Hey guys, i got a drum set for Christmas, and i got it all put together and im actually not too bad at it, but im confused about the drum heads. The one we got was a Guitar Center floor model, so it already had heads on it, but my problem is that I dont know how tight the heads are supposed to be. When we got it, the heads were really loose. How tight should they be? i can get a bunch of different sounds with them depending on the tightness of the heads. What are your suggestions?

They shouldn't be so tight that you punch your stick right through them, but they should be moderately snug. Tune them to a sound that you like but make sure that the whole head is snug enough and without ripples. And when tightening them, start with one, then do the one directly across the head, then move to one beside it, then one across the head again. This keeps it even.

Also, since it was a floor set, I would suggest getting some new heads for it. Remo is the way to go.

CJ

*Sigh* I'd go with evans but I believe we've aurgued this before ;). But either way, get two ply heads because it will sound much better.

I usually tighten it so it has a pretty high tension and then I go down until I get the sound I want. Starting at a high tension and going down is easier than starting loose and making it tight. It's mostly preference and once you get going for a while then you'll figure out what you like.

><sarah><

Thursday I cleaned the carpet in my sons room and had to move his drums around to do so. I didn't realize it at the time but when I stuck them back in place I put the bass drum backwards. I have no clue if I set the cymbals in the right place.

Ha! That's great! My mom doesn't know much about drums either. When we are in the music store and I'm trying to talk to the clerk about something she always tries to interject. I just laugh and tell her to go look at something. And she always tells me, "all of the drum sticks are the same, why do you have to get that kind?" *sigh* On behalf of panheads everywhere, we love our moms. ;D

Although my mom is far from a panhead herself.

><sarah><

Ah but when it comes to going into the music store I can hold my own. My hubby has played guitar for over 20 years and I have spent many a hour in Guitar Center and Sam Ash while he is looking at the goodies. I speak music I just can't play a lick of it. lolol.. I know a quality guitar and I know exactly what strings and picks to get for him. I also learned it is better to throw away the sales sheets from these stores before he gets to see them as I know he will just look at the Les Pauls and say "ones of these days........".
I just haven't payed attention to the drum stuff yet, other than farting around with the bongos in the store annoying everyone within earshot.

Hey guys, i got a drum set for Christmas, and i got it all put together and im actually not too bad at it, but im confused about the drum heads. The one we got was a Guitar Center floor model, so it already had heads on it, but my problem is that I dont know how tight the heads are supposed to be. When we got it, the heads were really loose. How tight should they be? i can get a bunch of different sounds with them depending on the tightness of the heads. What are your suggestions?

Great question! A lot of people have been confused or frustrated with their drum tuning.

First off, what type of shells are you using? The shell, or the drum itself, largely depends on what type of heads is correct when tuning. The shell is made by different composites, or wood types. The easiest way to find out what wood type it is is to look up the manufacturer's website. They have specifications that may mean the difference between a great sounding drum to an out-of-tune drum that's not pleasing to the ear.

Second, what heads are you using? The rule of thumb is: the thinner the drum head, the "free-er" the head will vibrate. Also, be sure what the drumhead is made of BEFORE you play it. Thinner drum heads tend to "pit", or make divots, on the drumhead, making them out of tune very quickly. However, more heavier drumheads don't vibrate as freely as thinner drum heads so check how many layers, or plies, the drumheads are made of.
Also, check to see what type of music you are playing. If you want to play jazz, fusion, or in that type, you may want to have fiberskin heads. They are made of millions of threads that hold the head together, making the drum less punchy and more tone. But if you are playing hard rock, metal, that sort of thing, you may want to use 1 or 2-ply drumheads made of Kevlar. Kevlar is similar to plastic, but the heads re reinforced on the rim, making the head punchy and bright. However, in these heads, you may want to tune these heads a bit lower that fiberskin heads due to the lack of resonance.

Okay, once you know what wood the drums are and what heads you will be using, it's time to know how your drums want to be tuned. In tuning, there are tuning lugs and a drum key to use. This is a drummer's best friend! Anyhoo, to tune a drum, NEVER go clockwise or counter-clockwise! The tympanic pressure, or air pressure inside the drum, will be very uneven, disallowing the drum to "vibrate" and making your drums out of tune from the get-go. Instead, pick a lug and tighten it to finger tightness. Then, go across the drum to the corresponding lug and finger-tighten it. (NOTE: tighten the lug with your fingers until you can't tighten it anymore) Then, go either counter-clockwise or clockwise and tune the lug next to the already tightened lug. Figer-tighten that. Then, go across the drum to the corresonding lug. Finger-tighten that. Repeat this process until you dinger-tighten the whole drum. Now, when you srike the drum with a stick, it should sound pretty loose. Don't worry! It should be. Now, grab your trusty drum key and tighten the drum the way you would if you were to finger-tighten the drum, except that you are only going to tighten half a turn (or a full turn for a brighter tone) on the drum key. Now, when you strike it, it should sound like a "doom" (Note: for the snare, you should turn it off by pulling on the throw-off switch left or right). The "doom" sound should sound like a conga hit.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask a pro on Modern Drummer! This is a magazine dedicated to any and all types of drummers for the past 30 years and is always open to questions you may have. Here's the link: http://www.moderndrummer.com/
You can also ask a professional at your nearest music store for suggestions. Most of them are very helpful and have the know-how to fix any problem.

K. I've seen good info on here so far, and I agree with going with Evans, but anyway, I haven't seen any info on here about actually tuning the drums. Knowing the proper way to tighten them is all well and good and definitely should be known before tuning occurs but I think the question was about tuning. So here goes...

Knowing all the above info like what your shells are made of and the angle of your shells' rims, and the type of heads you want (usually if you go to any good head makers website they will give you info about the sonic characteristics of the heads), and also what type of music you will be playing cause different drum sounds fit better with different types of music, after all this is known you should tighten your drums as directed above until like most people have said they have a good amount of tension on them, but not to much or you run the risk of puncturing them. After this is done and this is the important part...

Now it is going to get musical here so I hope I don't lose you. You should now tune your drums. The common interval between drum pitches is thirds or forths. Really the farther apart the better but do what you think sounds best. Me, I tune my drums in thirds starting with a C on my floor tom and kick and working my way up, tuning my snare to about the same pitch as my top tom and then losening and tightening it till it gives the sound I want. It gives my drums a nice descending scale sound when I run on them which fits the type of music I play. Again a lot of this is your decision. Do what you think sounds best.

Once you have your drums tuned correctly it is then time to decide on cymbals, hi-hat, snare, and so forth to make your drum sound complete. But that is another story completely. Drums are an outrageously awesome instrument and are fun even if not tuned and so forth correctly, but once you get them tuned, and you have the sound you want out of them they become even greater if that is possible. Hope this helps.

Peace