Slow Adam Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Click here to listen to individual snares being tuned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sday88 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Click here to listen to individual snares being tuned That's a pretty cool site. Mike sure tuned that top head awful fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Hawkeye Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 [/tuning discussion] We know who the winners and losers are... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 You sir, have clearly not watched Cavaliers Drumming for a New Millenium DVD -- McIntosh shows exactly how to tune the individual snare strands. I'd even go so far as to say the strands are easier to tune than the tension of the head. And you sir, clearly were not listening when Mike said..."nothing set in stone... just getting them to sound the same." Sure, there's a pitch, just like the rubber bands on a cigar-box banjo. And don't expect it to hold for very long. Play the drum for a few minutes and (no disrespect intended) splooey! - back to the pencil and screwdriver. The word "indefinite" comes to mind. You'll notice that Mike clearly makes no mention of specific notes, either with regard to the snares or the heads. He's no dummy! Fred O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Hawkeye Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 (edited) And you sir, clearly were not listening when Mike said..."nothing set in stone... just getting them to sound the same." Sure, there's a pitch, just like the rubber bands on a cigar-box banjo. And don't expect it to hold for very long. Play the drum for a few minutes and (no disrespect intended) splooey! - back to the pencil and screwdriver. The word "indefinite" comes to mind. You'll notice that Mike clearly makes no mention of specific notes, either with regard to the snares or the heads. He's no dummy! Fred O. Don't take this personally.. there's just no nice way to ask... have you ever really, thoroughly tuned a snare drum? I mean sat down and spent an hour or two tuning a snarline? I truly don't sense any aura of clear, definitive comments. Like a fortune cookie... your comments kinda sorta work for a number of things.. but c'mon. Your whole post basically said... heads dont retain tension forever, and they need to be tuned frequently. We do agree on a couple things, however. You're right I don't expect the guts or the head to hold tone forever - depending on your definition of "very long" - particularly when weather is a factor. Nothin you said negates the fact that the guts most positively can be EASILY tuned to a pitch (tuning fork works nicely). We also agree that Mr. McIntosh is no dummy, but i'm sure for the purposes of the posted video, he wasn't going for absolute tonal quality, rather (rather quickly) demonstrating that its doable, and how to do it. Fact of the matter is, if you want to produce a dry snare sound, and you come to realize that hey, tuning the guts to an F, loosening the the tension and cranking the top head accomlishes that - whatre ya gonna do? reiterating: Bottom line: I still don't think you can nail down the pitch of a snare drum (much less the individual snare strands, as someone suggested earlier) to a specific note. wrong. very much. Edited October 31, 2008 by 08Hawkeye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Don't take this personally.. there's just no nice way to ask... have you ever really, thoroughly tuned a snare drum? Likewise, with no personal disrespect intended: yes, I've tuned lots of snare drums, going way back to big pre-DCI 14" x 16" mylar head super sensitives (we all had those Ludwig drum keys with the crappy little screwdriver attached) and on up through contmporary 12" x 14" kevlar free-floaters, with everything in between - two ply, silver dot, double hoop, powerstroke (with the rubber gasket), cat-gut, fiber-tech, rot-gut... you name it. My opinionated (and perhaps cantankerous) perspective comes from a long history of having been there/done that. As I've stated several time here on this thread, I am in no way diminishing the importance of proper tuning - getting the head "in tune" with itself, establishing a good tension/pitch (there's that word!) relationship top to bottom, "tuning" the snares - and so on. Nor do I take issue with any one who can get a good sound out their snare drum(s), by whatever method they choose to employ. Respect, absolutely, to the guy who can tame those beasts. But I still take issue (and this is just my opinion, mind you) with the notion of "pitch" on a snare drum. See below: reiterating:Bottom line: I still don't think you can nail down the pitch of a snare drum (much less the individual snare strands, as someone suggested earlier) to a specific note. wrong. very much. I'm still betting (as I posted weeks ago) that if you send three knowledgable drum guys to separate rooms with instructions to tune a snare drum to top head D, bottom head A (and you can throw in the snares, tuned to your note of choice), you'll end up with three different sounding drums. Yeah, you can (indeed, you must) "tune" them, but not like a trumpet or a violin. They have always been - and remain - instruments of indefinite pitch. Peace, friend - may your snare line always project a crisp, clear sound at all dynamic levels, Fred O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow Adam Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Peace, friend - may your snare line always project a crisp, clear sound at all dynamic levels, That, in my opinion is the hardest thing to do. I always have trouble getting enough snare response at low dynamic levels when playing out by the rim. Maybe I just want to much snare sound from my snare drums, but it's always been a thorn in my side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Hawkeye Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 My opinionated (and perhaps cantankerous) perspective comes from a long history of having been there/done that. may your snare line always project a crisp, clear sound at all dynamic levels, 1) Experience is the best teacher. - more reason if any to be stubborn in any aspect with reguard to deviating from the tried and true mechanisms that works for a person. 2)well played sir... well played. That, in my opinion is the hardest thing to do. I always have trouble getting enough snare response at low dynamic levels when playing out by the rim. Maybe I just want to much snare sound from my snare drums, but it's always been a thorn in my side. Turn on the scotties . Kidding, sort of. I think playing on the edge in its nature has a timbre of its own. I wouldn't ever expect to hear the same snare sound on the edge as in the center. In fact... I might be a little weirded out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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