Car Seat Guide

John Good brings you into the DW Assembly Line to show you how he suggests tuning your drums, regardless of the brand. He tunes 3 different types of drums: Tom @ 0:40 Snare @ 5:14 Bass Drum @ 10:52 John says it best, but to summarize the key points: -Always do one head at a time -Before tightening the tension rods, push hard on the center of the head to "seat/center" the head. You'll hear it crackle, but don't worry, you're not damaging the head. Only breaking it in. -First use only your fingers to tighten the tension rods, tightening opposing rods so that the head seats flat and even. Similar to how you'd tighten lugs on a car wheel. Alternating in a criss-cross pattern. -Once all the rods are finger-tight, it's time to use a key. A couple turns on each, still following a criss-cross pattern, is all you should do per round. Each time you complete a full circle, it's good to listen to where you're at. -Now, each time you complete a round, is when you really do fine tuning. Lightly tap your finger about an inch from the edge of the drum on each rod and listen to hear which rods are higher or lower in pitch from the rest. This is the hardest part, because it takes a very critical ear (that most guitar players don't even have ;). You'll also find that if you come across a rod that is lower than the rest, the one directly across from it is probably also lower. It's good to think of them in pairs. -Continue making rounds with a couple turns on each rod, followed by a round of ...