> I cant "hear" an A or a C note, how do you do it?

Jeff - This video will help you to learn how to listen for 'pitch' in a drum. Do you play a little guitar, or other instrument? (aside from drums.) As a drummer you will find it extremely helpful if you have a good 'basic' knowledge of music in general. Familiarize yourself with the seven note musical scale, how to play in the basic/most commonly used time signatures, etc. It doesn't have to be comprehensive, but having some knowledge of music and structure will be a tremendous tool for you to have. It's important for you to understand what the other guys are talking about when the band is going over new tunes/material. It'll help you to know/understand what is required of you as the drummer if you understand what a particular piece of music is asking for in terms of groove, or feel. Don't get me wrong, there is a heap of really great self-taught drummers out there who cannot read a note... but man oh man, does it help!

Listen to Bob's tutorial here:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxm3QunDjUs"]Bob Gatzen - Snare Drum Tuning - YouTube[/ame]

John

Thanks John. I watched the video, my snare side was pretty close his. One of those pitch devices would be nice but I have a drum dial and just wondered what you drum dial reads on your snare.

Jeff - For DrumDial: 90 on the snare side is good (right about an 'A') and 75 on the batter side will put you mid-range on top. You can go up, or down from there as per your own taste in drum sound. :D

For 'tight' and 'bouncy' (increased rebound) go to 80/85 on top.

For more 'body' and 'fatness' go to 70/75 on top.

John

Well, my batter was at 85 and snare at 75 and sounded alright. I did not crank the snare side up to 90, thought it would break, the key was getting hard to turn. So I went to 85 on the snare side, that sounded to ringy so I took it back down to 80 and that sounds pretty good, I think I will leave it there for a while. Just need to keep playing with it, thanks for your help!

Jeff - when you crank the bottom head you're going to get a little resistance out of the tuning key and... it's supposed to sound a little ringy! That bottom head serves a mechanical function, providing a nice tight surface for the snares to vibrate on. It's all a matter of personal taste of course, but don't be afraid of cranking the snare head. When you throw the snares off, the drum is supposed to sound like a high-pitched tom, almost like a timbale if you're tuned high. A little 'ring' is a good thing in a snare drum. You -want that- when you play out near the edges/rims. When you're playing with the band, all those frequencies will disappear anyway. If the drum is tuned flat, that's what you're going to get out of it, a boxy, flat sound. A well-tuned snare drum will be responsive, have a good pop when you nail it near the center and have some cool ringy tones when you play out by the rims. You have to crank the snare head for that. A snare head that is tuned too low will produce a flat, dry sound. May as well play a cardboard box at that point. All of it is personal choice of course. Tune your drum the way it sounds best to you. But don't be afraid to crank a snare head tight...

John

Using a drumdial I tune most of my snares with the bottom head around 82. Batter heads are around 88 on my jazzfest, about 83 on my acrolite. I have a Pearl Chad Smith Signature snare that is tuned much higher: about 90 on the bottom head and 88 or higher on the top.

I'd say the "a" tuning serves the interest of the drumhead industry, as the high tension will make the head stretch and/or tear.

With the snare side head, you can actually identify one pitch pretty easily; batter heads have much more than one tone going, it's not easy to replicate just by listening for a "c" etc. There are low tunings where you can hear a "c" in there, as well as high tuning.

You'll just recognize the timbre of a high vs. a low sound over time.

Thank Justin, that was helpful, I like what I hear now.

What kind of string do you recommend to attach the snare to the strainer and the butt.

Thanks

I used a cord from an old Venetian blind.