Tuning drums - an art in itself

Peter Haas, experienced live and studio drummer and drum teacher, has spent years tuning drums and is regularly booked by well-known bands and studios to do so. He offers besides drumming lessons in Winterthur also private tuning courses.

We wanted to know from him why even experienced drummers get help from a professional and what you have to pay attention to everything when tuning.

Peter, how did you learn to tune drums?

I have tried many years and tested different skins and drums. In addition, information from drum magazines and from fellow drummers helped me.

Every guitarist can tune his guitar himself, why can not the drummers?

I think it has to do with the fact that most drummers "think" rhythmically and less harmonically or melodically. You should consider the drum set also as a melody instrument to get a good sound out of it.

Many drummers tune their set only when a studio session is coming up, why?

This means to me that many drummers outside the studio don't care enough to play an instrument that is well tuned or sounds good!

When do heads need to be renewed?

This varies from individual to individual, but at the latest when there are dents in the skin.

Which are the most common skins?

For the snare, the Coated (coated) Ambassador of the brand Remo is the most popular, because you can get virtually any sound hinkriegt. For the snare, but also Clear (uncoated) Powerstroke also suitable from Remo, because they last very long and are suitable for vigorous play. The sounds of these mentioned skins differ mainly in the mid-range.

For the bass drum, there are besides the classic pin strips from Remo now very many options. From Coated, Clear to Vintage skins there is everything to have. Also for the toms are many different skins available, with which you can fulfill any sound imagination, provided you can tune them!

How do the different woods from which the drums are built and what influence do they have on the tuning?

Basically, you can imagine it like this: The denser the wood or mass, the less the shell resonates and the less a sound or tone can develop. Conversely, thin shells vibrate more and produce more sound and tone.

Is the tuning of the drum set dependent on the room?

Yes! The drum set is an acoustic instrument that depends on the room. Play times under the open sky, there sounds then no longer much!

Do you tune the drums to certain tones?

Of course you can, but is in practice rather rarely the case.

Which tools can you recommend for tuning?

Your ears.

How do you proceed when tuning drums?

I start with the bass drum and continue with the snare. Then from the floortom upwards. Always tighten screws crosswise except when finetuning at the end. I look for a tone in the middle frequency range, which I can locate well and especially remember and then tune as accurately as possible on this tone.

How do I learn to tune my own drums for a particular situation itself?

First you need an idea of how your set should sound. And then it is called with different skins try until you have the desired sound. Or: Book a tuning course with me, then it goes a little faster!