Tuning a drum is full of variables. For that reason this article is a guide and not definitive. Essentially tuning is the process of creating tension on a drum skin to affect the tone of the drum when it is struck. The most common methods of creating tension on the skin fall into three general categories; mechanical, heat and rope. This article will center on tuning a drum using the modern method of mechanical tuning incorporating the tuning lug, ring and nut.

The illustration below is from a drum made by LP. Drums made by Remo and other companies vary in appearance and might use special wrenches but all employ a tuning lug, nut and tuning ring. By turning the nut clockwise you cause the lug to pull the tuning ring and tighten the skin and visa-versa.

For a new drum or an older skin that has stretched on one side resulting in an uneven drumhead:

1. Loosen all the nuts on the tuning lugs so that there is no tension on the tuning ring.
2. The tuning ring should now be level with the same amount of drum skin showing above the tuning ring all the way around. If not, tighten the nuts closest to the part of the drum head where less skin is showing above the tuning ring until the amount of skin showing above the tuning ring is even all the way around. The idea is to start the tuning process in a way that the same amount of drum skin showing above the tuning ring is the equal all around the drum. This is to avoid un-level tuning that warps a skin.
3. Hand tighten all the (remaining) nuts.
4. Mark your starting point with a piece of tape and tighten each nut 1/2 turn all the way around the drum. Repeat this process until the skin is stretched to a point where you can not push in the skin at the center of the drum head with your fingers. Check to see if the amount of skin showing above the tuning ring is equal around the drum.. If not refer back to step two and make adjustments.

When the skin is even and tight enough so that you can't push it in with your fingers you should get a tone when you hit the drum. At this point we get into the art of tuning and it becomes somewhat subjective. The notes you get from your drum will be dependent on its shape, size, and what kind of skin it has. Another factor involved is your experience in getting the three basic tones from a hand drum; tone, bass, and slap*.  In general a smaller drum head has a higher tone and is tightened to a greater degree then a larger head drum used for its bass note.

Thin skin drum like the djembe usually has a goat skin and is tightened to a point where there is a crisp tone with little sustain** on its outer diameter and a sharp crack when slapped, but not so tight as to lose its bass note when struck toward the center.  The dumbek is tuned in the same way.

Artificial heads are tuned with the same objectives but have more sustain with a ringing sound and does not offer the same richness in tone as an animal skin on a wooden drum.  Tip: if you put three strips of duct tape equidistant from each other near the outer diameter and inside an artificial drum head it will reduce the ringing and produce more mellow tones.

Thicker calf skin drums like congas and bongos do not have as broad a range between bass and tone notes.  They usually come in sets and are tuned relative to one another.  The smaller the drum in the set the more tension you need to get the higher tone it is designed for.  Conga drums are designed to be played in a set of three drums; Quinto (small head and high notes often used for solos), conga (mid-range and more versatile) and tumba (largest head and bass drum).  The conga should be tuned first for a rich sweet tone.  Then tune the quinto for a higher note and less sustain.  The tumba can then be tuned for a lower bass note than the conga with more sustain.  Bongos are designed for the small head to be high pitched and the large to be a bass offset.

Tuning natural skin drums is effected by humidity and heat.  In high humidity the skins will stretch and soften by absorbing moisture from the air.  The opposite is true in direct sunlight where the skin will heat up, dry and tighten.  Artificial skins are not effected by humidity and once tuned will remain tuned. Tip; when playing thin skinned drums like the doumbek and djembe in Florida the skins tend to soften when the sun sets. On stage I have used a heating pad and put the drum face down on it to tighten the head between songs. Another method used is put the drum over a light bulb drum base down. A candle can also be used to tighten the skin. But it can also burn a hole in it if you are not careful. Place the drum base vertical over the candle and keep your hand on top of the skin. Don’t let it get hot! Warm should do.

Drum manufactures recommend that you lower the tension on the drum head (detune) after playing to keep the skin from stretching and thereby reducing its useful life span

F.L. 

* Primal Beat will be covering this subject in a future issue
** The length of time the sound hangs in the air.