Posted by4 years ago
Tuning Schemes for the Modern Percussion Ensemble BY MICHAEL MCINTOSH. To properly tune the bottom (snare side) head, set the head on the bot. CONCERT BASS: I consider the concert bass drum an integral part of the symphonic percus-sion ensemble. The highest paid player. To tune the bass drum, seat the head on the bear-ing edge and slowly. Concert Snare Drum, Toms and Bass Drum-Tuning and Adjustment BY TOM FREER Concert percussion instruments should be approached with a much different point of view than those of the Drum Corp. It is important to adjust and tune your concert equipment with this in mind due to the completely different acoustic and dynamic demands made on them.
Archived
Marching percussion care and tuning guide
Tools
- Adjustable wrench
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Lubricant(I use vaseline) It was mentioned that vaseline can cause damage to lugs and casings by attracting dirt and debris. A 3 in 1 lubricant was recommended in it's place.
- Cymbal cleaner(I use groove juice)
- Towel(you should wash it from time to time, but I know you wont)
Spare parts to keep on hand
- Cymbal felts
- Lugs for snare
- Lugs for tenors
- Lugs for basses(each bass usually needs different ones based on size)
- Stick tape
- Cymbal straps
- Cymbal pads
- Cord for restringing keyboards(I use paracord)
Cleaning
Firstly, a good investment to keep your equipment looking good is covers for the keyboards and drums. I can understand that not every program can afford these or will buy them even if they can, but if your program doesn't get new drums every few years, it's a good investment. When I was in high school we actually made drum covers out of thick felt and velcro that was sewn on. Cheap and still pretty effective.
Note: Having covers for the keyboards is the first priority in my opinion, and these need to be durable as they will take a lot of abuse being put on and off the keyboards. These will help protect them when you're not around to protect them.
Drum shells:
I usually use windex and a microfiber rag. The Microfiber is important because regular rags and paper towels leave 'fuzzies'. For black bass drum hoops with chipped paint, I have always used a sharpie to color the wood. For large areas missing paint I would look into painting the rims, but be sure to use a high quality paint with a finish similar to the finish on the rest of the rims on the line.
Drumheads:
I use windex and a regular towel or rag. If your heads are older they won't get back to being shiny and new looking as the sticks stricking the head scuffs it, but you can at least keep them clean looking by taking off the blood, sweat, and tears.
Hardware:
can be polished with any metal cleaner, and the best way to polish it would be to disassemble the drum so you can clean all the surfaces. Keep in mind that many marching snares have brushed aluminum on the tension rods and sometimes the rims. These can still be polished, but they will never shine like chrome.
I think there was a refinishing tutorial that someone posted here a while ago where they sanded and repainted their rims. I could see that working as long as you used the right paint, but I have no experience with it and would recommend avoiding it unless your hardware has some serious issues.
Cymbals:
Cleaning and polishing a cymbal are two different things. Using a polish on a dirty cymbal will just result in a tired arm and a poor looking cymbal. To clean a cymbal, I use Groove Juice but you can use any cymbal cleaner, though I don't know which ones work well other than what I use. The directions say you should just spray it on and rinse off, but if your cymbals are pretty dirty use a sponge with scrubber pad and gently scrub the dirt off(NOTE: I have heard that this product will take the logos off. I never scrub over mine and don't let it sit on the logos too long.). You can polish cymbals after they are clean, but I don't.
Keyboards:
I would just use a damp cloth and wipe these down. Not much more to it than that. Some natural wood keyboards(if not laquered) need to be oiled with a non-waxed oil(I have heard lemon oil, but I have never done it personally).
Timpani:
If you have a set of copper bowl timpani, you can use copper cleaner and polish(or not). Since these shouldn't be touched often, they shouldn't get that dirty.
Care
Drums:
Drums should be kept dry or dried as soon as possible after getting wet(THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE A TOWEL). They should be stored in an organized manner and in a way they they are protected from the floor. Carriers should be removed and stored separately. Obviously cases would help with this, but if none are available then storing the drums on carpet or some other kind of pad of some sort will help protect them.
Drums should not be used as seats, nor should things be stored on top of them if possible. Stacking bass drums on top of one another in a tower should be avoided as it can harm the heads(I know drum corps do it, but they also get new heads several times a season). Drums should not be rolled across the band room or field. Drums should never be played with implements that were not meant to be used on them, so drumsticks shouldn't be used on bass drums or keyboards, nor should hammers, feet, your fists. If music calls for you to strike the side of the drum, take care to strike softly to make sure you don't do damage to the tension rods(snare).
Keyboards:
Keyboards should be kept dry or dried as soon as possible. This is especially important for keyboards with natural wood keys(ideally these would not be used out of doors as the humidity changes can affect the keys and ruin them after a time). Take extra care not to damage the stands when moving keyboards if you don't have field frames. Keyboards should not be used as seats and things should not be stored on top of them, ever.
Keyboards should never be played with implements that were not meant to be used on them, so drumsticks shouldn't be used. I would also avoid using metal bell mallets on anything other than bells. If you need a hard mallet for vibes or marimba, use hard rubber or plastic mallets.
Cymbals:
Cymbals should be cleaned periodically and stored somewhere safe. If bags or cases aren't available, cymbals should be stacked carefully and neatly out of the way. Cymbals should not be used as a seat. Cymbals should not be rolled on the ground. Cymbals should not be 'spiked into the grass' to see if you can get them to stand upright. Cymbals should not be thrown like a frisbee.
Cymbals should never be played with implements that were not meant to be used on them. Though there are times to play marching cymbals with drumsticks, it should be done carefully and care should be taken not to play these like drumset cymbals. Suspended cymbals are even more prone to damage this way, so extra care should be taken and mallets or concert drumsticks should be used whenever possible.
Timpani:
Timpani should remain in an environment where the temperature is constant and should be moved as little as possible. When you do have to move timpani, be sure that you don't pick them up by the rim. Pick up or hold timpani by the support posts or the bowl itself. This keeps the rims from becoming warped and ruining the tuning. Timpani should be stored with covers if possible, and never have anything stored on top of them.
Sticks and mallets:
Taping marching sticks or mallets can greatly increase the life of the implement and I recommend always using sticks that have been taped. Electrical tape is the best tape to use for this, and I would not recommend using other tapes like duct tape. Keyboard mallets do not need to be taped. Keyboard mallets are fairly fragile and should not be clicked together. Keyboard or bass drum mallets should only be played on flat and non-abrasive surfaces like tile or the instruments themselves and never on concrete or carpet as it can degrade the material covering the mallet.
Tuning
This guide goes over the basics.
When installing new heads on a drum, first be sure to use this opportunity to clean the inside of the drum of debris and to clean the hardware of stick tape remnants and whatnot. This is also the best time to polish your hardware. Take this time to inspect your drum and see if any parts need to be replaced. Bent lugs, broken snares, or loose screws should be replaced or tightened. If the drums have been tuned improperly in the past your rims may be warped. There is no good fix for this that I've found other than either dealing with it or purchasing a new rim. If you use a bent rim, keep in mind that the tone near each lug will be different. You can adjust your tuning to compensate for this, but it will wear heads prematurely compared to a 'true' hoop.
When installing new heads keep in mind that new heads will settle for a few days and need to be re-tuned after this. This means that when installing new heads before a performance you should be sure to install them a few days before the performance to give them a change to settle.
Also keep in mind that drums sound vastly different up close compared to far away(where most of your audience will be) and so you should step back 20 or 30 ft and have someone else play the drum to get a clear idea of the real sound. (Cadets bass drums sound awful up close, but once you step back they sound like heaven)
One last thing is to install all heads with logos uniformly placed, and on bass drums make sure that once the drum is adjusted to a carrier that the logo is parallel to the ground on top or bottom(or on the side, if you have those).
Snare:
Take note of the guide on tuning the individual snares. While not necessary, each snare wire should be near the same tension, if not the exact same. You should use lubricant on your lugs before installing them. I take a small amount and apply it to the bottom 1/4 inch of each lug right before I install the head. This keeps the lugs moving at high tension and reduces the squeaking when being adjusted.
I adjust the snares so that when on, they are perfectly parallel with the bottom head and completely in contact across the whole length. If you set your snare throw-off too high it causes the snare wires to bow and lose contact with the center of the head. Take the time to set this and the snares will be responsive even during low level play.
I usually tune the bottom head to a reasonable tension, and then Adjust the top head until I get a high pitched sound. I will then alternate SLIGHTLY tightening the bottom head, and do most of the tightening on the batter.
Tenors:
Tenor drums are meant to have sustain. Over-tightening the heads will not only shorten the life of the heads, but it will also make them sound dull when played. Once heads reach a certain age, they are 'dead' and will no longer be able to achieve a sustained tone even when readjusted. I also lubricate these lugs.
I tune tenors like:
(4)Major 3rd(3)minor 3rd(2)Major 3rd(1)
Here is a video demonstrating a major 3rd.
The first two tones of the song Kum Ba Yah are a major 3rd.
Here is a video demonstrating a minor 3rd.
The first two tones of the song So long, farewell are a minor 3rd.
This is up to user preference, but I have had good success using those ranges for almost a decade in high school and college, as well as when teaching.
Spock and gock drums are tricky, because if you aren't going to get new heads very often you should take it easy on them. I would tune them just high enough to sound reasonable. You can give them a few cranks before a game or competition if you like but take it easy.
Bass drums:
Lubricate these lugs as well. The intervals in bass drums are important since a bassline with bad or no interval tuning won't have a nice sound when going up and down the line and unisons won't have a nice full sound.
For 6 basses I use:
(5)Perfect 5th(4)Perfect 4th(3)Major 3rd(2)Minor 3rd(1) and I turn bottom bass into a groove machine(tuned only high enough as to have pitch and sustain, but still low and slightly 'flappy' to give unisons extra punch)
For 5 I use the same tuning but leave off bass 6
For 4 I use the same but leave off 6 and 1
Major and minor 3rds are demonstrated above in the tenor tuning section.
Here is an example of a Perfect 4th.
The first two tones of the song Here comes the bride are a Perfect 4th.
Here is an example of a Perfect 5th.
The first two tones of the song Twinkle Twinkle little star are a Perfect 5th.
Bass drum heads should both be tuned to the same pitch, and this is very hard to do. I have had luck gently muting one head with my hand while checking the pitch of the other. If you use this method make sure your muting hand is putting as little pressure as possible on the head two avoid changing the pitch.
Dampening bass heads:
Evans heads come with felt dampening pads that can be installed on the inside of the head near the shell. I would use at least 2 if you are using them, and make them evenly spaced.
Bass Hardware:
When tuning smaller bass drums to a high tension sometimes the hoop and lugs will warp and bend. These should be replaced if they are bent as they have a chance of breaking while tuning or adjusting. This isn't a problem for everyone, but is something to watch for.
Cymbals:
You don't tune cymbals, but you should inspect the straps to check for wear and change them BEFORE they break. For marching cymbals the straps should be adjusted to the player's hands and be almost uncomfortably tight if using a playing style like this with hands flat against the cymbals. This style gives you more control over the cymbal but does cause the straps to wear prematurely, so if your line uses this style be sure to check your straps regularly.
Cymbals straps should be tied in a square knot like this. A coin such as a penny or dime can be added inside the knot to ensure the knot doesn't pull through while playing aggressively.
Timpani:
Timpani do not need to be tuned very often nor do their heads need to be changed very often. If your timpani need a head change or to be tuned, I would leave it to an instructor or the director unless you have a great deal of experience tuning and with hearing pitch and intervals.
Music:
You should always try to use copies of music rather than the master copy. Even if using a copy, always use pencil to make notes so you can change them if necessary.
Always keep your music in a flip-folder or three ring binder with the music in sheet protectors. Not only does this make it easier to deal with your music, but it also protects your music from rain and wind. I always keep a few of these with my music so that in windy conditions I can clip my music to the stand and to my binder.
88% Upvoted
Posted by4 years ago
Archived
Marching percussion care and tuning guide
Tools
- Adjustable wrench
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Lubricant(I use vaseline) It was mentioned that vaseline can cause damage to lugs and casings by attracting dirt and debris. A 3 in 1 lubricant was recommended in it's place.
- Cymbal cleaner(I use groove juice)
- Towel(you should wash it from time to time, but I know you wont)
Spare parts to keep on hand
- Cymbal felts
- Lugs for snare
- Lugs for tenors
- Lugs for basses(each bass usually needs different ones based on size)
- Stick tape
- Cymbal straps
- Cymbal pads
- Cord for restringing keyboards(I use paracord)
Cleaning
Firstly, a good investment to keep your equipment looking good is covers for the keyboards and drums. I can understand that not every program can afford these or will buy them even if they can, but if your program doesn't get new drums every few years, it's a good investment. When I was in high school we actually made drum covers out of thick felt and velcro that was sewn on. Cheap and still pretty effective.
Note: Having covers for the keyboards is the first priority in my opinion, and these need to be durable as they will take a lot of abuse being put on and off the keyboards. These will help protect them when you're not around to protect them.
Drum shells:
I usually use windex and a microfiber rag. The Microfiber is important because regular rags and paper towels leave 'fuzzies'. For black bass drum hoops with chipped paint, I have always used a sharpie to color the wood. For large areas missing paint I would look into painting the rims, but be sure to use a high quality paint with a finish similar to the finish on the rest of the rims on the line.
Drumheads:
I use windex and a regular towel or rag. If your heads are older they won't get back to being shiny and new looking as the sticks stricking the head scuffs it, but you can at least keep them clean looking by taking off the blood, sweat, and tears.
Hardware:
can be polished with any metal cleaner, and the best way to polish it would be to disassemble the drum so you can clean all the surfaces. Keep in mind that many marching snares have brushed aluminum on the tension rods and sometimes the rims. These can still be polished, but they will never shine like chrome.
I think there was a refinishing tutorial that someone posted here a while ago where they sanded and repainted their rims. I could see that working as long as you used the right paint, but I have no experience with it and would recommend avoiding it unless your hardware has some serious issues.
Cymbals:
Cleaning and polishing a cymbal are two different things. Using a polish on a dirty cymbal will just result in a tired arm and a poor looking cymbal. To clean a cymbal, I use Groove Juice but you can use any cymbal cleaner, though I don't know which ones work well other than what I use. The directions say you should just spray it on and rinse off, but if your cymbals are pretty dirty use a sponge with scrubber pad and gently scrub the dirt off(NOTE: I have heard that this product will take the logos off. I never scrub over mine and don't let it sit on the logos too long.). You can polish cymbals after they are clean, but I don't.
Keyboards:
I would just use a damp cloth and wipe these down. Not much more to it than that. Some natural wood keyboards(if not laquered) need to be oiled with a non-waxed oil(I have heard lemon oil, but I have never done it personally).
Timpani:
If you have a set of copper bowl timpani, you can use copper cleaner and polish(or not). Since these shouldn't be touched often, they shouldn't get that dirty.
Care
Drums:
Drums should be kept dry or dried as soon as possible after getting wet(THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE A TOWEL). They should be stored in an organized manner and in a way they they are protected from the floor. Carriers should be removed and stored separately. Obviously cases would help with this, but if none are available then storing the drums on carpet or some other kind of pad of some sort will help protect them.
Drums should not be used as seats, nor should things be stored on top of them if possible. Stacking bass drums on top of one another in a tower should be avoided as it can harm the heads(I know drum corps do it, but they also get new heads several times a season). Drums should not be rolled across the band room or field. Drums should never be played with implements that were not meant to be used on them, so drumsticks shouldn't be used on bass drums or keyboards, nor should hammers, feet, your fists. If music calls for you to strike the side of the drum, take care to strike softly to make sure you don't do damage to the tension rods(snare).
Keyboards:
Keyboards should be kept dry or dried as soon as possible. This is especially important for keyboards with natural wood keys(ideally these would not be used out of doors as the humidity changes can affect the keys and ruin them after a time). Take extra care not to damage the stands when moving keyboards if you don't have field frames. Keyboards should not be used as seats and things should not be stored on top of them, ever.
Keyboards should never be played with implements that were not meant to be used on them, so drumsticks shouldn't be used. I would also avoid using metal bell mallets on anything other than bells. If you need a hard mallet for vibes or marimba, use hard rubber or plastic mallets.
Cymbals:
Cymbals should be cleaned periodically and stored somewhere safe. If bags or cases aren't available, cymbals should be stacked carefully and neatly out of the way. Cymbals should not be used as a seat. Cymbals should not be rolled on the ground. Cymbals should not be 'spiked into the grass' to see if you can get them to stand upright. Cymbals should not be thrown like a frisbee.
Cymbals should never be played with implements that were not meant to be used on them. Though there are times to play marching cymbals with drumsticks, it should be done carefully and care should be taken not to play these like drumset cymbals. Suspended cymbals are even more prone to damage this way, so extra care should be taken and mallets or concert drumsticks should be used whenever possible.
Timpani:
Timpani should remain in an environment where the temperature is constant and should be moved as little as possible. When you do have to move timpani, be sure that you don't pick them up by the rim. Pick up or hold timpani by the support posts or the bowl itself. This keeps the rims from becoming warped and ruining the tuning. Timpani should be stored with covers if possible, and never have anything stored on top of them.
Sticks and mallets:
Taping marching sticks or mallets can greatly increase the life of the implement and I recommend always using sticks that have been taped. Electrical tape is the best tape to use for this, and I would not recommend using other tapes like duct tape. Keyboard mallets do not need to be taped. Keyboard mallets are fairly fragile and should not be clicked together. Keyboard or bass drum mallets should only be played on flat and non-abrasive surfaces like tile or the instruments themselves and never on concrete or carpet as it can degrade the material covering the mallet.
Tuning
This guide goes over the basics.
When installing new heads on a drum, first be sure to use this opportunity to clean the inside of the drum of debris and to clean the hardware of stick tape remnants and whatnot. This is also the best time to polish your hardware. Take this time to inspect your drum and see if any parts need to be replaced. Bent lugs, broken snares, or loose screws should be replaced or tightened. If the drums have been tuned improperly in the past your rims may be warped. There is no good fix for this that I've found other than either dealing with it or purchasing a new rim. If you use a bent rim, keep in mind that the tone near each lug will be different. You can adjust your tuning to compensate for this, but it will wear heads prematurely compared to a 'true' hoop.
When installing new heads keep in mind that new heads will settle for a few days and need to be re-tuned after this. This means that when installing new heads before a performance you should be sure to install them a few days before the performance to give them a change to settle.
Also keep in mind that drums sound vastly different up close compared to far away(where most of your audience will be) and so you should step back 20 or 30 ft and have someone else play the drum to get a clear idea of the real sound. (Cadets bass drums sound awful up close, but once you step back they sound like heaven)
One last thing is to install all heads with logos uniformly placed, and on bass drums make sure that once the drum is adjusted to a carrier that the logo is parallel to the ground on top or bottom(or on the side, if you have those).
Snare:
Take note of the guide on tuning the individual snares. While not necessary, each snare wire should be near the same tension, if not the exact same. You should use lubricant on your lugs before installing them. I take a small amount and apply it to the bottom 1/4 inch of each lug right before I install the head. This keeps the lugs moving at high tension and reduces the squeaking when being adjusted.
I adjust the snares so that when on, they are perfectly parallel with the bottom head and completely in contact across the whole length. If you set your snare throw-off too high it causes the snare wires to bow and lose contact with the center of the head. Take the time to set this and the snares will be responsive even during low level play.
I usually tune the bottom head to a reasonable tension, and then Adjust the top head until I get a high pitched sound. I will then alternate SLIGHTLY tightening the bottom head, and do most of the tightening on the batter.
Tenors:
Tenor drums are meant to have sustain. Over-tightening the heads will not only shorten the life of the heads, but it will also make them sound dull when played. Once heads reach a certain age, they are 'dead' and will no longer be able to achieve a sustained tone even when readjusted. I also lubricate these lugs.
I tune tenors like:
(4)Major 3rd(3)minor 3rd(2)Major 3rd(1)
Here is a video demonstrating a major 3rd.
The first two tones of the song Kum Ba Yah are a major 3rd.
Here is a video demonstrating a minor 3rd.
The first two tones of the song So long, farewell are a minor 3rd.
This is up to user preference, but I have had good success using those ranges for almost a decade in high school and college, as well as when teaching.
Spock and gock drums are tricky, because if you aren't going to get new heads very often you should take it easy on them. I would tune them just high enough to sound reasonable. You can give them a few cranks before a game or competition if you like but take it easy.
Bass drums:
Lubricate these lugs as well. The intervals in bass drums are important since a bassline with bad or no interval tuning won't have a nice sound when going up and down the line and unisons won't have a nice full sound.
For 6 basses I use:
(5)Perfect 5th(4)Perfect 4th(3)Major 3rd(2)Minor 3rd(1) and I turn bottom bass into a groove machine(tuned only high enough as to have pitch and sustain, but still low and slightly 'flappy' to give unisons extra punch)
For 5 I use the same tuning but leave off bass 6
For 4 I use the same but leave off 6 and 1
Major and minor 3rds are demonstrated above in the tenor tuning section.
Here is an example of a Perfect 4th.
The first two tones of the song Here comes the bride are a Perfect 4th.
Here is an example of a Perfect 5th.
The first two tones of the song Twinkle Twinkle little star are a Perfect 5th.
Bass drum heads should both be tuned to the same pitch, and this is very hard to do. I have had luck gently muting one head with my hand while checking the pitch of the other. If you use this method make sure your muting hand is putting as little pressure as possible on the head two avoid changing the pitch.
Dampening bass heads:
Evans heads come with felt dampening pads that can be installed on the inside of the head near the shell. I would use at least 2 if you are using them, and make them evenly spaced.
Bass Hardware:
When tuning smaller bass drums to a high tension sometimes the hoop and lugs will warp and bend. These should be replaced if they are bent as they have a chance of breaking while tuning or adjusting. This isn't a problem for everyone, but is something to watch for.
Cymbals:
You don't tune cymbals, but you should inspect the straps to check for wear and change them BEFORE they break. For marching cymbals the straps should be adjusted to the player's hands and be almost uncomfortably tight if using a playing style like this with hands flat against the cymbals. This style gives you more control over the cymbal but does cause the straps to wear prematurely, so if your line uses this style be sure to check your straps regularly.
Cymbals straps should be tied in a square knot like this. A coin such as a penny or dime can be added inside the knot to ensure the knot doesn't pull through while playing aggressively.
Timpani:
Timpani do not need to be tuned very often nor do their heads need to be changed very often. If your timpani need a head change or to be tuned, I would leave it to an instructor or the director unless you have a great deal of experience tuning and with hearing pitch and intervals.
Music:
You should always try to use copies of music rather than the master copy. Even if using a copy, always use pencil to make notes so you can change them if necessary.
Always keep your music in a flip-folder or three ring binder with the music in sheet protectors. Not only does this make it easier to deal with your music, but it also protects your music from rain and wind. I always keep a few of these with my music so that in windy conditions I can clip my music to the stand and to my binder.
88% Upvoted