Things You'll Need:
- drum kit
- tuning key
- sticks
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Step 1
The first thing you need to do is train yourself to know when a drum head is out of tune. Generally its pitch will sound flatter than it should; and your sticks may not rebound as crisply as they normally do. If you notice either of these symptoms, break out your tuning key and tune that drum!
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Step 2
The tuning key is a small handheld wrench that fits over the lugs that keep the drum head stretched on the shell. Put the tuning key on any one of these pegs and turn it a half turn (usually clockwise).
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Step 3
Now move to the opposite side of the drum head. Turn that peg a half turn.
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Step 4
Now go 1/4 way around (in either direction) and turn that peg 1/2 turn, then directly across from that peg. Keep tuning in this way, turning pegs directly across from each other. Your goal is to stretch the head uniformly.
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Step 5
As you tune, tap with your stick about 1/4 of the way in from the outer circumfrence of the head. Make sure you hear a uniform sound with each tap. If one area sounds flatter or sharper than its neighbors, it may be too tight or not tight enough - make an adjustment with your key unti it's uniform.
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Step 6
You can stop tuning when your head produces a uniform sound regardless of where you strike it; and when you play a roll or some other rudiment, your sticks rebound they way you would expect.
