Does Your Drum Kit Have the Right Sound?

Having an understanding of proper drum sound will help in the selection of your 4 or 5 piece drum kit.  The beginning drummer has to be realistic about their expectations.  A beginning drum set will not duplicate the sound of an elaborate brand name drum set.  Yet, understanding the style music you want to play along with reasonable guidelines should be enable you to make an informed decision.

Beginners may want to recruit some experienced help when testing the sound of a new drum set.  Most stores will allow the purchaser to sample the set or at least to have a store employee provide a sound sampling.  If you have an experienced friend, you may want the friend to test the set.  Be sure to heed the experienced drummer’s advice.

The first thing you might notice is balance.  If the components emit an uneven sound, it may be a question of proper tuning.  Each component should be checked.  If the overall sound is dull, move on to another set.  The desired sound should be distinctively clean.  For the beginner, the clean sound is easiest to recognize in the cymbals.  However, the toms, snare and bass should also come clean.

If the set sounds even, you should next listen for pitch, tone, projection and ring.  Many times these qualities can be controlled by your play and by proper maintenance and setup.

Tuning is a major influence on the overall sound of the set.  If you have a clean sound to start, you will learn through trial and error to find the balanced sound you need.  By being slightly looser with you tuning, your set will take a deeper tone.  Likewise, tightening raises the pitch.

Decide on the overall sound you seek.  Sometimes that is influenced by the style music you want to play.  When tuning, the drummer is pursuing an overall sound.  As you tune the individual drum components, attempt to allow each drum contribute to the overall sound.

The audience usually hears the “attack” sound.  The drum’s other sounds are called overtones.  It is the overtones that differentiate the drums from other musical instruments in the piece.  Beginning drummers often do not understand the range of sounds a drum can emit.  Remember that the higher the drum is tuned, the stronger and longer the ringing will be.

Many drummers find that tightening the snare and keeping the strainer fairly loose helps find the right mix.  This is really a matter of choice and experimentation.  Listen to sounds that you want to emulate and play with different tuning combinations until you find a home.  Chances are, your sound choices will surprise you.  Enjoy getting to know you new friend!