A Conversation on Drum Tuning

Drum tuning is a topic full of preference and hardly any hard and fast rules. The way a drum is tuned has more to do with the sound of a drum than anything you can do at FOH. Learning to talk with your drummer about how they tune their drums will only help to strengthen your relationship with them, while also helping to achieve a better sound. Rhett Harken and Phil Bledsoe have a conversation on how to talk about drum tuning, and how to make compromises while still honoring and respecting one another in the process.

Key Points:
  • Always give drummers and engineers the benefit of the doubt, they may be aware of the issue before you bring it up!
  • Making compromises with one another not only creates a better overall sound, but also creates a healthier team dynamic.
  • If your drums are horribly out of tune, start by loosening all lugs, then tightening them to finger tightness. From there, turn each lug a quarter turn until you’ve reached a sound you like!

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Audio
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