TUNING YOUR DRUMS:
You're only as good as you sound!
If you're one of those MANY drummers who hasn't ever even realized that your drumheads need regular, PROPER tuning, chances are that your kit currently sounds more like a collection of buckets, junk and upside-down milo tins rather than an actual musical instrument.
Perhaps THAT'S the reason why Mum and Dad keep suggesting you move to Grandma's house. Maybe. Or perhaps that's just because you smell.
Either way, if this sounds like someone you know, PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING!
You don't want to invest years of your life, practicing the drums as diligently and as thoroughly as possible, working hard at your job at Mario's Greasy Burgers through high school to fund your "DREAM DRUM KIT BY THE YEAR 2054" bank account, only to finally spend ALL the precious savings you've so admirably accumulated on the drum set of your dreams, you take it home, set it up and when the golden moment arrives and you're ready to play like you've never played before...
...you still sound utterly horrible because you've never even thought of learning how to tune your kit, and your skins are as flat, floppy and as lifeless as the horrible casseroles your Aunty Velma makes every Christmas - RIGHT!?
So, what you need to do is come and see me, and ASK FOR YOUR FIRST TUNING LESSON THAT I WILL GIVE YOU IN CLASS!
(You knew that was coming, didn't you).
I will teach you the intricacies of tuning a drum head, the do's and don'ts and how to avoid BENDING YOUR DRUMS (yes, this can actually happen) and in no time at all, you will go from sounding like you're playing on Oscar the Grouch's trash can lids to playing on the kit of the gods!!!
I had a student last year complain about how BORING he found learning to tune drums to be. He complained and said that all he wanted to do was play [in class] and he thought it was a complete waste of time to learn how to tune.
I asked him if he liked the sound of an out-of-key voice, or a de-tuned guitar. He said no.
I explained to him that just like every melodic instrument under the sun, a drum kit has it's own specific methodology behind it's tuning, and, just like he wouldn't want to spend years waking up to the wailing sounds of his sister singing out-of-key Justin Beiber songs in the shower at 6AM, NO ONE wants to listen to him playing out-of-tune Metallica songs on the drums, AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY.
He apologized and reconsidered his approach to tuning completely. A few weeks later, when that student's lesson ended and his parents met him in the waiting area just outside my classroom, his Father said to me; "Goodness, I don't know what Jimmy's been doing lately, but he sounds better than EVER before!" he then chuckled, slapped his son's back and said; "Thank goodness you've improved since the days when you used to sound like a jingling sack of junk! Now we actually enjoy listening you bashing away 24/7! Top work mate!".
The student and I both looked at each other and we knew that he hadn't necessarily gotten any better OR any worse, he had just simply learned how to tune his drum kit.
So remember folks, it's super important to learn how to tune correctly. Bring your SNARE DRUM to me in class, and I will tune it for you for FREE! Don't wait till the neighbor starts throwing his boots at your roof! =]
- Your ever caring drum teacher, Ata
You're only as good as you sound!
If you're one of those MANY drummers who hasn't ever even realized that your drumheads need regular, PROPER tuning, chances are that your kit currently sounds more like a collection of buckets, junk and upside-down milo tins rather than an actual musical instrument.
Perhaps THAT'S the reason why Mum and Dad keep suggesting you move to Grandma's house. Maybe. Or perhaps that's just because you smell.
Either way, if this sounds like someone you know, PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING!
You don't want to invest years of your life, practicing the drums as diligently and as thoroughly as possible, working hard at your job at Mario's Greasy Burgers through high school to fund your "DREAM DRUM KIT BY THE YEAR 2054" bank account, only to finally spend ALL the precious savings you've so admirably accumulated on the drum set of your dreams, you take it home, set it up and when the golden moment arrives and you're ready to play like you've never played before...
...you still sound utterly horrible because you've never even thought of learning how to tune your kit, and your skins are as flat, floppy and as lifeless as the horrible casseroles your Aunty Velma makes every Christmas - RIGHT!?
So, what you need to do is come and see me, and ASK FOR YOUR FIRST TUNING LESSON THAT I WILL GIVE YOU IN CLASS!
(You knew that was coming, didn't you).
I will teach you the intricacies of tuning a drum head, the do's and don'ts and how to avoid BENDING YOUR DRUMS (yes, this can actually happen) and in no time at all, you will go from sounding like you're playing on Oscar the Grouch's trash can lids to playing on the kit of the gods!!!
I had a student last year complain about how BORING he found learning to tune drums to be. He complained and said that all he wanted to do was play [in class] and he thought it was a complete waste of time to learn how to tune.
I asked him if he liked the sound of an out-of-key voice, or a de-tuned guitar. He said no.
I explained to him that just like every melodic instrument under the sun, a drum kit has it's own specific methodology behind it's tuning, and, just like he wouldn't want to spend years waking up to the wailing sounds of his sister singing out-of-key Justin Beiber songs in the shower at 6AM, NO ONE wants to listen to him playing out-of-tune Metallica songs on the drums, AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY.
He apologized and reconsidered his approach to tuning completely. A few weeks later, when that student's lesson ended and his parents met him in the waiting area just outside my classroom, his Father said to me; "Goodness, I don't know what Jimmy's been doing lately, but he sounds better than EVER before!" he then chuckled, slapped his son's back and said; "Thank goodness you've improved since the days when you used to sound like a jingling sack of junk! Now we actually enjoy listening you bashing away 24/7! Top work mate!".
The student and I both looked at each other and we knew that he hadn't necessarily gotten any better OR any worse, he had just simply learned how to tune his drum kit.
So remember folks, it's super important to learn how to tune correctly. Bring your SNARE DRUM to me in class, and I will tune it for you for FREE! Don't wait till the neighbor starts throwing his boots at your roof! =]
- Your ever caring drum teacher, Ata
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