Move the dryer around constantly in a circular motion, so that you will be heating the outer perimeter of the entire head without stopping anywhere. Check the temperature with your hands; you’re just trying to make the plastic warm, not hot. If it feels warm, then you’re ok to stop. You can also try this trick I figured out: while circulating the dryer, tap constantly with your finger on the outer edge of the head (visible in Photo 3). When you hear the pitch drop, you’re done. This process doesn’t take very long, and if you do it too long, you can easily melt the plastic and make the new head unusable, so keep in mind that it’s safer to under-heat than to over-heat. If done properly, the new head is instantly seated and can be tuned right away.

Loosen all of the tension rods so that the head is back down to no tension. Tighten the rods now with your fingers until you feel that the tension rods start to make contact with the hoop (this is referred to as “finger-tight”). Then, using either two keys at a time on opposite sides of the drum, or a single key going to opposite tension rods, turn the keys by a half-turn, and repeat this for the other rods. Listen for pitches from the outer edge of the head, and try to make sure you hear the same pitch all around. This indicates that the head is pretty evenly tensioned, which makes tuning easier, and makes the drum speak freely. Another way is to use a device called the “Drum Dial,” which is a small device that sits on the drumhead and measures surface tension. It can really cut tuning time down, especially in a noisy environment where you can’t hear pitches, or if you’re in a hurry, or inexperienced. Drum torques are devices that measure the amount of torque on each of the drum’s tension rods. I DON’T recommend these because it’s not only possible, but also quite common, to have a head that is evenly tensioned, yet have tension rods with all kinds of different torque readings on them. It’s the head tension that matters, not the rods.

Every drum has a range in which it sounds good. Your ears will tell you if you’ve tuned the drum too low (it will sound floppy and not produce a clear tone) or too high (it will sound boxy and choked). When a drum is tuned in a place that it’s happy, you’ll be able to hear a nice, distinct, clear tone that resonates freely and doesn’t require a lot of effort. In other words, it should “speak” well whether you’re playing quietly or loudly. These are very ambiguous terms, but the only way to fully understand all of these principles is to experiment. A good way to start the process of getting familiar with your drum and what it’s capable of is to start by tuning the heads at the lowest pitch that they will produce a clear, undistorted tone while tapping at the edges. You can make changes from there to see how your drum reacts to different tensions. I won’t go into the whole discussion of Bob Gatzen’s “Tuning Regions” here, but I do recommend that you go out and buy his video, “Drum Tuning and Design.” It has a TON of information packed into it, and you’ll be able to tune your drums for any style of music or personal taste.

Now, a question I get asked at the store often is: “Should both top & bottom heads be tuned to the same pitch?” The answer is: It depends on your style and desired sound. There are three possibilities. The first is to tune the top and bottom heads to the same pitch. This will give your drum maximum volume, tone and sustain. This is useful if you want an open, singing quality from the toms. The second: tune the top head a little tighter than the bottom head. This will enable you to keep a lively stick action on the drum, but the sustain will be shorter and the volume somewhat lessened. At lower pitches, the drum will also have a “pitch bend” effect, and the note will dip after the initial attack. The third: bottom head tighter than the top. This will give the most attack, and the drumhead will feel soft and yielding when you play. It will also give you shorter sustain, lower volume, and pitch bend at lower tunings. The latter two methods work well with busy playing styles and close miking, although remember that as long as it sounds good and feels comfortable, then do it.

Another question: “Should the drums be tuned to specific notes?” Drums are unique in that they aren’t really pitched instruments; their function is in the realm of rhythm and color. They also have 2 vibrating membranes, which makes their sound extremely complex, and difficult to get to a specific note (tone). What you should try to shoot for is a good relationship of intervals (differences of notes/tones) between all the drums, while keeping a consistent “flavor” with all of them. In other words, for example, one tom shouldn’t sound floppy while the rest sound full and resonant just for the sake of keeping consistent intervals across the whole set.

If you have a large, multi-tom set, you can afford to go for smaller intervals between the “notes” on your toms. For smaller sets (four or five drums total), go for larger intervals. With just two toms tuned quite far apart, you can really cover a lot of sonic space.

After a while, when the heads start to get a little worn, or if you decide that you need to change the tonality for a different gig, you can still use them if you do some maintenance tuning. Plastic distorts over time as you hit it, so if your toms start to sound a little unpleasant, start with one tension rod, and loosen it completely (referred to as “dumping” it). Then re-tension the rod back to its former pitch. Do this on a couple of rods until the drum’s sound improves. If you want to tune higher, simply tension the drum higher. If you want to tune lower, dump the rods and then tune up to the desired pitch. Remember: you should always tune up to a pitch, not down. If you can’t get a good sound out of an aging head, no matter how many times you dump lugs and re-tune, then it’s time to replace it.

DON’T FORGET THE BOTTOM HEADS! Even though you’re not hitting them, they get old & tired, too. They should be changed at least every third batter/top head change (unless you’re a basher and you’re changing the batter heads once a month). Speaking of bottom (resonant) heads, they are a large part of the toms’ overall sound. The attack characteristic of a drum is governed by the batter head, but the sustain after the attack is influenced greatly by the resonant head.

Here’s a quick guide to help you find the heads you need to give you the sound you want. Bear in mind that this is a short list, and it doesn’t cover all the different head types available, so check with the (hopefully) knowledgeable people at your local drum/instrument shop.

Batter Head Type

Single-Ply Clear
Single-Ply Coated

Clear Dotted

Coated Dotted
Double-Ply Clear

Double-Ply Coated

Resonant Head Type
(single-ply is assumed)

Clear Medium-weight
Coated Medium-wieght

Sound Character

Wide open, ringy, bright, edgy, good attack, full volume & sustain
Open, ringy, warmer/darker than clear, good attack & volume, warm sustain

Stronger mids, favors lower tunings than clear, moderately controlled volume
and sustain

As above, with a warmer sound
Full, thick sound, favors lower pitches, shorter sustain, fewer high harmonics,
but still capable of sounding bright if undamped, reduced volume

Thick, dark, "creamy" sound, short sustain, reduced volume

Sound Character

Brightest tone, slightly reduced sustain (coated is a shade warmer)
Open sustain, but warmer, with less edge

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