The DrumDial

Getting your drums in tune may be difficult - it requires a good ear to separate the basic tone of the drumhead from the rest of the overtones. This also depends on the pitches of the shell and heads, as the perceptible pitch of the drum can fall or rise after impact. Directly measuring the head tension of a drum enables you to tune your drum accurately.

The DrumDial drum tuner easily tunes bass drums, rack toms, snare drums, and tympani without having all the constant tapping. The Drumdial does not measure the torque of the tension rod, but actual tympanic pressure. It will prove relatively easy to tune drums accurately with the DrumDial tuner.

The DrumDial facilitates consistent tension for untuned and tuned membranophones. It helps maintain a certain pitch after determining your preferred pressure values, although most drumheads are categorized as indefinitely-pitched instruments. Definite-pitch instruments such as boobams and tabla can also be precisely tuned with the DrumDial. In a symphony where a tympani player needs to retune drums for the sections in a single composition, the DrumDial is beneficial.

Head tension measurement allows for easier tweaking to top and bottom drumheads, in relation to each other. The Drumdial simply guides the tuning process. You can place the resonating head some PSI lower or higher to get your target sound. You can make consistent changes or return to different settings, as it's all indicated on the meter. You can also save various tuning strategies, such as settings for concerts, rehearsals, small gigs, and so forth.

The TAMA Tension Watch

Years of experience used to be necessary to accurately tune drumheads. It also seemed to take a long time to tune a single drumhead, but many new tools have been developed to resolve that problem. The TAMA Tension Watch gauges real head tension, and not the tension in tuning rods. The tension value is displayed on a meter, making it easy to record your preferred settings and duplicate this tuning at other times. You may also use the sample tunings contained in the instructions.

The TAMA tension watch may not give you good tuning the first time. The concept behind the tension watch is that the user should tune a drum, study the readings, and re-apply the settings later on.

The tension watch works in an idea similar to the DrumDial, but the DrumDial wins over the tension watch as the DrumDial is more user-friendly and results in more consistent tuning.

The tension watch is quite sensitive, which does not necessarily mean that it is a better tuning implement than the DrumDial. The extra sensitivity of the TAMA Tension watch may even result in longer tuning time per drum head. The comparatively 'coarser' readings one gets with the DrumDial are enough to get the lugs in proper tune. It is unnecessary to get equal tension between 6 or 8 lugs to the degree that the tension watch display (which amounts to approximately 1/10 of a drum key turn).

The Evans Torque Key

The Evans torque key is a good tuning tool to have for getting your drumheads in tune. The knob on one end helps change head tuning fast. You can use it to give your drums a quick adjustment on stage, even in the dark. The repeated impact on the skins may cause your snare to drop a lug, for example, and the Evans torque key can quickly rectify the situation.

The key handle may be set to release at a particular tension, helping ensure even tuning at every lug. The knurled knob and ergonomic grip allow for comfortable, fast spinning. A magnetized head fixes the key in place for quick adjustments between songs. It is also constructed of durable, heavy duty drop-forged steel, and comes with a lifetime guarantee.

The torque key is useful for starting to tune your drums, and your tuning rods may turn out to be more even. Various rods may have differing amounts of tension, but the torque key aids in leading you toward an accurately-tuned drumkit. This relatively inexpensive tool is a must-have.

The Standard Drum Key and Technique

The DrumDial drum tuner, Evans torque key, and TAMA tension watch are all good tools to tune your drums with, but excellent technique and a good ear are always essential to getting your drums to sound great. The DrumDial is a fantastic gift for any drummer, as it helps in training you to recognize when your drums are in tune. You can also check the display to ensure that your heads are at the preferred tension. Here are some tips for great drum tuning:

There is no right or wrong way to tune a drum kit - it all depends on how the drummer wants his instruments to sound. It may take some time to tune a kit, especially at first. For the beginner, it may be necessary to utilize small increments while fine-tuning - ¼ key turns are recommended.

Drums are created from a wide range of materials, such as brass, copper, steel, and wood. This enables the drums to be tuned to an almost infinite variety of textures and tones. Try out different tunings to find the overall tone that sounds good to you.

Consistent tension for the bottom and top heads is needed to achieve good tomtoms tone. You can take a drum off its mount to facilitate tuning the bottom head. Again, experiment to find a pitch you like, and tune the drum with that pitch as reference.

For a thick and tight snare sound, start from the bottom head! Use the technique you would with a snare drum, and find out if the tension is consistent all around the drumhead. Some may prefer the bottom head at the maximum degree of tightness, to allow the snare to 'snap' as it is hit.

Remember that tuning an entire drumset is mostly dependent on personal preference. Tensions and pressure values are dictated by the drummers' head selection, drum mount system, playing style, and type of music; among other factors.

Snare Drums for Each Type of Music

Before you are able to select the most appropriate snare drum for you purposes, you will first have to determine the style of music that you will be using it for.

Snare Drums for Rock Music

If you are using snare drums for rock music, one important trait that they should have is that they should be able to create really loud sounds because this type of music is usually played very loud. Thus, listeners should be able to easily discern the drum sounds despite the loud music generated by the electric guitars.

The drum heads for rock snare drums are usually provided with a heavy coating to slightly muffle the sounds because you don't want them to clash with the other sounds. They usually have a depth that ranges between five and a half to eight inches while their diameters are usually 14 inches. The shells should be made of steel to make them capable of producing really loud sounds. Therefore, rock snare drums are usually standard steel drums that can be classified as deep snare drums in terms of depth.

Snare Drums for Metal Music

If you plan to buy snare drums for metal music, you will have to get one of those metal snare drums, which could be made of bronze, aluminum, brass, or synthetic materials including acrylic and carbon fiber. Their unique characteristic is that they have a brighter timber and they can create a higher volume compared to the other types of snare drums. They usually have depth of eight inches, so that they are deep drums when classified in terms of depth. They often have diameters of 13 to 15 inches, so that they are standard snare drums in terms of diameter. For certain purposes, there are also power piccolo snare drums.

Snare Drums for Funk Music

Snare drums for funk music should have a distinctly accented and stressed sound. Thus, they ought to be tightly tuned to generate a high cracking sound while still having a full-bodied sound. The diameters of fund snare drums usually range from 13 to 14 inches, which places them in the standard snare drum category in terms of diameter. However, they could have any depth depending on the preference of the musician.

Snare Drums for Jazz Music

Snare drums for jazz usually have shells that are made of brass or wood and this is one kind of music where drum sticks are not used. Since jazz music is relatively soft in sound compared to rock music and other popular music styles, the drummer has to produce a soft vibration and this is commonly accomplished by utilizing brushes. However, you will need to minimize muffling to ensure that the soft sounds produced by the brushes could be heard. Therefore, the drum head should have a texture that ranges from light to moderate. The depth of jazz snare drums is usually six inches, which places them on the border of the deep snare drum category in terms of depth. Jazz snare drums usually have a diameter of 14 inches, which puts them in the standard snare drums classification in terms of diameter or width.

Snare Drums for Punk Music

Punk music requires loud drum sounds. Thus, punk snare drums need to produce sounds that are as loud as those created by the hi-hat cymbals. There is a broad range of choices for the drum heads and tuning styles, but they can be easily adjusted depending on the musician's specific requirements. Punk snare drums often have a diameter of 15 inches, which places them in the standard snare drums category, based on width or diameter. They usually have a depth of five and half to six inches, which also puts them on the border of the deep snare drum classification, based on depth.

There are no hard of fast rules for this any snare drum can work with any genre of music these are just the common configurations that are "typical" but mix and match if you like and trust your ears.

The basic types of materials for the shell of snare drums are wood and metal. For some, there is not much difference between the sound of a wooden snare drum and a metal one. However, those who have discriminating ears know that a drum with a wooden shell produces a warm, round, and full-bodied sound while a metal snare drum creates a more sharp and harsh sound.

Sound Properties and Characteristics of the Different Wood Snares

There are three common kinds of wood employed for the shells of snare drums: maple, birch, and African mahogany. It should be noted here that many drum companies utilize a cheaper kind of mahogany or Luan to provide an inexpensive drum that is the least attractive compared to the other kinds of woods and the sounds produced are less pleasing to the ear.

African Mahogany

Some companies employ African mahogany, which has been found to be suitable for music that accentuates the low frequencies. The low frequencies in African mahogany snare drums have been observed to be extremely rich while their middle frequencies are smooth. However, the high frequencies are relatively weak with a little roll-off.

Maple

The maple snare drums are usually suitable for all-around applications because they have smooth high and middle frequencies with low frequencies that are a bit stronger. Maple Snares are said to have a even tone with the most equal distribution of the sound spectrum.

Birch

Birch snare drums are strong in both the low and high frequencies but a little bit weak in the middle frequencies. Because of their very appealing natural finish, maple and birch snare drums are the most popular. Birch Shells in general are good for recording because of the weaker mid ranges which acts as a counter to a dynamic microphones noticeable mid range bump in the way it records.

Sound Properties and Characteristics of Metal Snare Drums

The usual types of metals utilized for the shells of snare drums are steel, aluminum, copper, and bronze, with steel being the most common. Steel snare drums have been observed to create a bright sound with a sharp attack. Copper snare drums have lower harmonic tones and a quick attack. Brass produces a loud and bright sound with a quality that is situated between that of metal and wood. Aluminum has been known to create clean and crisp sounds.

It has been found that aluminum and bronze snare drums have quick attacks but do not have the sharp high frequencies of steel and brass drums. If you prefer a less sharp sound that is warmer, you can opt for the bronze and aluminum drums. However, if you desire brighter sounds, you can choose the steel and brass drums.

If you want versatility, the brass snare drum is for you. It is most commonly used for recordings and you can introduce a lot of changes by utilizing wires and hoops. Copper snare drums can produce excellent sounds but they are not that versatile and steel and brass drums are capable of doing everything that copper drums can. Aluminum snare drums provide you with stronger cracks that are arguably more pronounced when compared to brass drums. Steel snare drums are endowed with some ring but this can be made to sound drier by using wires, hoops and muffling.

Continue to Part 3 :  Snare Drums for Each Type of Music

Snare Drum Width or Diameter

There are three sizes for snare drums based on their diameter or width. The smallest diameter is 10 inches and these are called popcorn snare drums. The next range has a diameter ranging from 12 inches to 13 inches and these are called soprano snare drums. The third size has a diameter of 14 inches, and these are the standard snare drums.

Please take note that these three classifications are based on the diameter. There are also three categories based on the depth of the snare drums, so these could be confusing. However, it is the diameter or width that has the greatest effect on the drum's tone. Therefore, the popcorn snare drums have the highest pitch, the soprano snare drums have a lower pitch than the popcorn drums, and the standard snare drums have the lowest.

Snare Drum Depth

The depth of the snare drum also affects the tone in that a deeper drum will have a lower sound while a shallower one will have a higher pitch. However, depth affects not only the tone but also the strength and ability of the sound to project. On the other hand, a shallow snare drum will have a purer tone and better resonance. That is why the snare drums with stronger sounds are preferred for rock music while jazz music requires the shallower ones for their purer tones.

Based on depth, there are also three categories for snare drums: piccolo, standard, and deep. Piccolo snare drums have a depth ranging from three to 4.5 inches. These drums have less projection but they have cleaner tones. Standard drums have a depth ranging from five to 5.5 inches. Deep snare drums have a depth ranging from six to 10 inches, and are preferred for music that requires louder drum sounds. Deep snare drums provide the well-known back-beat pattern for popular music as well as marching bands.

Continue on to Part 2:  Snare Drum Materials

Part 1: The Snare Drum Sizes

Part 2: The Snare Drum Materials

Part 3: Snare Drums for Each Type of Music

The snare drum has strands of plastic cable, metal cable, gut cords, or curled metal wire, which are known as "snares," usually across the bottom drumhead so as to create those snappy and cracking sounds. Snare drums are often included in drum kits because they are regularly used in contemporary music and they are also heavily used in orchestras.