There's also the strange fact that when new drummers go to certain online forums and ask about tuning methods, there are people there who discourage them from using any of the devices that can help get a handle on the process, like Drum Dial or Tune-Bot, or my personal favorite, iDrumTune for the iPhone.

"Those things are just crutches, you need to learn to do it by ear."

And....how do I do that, exactly, with no reference point to start from?

Coming from the world of guitars, I was amazed that players of the hardest instrument to tune were so dismissive of using tools to tune them.

I own a baby grand piano and multiple guitars and basses, and players of those instruments would just stare if you suggested that they try to tune them without using an electronic tuner. Or at least a pitch reference and a method.

"Twist the pegs until the bass sounds good and you don't get ugly overtones. Some people tune it in fourths, other people to an open D, other people tune it to the key of the song. I like 'call to post.' You don't need one of those gadgets, just use your ears. The bass will tell you when it's in tune."

I tune my drums by ear. I start with the snare and go from there.

Tune my ax by tool but after one minute of any riff, it's out of tool tolerances. 440 on the strat lasts as long as it takes to say that.

I think while the biomechanics do the miracle they should try to replace the rigid and static mylar with something more deformable and elastic like the natural rubber for example, maybe filled with mixed vegetable fibers so that the material is not too uniform but with variable appearance and consistency, are seventy years that they are leaning on mylar it is not possible in this time no progress, I meanwhile use the Renaissance, it is something but still very far from the feeling of 100% natural ! both for hands that for the ears !