Snare drum tuning is like fine-tuning a musical machine—getting everything just right makes a world of difference! Not only will your drums sound crisper and cleaner, but your playing experience will feel much smoother, too. Whether you’re a newbie hitting the kit for the first time or a seasoned pro perfecting your craft, this guide has everything you need to turn your drum tuning into an art form. So grab those drum keys, get ready to twist and tune, and let’s delve into the question, how to tune a snare drum?
1. Understand your drum
Snare drum tuning is a lot about understanding your drum. The types of shells can be classified into broad groups: wood, metal, synthetic (acrylic, carbon fibre, etc), and others (paper, glass, and other bizarre materials), and try to understand the key properties of these types. This will also help you understand how to set up a snare drum.
For instance, metal-shelled drums tend to produce more rings and volume than wood, but even then the spectrum of sounds across the different types of metal is quite wide. Aluminum will normally produce a much drier sound than brass, and steel is very different from copper.
2. Don’t eliminate the ring completely, tune without wires
One of the biggest villains in snare drum tuning is the obsession many drummers have with eliminating rings. In live situations in particular – even when miked – some ring is healthy, as long as it’s even and not discordant. Removing it will make your snare sound boxy to the audience, especially if you are playing at a moderate/loud volume.
Most of the ring will be absorbed by the rest of the band. Tune the snare drum without the wires at first (except in a gig situation). Why? Well, how can you know if the drum is in tune if you have this other sound going on? The setting of the snare wires is also very important and a fundamental part of the snare drum’s sound.
3. Start with the resonant head
Start with the resonant head with the snare wires and batter head off the drum. Bear in mind that the resonant (snare-side) head is generally very thin, weaker than other heads but light enough to seat itself (without pressing). Make sure that it is installed in a centered way and use the two-key method initially to settle it into place.
4. Begin to tune
To begin tuning, start from finger tight. You should have wrinkles between the lugs on either side of the snare bed. Rather than removing them by tuning the rest of the head tight, use two keys (one on either side) and tension enough to remove wrinkles.
5. Hit it, use your ears
Now, take each lug (except the lugs on either side of the snares – more on that later) up by quarter-turns until they are fairly tight and the head starts to produce quite a tinny or toppy sound with a little ring. The head needs to be evenly pitched and, in the case of the snare, we have to be even more fussy than usual.
The pitch you choose is up to you, but in most cases, the drum will work at its best if the resonant head is pretty tight, regardless of size. We’re talking much tighter than we’ve had before on other drums, but ultimately always use your ears to determine the point at which you stop.
6. Now the batter head
Turning to the batter head, seat the head using the same method described for toms and bass but tension the batter head very tight using the two-key method described before and, if possible, leave the drum overnight so that the head forms to the drum.
Take the batter head back to finger tight and using the two-key method take the tension up in half-turns around two or three times depending on the drum’s diameter. Check to make sure the head is evenly tuned across the drum and continue with smaller turns. The main focus of the batter head is to get the feel right but think about the amount of ring you want (or don’t want) from your drum.
7. Tune the top head lower
To get the best all-round sound, it’s usually effective to tune the top head a little lower than the snare side. Some drummers aim for a pitch difference of a third or fifth. You can simplify that approach by listening out for a pleasing and harmonious pitch difference. – mute one head while tapping the other and adjust as necessary.
8. Don’t fiddle with the resonant head
When making adjustments at this stage, it should almost always be on the batter’s head. Drummers often complain of too much ring and put gaffer on the head. Try to think about the ‘out front’ concept (your audience will hear it differently).
9. Follow the checklist
If you still think it’s too much, it usually means one of the following three things:
A. The batter head is too tight
B. You have an inappropriate head for the drum and style
C. You have the wrong snare for the sound you want
10. Return to the wires
Having lower tension on either side of the snare wires is effective because it allows the wires to sit better on the head. It also stops them from rattling by being half on and half off. A similar effect can be achieved by tightening the resonant head more than ‘normal’, pulling the skin down over the snare beds.
Some argue this approach increases sensitivity, but it does over-stretch and unnecessarily distort the already thin head to gain a result that can just as easily be achieved without doing so.
11. Set up the wires
Replace the snare wires and make sure they end up dead center, both across the width of the drum and square to the shell. Attach them initially so that the wires sit slightly nearer the butt end so that when you make the final adjustment with the release lever, the wires will be pulled to the center.
Loosen the snare release mechanism to its loosest working tension and place the lever in the ‘on’ position. Important because snare wires stretch over time and you’ll need to build in some scope for taking up the slack.
12. Play the drum
Now play the drum. If it rattles (too much), tighten the adjustment knob on the snare release a little at a time (quarter or half-turns), playing the drum between each adjustment. Never crank up the snares too much. If you have to make the snares tight, you’ve probably tuned the drum badly and you’ll end up choking the drum.
13. Follow the checklist 2
Two key give-aways to over-tight snares:
A. Tap the center of the batter side very softly. If there is no clear snare sound, the wires are too tight
B. When putting the release into the ‘on’ position, a snap of the wires occurs someway before the lever reaches its fully on position. It shouldn’t happen before the lever reaches its final position
14. Eliminate buzz
If you have a six-lug drum (such as a 10″ snare) you will need to start by applying even tension to all lugs and tuning evenly all around. Complete the method as described above, but if you do experience buzz problems (less likely with smaller snare drums) either when you strike the drum, or about your other drums (this is known as ‘sympathetic vibration’), try loosening each pair of lugs either side of the snare wires on the bottom head by a tiny amount (a quarter-turn should do it).
Compensate for tuning of the whole head by tightening the remaining lugs by a similar amount. This should do it. If you still get sympathetic vibrations from other drums, you’ve probably matched the pitch of the snare too closely to another drum (often the smallest tom). So, retune one or both offending drums.
Snare drum tuning is crucial because it affects the overall sound and tone of your drum kit. Well-tuned drums produce a clear and focused sound, whereas poorly tuned drums can sound muddy, dull, or even out of tune. Imagine playing a song with drums that are out of tune – it would be like listening to a symphony with an off-key instrument. By learning how to tune your drums correctly, you’ll be able to enhance your playing and achieve the desired sound for various musical styles.
One of the key benefits of drum tuning is the ability to control the sustain and resonance of your drums. By adjusting the tension of the drumheads, you can make your drums sound shorter and punchier or longer and more resonant. This allows you to adapt your drum kit to different musical genres and playing styles.
If you’re jamming alone in your basement and you aren’t denting the heads, you might only tune your drums every 6-12 months. They’ll definitely go out of tune long before then, but as long as they sound and feel good enough to you, that might be all you need to keep you happy.
However, if you’re a gigging or recording drummer – or you want to make sure your drums sound as good as they can, considering how much money you’ve invested in them – you might be tuning your kit once a week, once a day, or even between songs (which is the case in most studio situations).
The snare drum tuning chart:
