NewDarkAges13]

you know i really do agree, evans is really working with ALOT.... i mean ALOT of science to their products. i cant trust any other name brand, cuz evans only matters to me for its perfect quality to make any sound YOU want to hear.

[bobgatzen]

Thanks, the Evans team works very hard for us drummers.

[Shteif]

all four parts of this were extremely helpful to me thank you very much :)

[bobgatzen]

You're very welcome... thanks for taking the time to write

[Shteif]

actually after watching most of your videos i actually took teh time to reskin and tune my drumkit this morning and its never sounded better :) thanks again!

[bobgatzen]

How cool...I love success stories...keep em' coming...thanks!

[zakourmademon]

Comment on one of the comments before this, I wish I could afford a rack.

Anyway, I've watched your tuning videos several times and I've tuned my drums like you showed, and I find I still have difficulrty looking for that sound I'm looking for. Bob, would it be okay if I were to post a tour video of my kit and show you the sound I have so far?

[bobgatzen]

Sure zak...just send me a url

[realgdrummer]

evans heads are the greatest u can beat the living crap out of them and they wont break i love it

[bobgatzen]

Nice comment...I sent it to Evans

[2324836]

what part of the bass drum bears the most weight? anyone know

[realgdrummer]

i dont reallt understand what ur asking

[bobgatzen]

The back-end of the shell when toms are mounted to the shell.

BTW- you should never mount toms on a bass drum... put em on a floor stand and the weight distribution is equally balanced

[realgdrummer]

what if u have an extremely deep bass drum and the mounts are relatively in the center area of the shell

[bobgatzen]

Regardless of the mount position, extending the toms off- center will apply pressure towards the back of the drum.

Always best to get the toms off the BD to maximize shell vibration.

[danmarcelino]

ohh yeah i think im gonna get your dvd!! =P heheh

[bobgatzen]

Please, Please, Please, Please!!!!!!

[danmarcelino]

hahaha i didnt think it was the real Bob Gatzen here on youtube!! lol but i guess it is!! =D man, i just wanted to say that i love these videos here on youtube, they really gave me a better understanding on tuning =] you explain things so clearly and well.

i ALSO wanted to say that i LOVE your playing!! =D

[bobgatzen]

Thank you so much! Just doing my best to keep drummers drummin'!

[danmarcelino]

np Bob! =] haha well, you're doing a fantastic job!!

[realgdrummer]

you rock dude cuz u dont just act like everybody knows exactly wat they are supposed to do, you spend time to explain what to do and what not to do thx a lot man...........i would love for you to come to my high school and tune our marching drums lol tht would be so awesome

[CrazySilverSpoon]

Thanks Bob for your lessons in tuning and usefull tips that make indeed a huge difference!Go Bob!

I have also a little question:

what do you think of the Evans drumtorque?Is it a worthy replacement for people who can't seem to tune or don't have the talent for it?Or is it just the tool to create a a startpoint to build further on?

Thanks a lot!

[bobgatzen]

Bottom line is there is no replacement for "ear training". Tools like the drum torque and Drum Dial can be get youn into the ball park. It's always best to develop your ears. Check out the "tonal tuning" series on the channel. Lot's of good tips.

[gocuathotmail]

i really wish to aspire to ur level of drumming one day, 2 be able 2 play at such a skill while being so relaxed feel, and still be very technical, but without taking away from the essentials of drumming

you are indeed a master at ur craft, and i know u have helped my drumming so much just by watching you, and im sure u have had the same effect on other drummers

[bobgatzen]

It's a beautiful Sunday morning here in Connecticut... now it's even better after reading your comment. Nothing better than drummers inspiring drummers. Thanks GO!

[HL18CSS]

Are you kidding me?! you're in connecticut?! thats freakin' awesome!

[silverlinker]

Bob

You're without a doubt one of the greatest drummers I've ever known!

Such a relaxed feeling in your sound, your attitude and your teaching style!

Watching one of your vids is like talking to a friend. No big expensive words to look cool...

I'll get your dvd this week, no kidding! think I'm addicted...

[bobgatzen]

Now that is a great message... it makes the effort really worthwhile

[355000]

evans are the best drum heads stocks heads just dont work

[drum789]

THAT DVD IS SWEET!

[bobgatzen]

That's great to hear...thanks d

New & exciting stuff on the way!