Things You'll Need:
- You will need your Mapex 2.3MM Snare Drum Snare drum stand Drum key Pair of medium size (5A) drum sticks
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Step 1
First, put your snare on its stand and flip the lever on the side of the drum so that the snares (aluminum wires underneath the bottom drum head) are in the off position.
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Step 2
Using your drum key, start at the top lug of the drum and tighten slowly. Using the "right equals tight, left equals loose" theory, you want a tight pop sound out of your snare drum. Be careful not to tighten the head too much or it could break. Go around the drum as follows: top lug to bottom lug, right lug to left lug, and diagonal lug to diagonal lug. This is also known as a "star pattern."
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Step 3
Turn your snares on after tuning and tap lightly around the edges of the drum with your sticks. Then tap in the center. If you are happy with how the drum sounds, turn the snares back off and flip the drum over so the bottom head is facing you and the drum is on the stand.
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Step 4
Tune your bottom drum head using the same process but keep in mind that the bottom of the drum head should be slightly looser then the top head. Be careful to not over tighten the bottom head.
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Step 5
Turn the drum right side up, turn the snares on and tap around the edges and the center of the drum. You are listening for a tight pop sound with a bit of warmth to it, due to the depth of this particular drum. If you are happy with the sound you have gotten, go ahead and play, if not, re-tune using the same process.
