How often should you tune the batter head? (Snare)

Ludwig514

Member
Got a black beauty, Had it for about 2 months now, just wondering how often should i tune or tighten the batter head?

Cheers!
 
When it doesn't sound right, tune it.
There's no set time period.
 
After tweaking and tuning my snares over the years, I've found that you typically have to retune after every 7,492 hits. Give or take a few.
 
After tweaking and tuning my snares over the years, I've found that you typically have to retune after every 7,492 hits. Give or take a few.

Wait, let me carve that number into the shell of my snare.
 
With the higher tension on snare drum's batter heads it sort of sneaks up on you when a tension rod or two starts to loosen. With toms, you can basically hear of a problem rod right away. I usually give the snare's batter head a test and a tweak every time I sit behind the kit, it only takes a minute to do. The snare drum's resonant head, or snare head gets checked every two or three days.

Dennis
 
I'll usually tune my snares up really good once every month or so (practice/play 3-4 days a week).

In between, I'll tighten my batter head about a quarter turn when the snares start sounding a little loose or "buzzy". Even if I crank it a tad too muc, it really only takes a few sessions behnind the kit for it to settle back into that sweet spot.
 
Your ears will tell you all you need to know. I will tune my entire kit every time I hit a new venue, just to match it to the room. If something drops tuning whilst I am playing, I'll rectify it on the fly. Tuning when changing venue (gigs, practices etc) is always good, as what sound sweet where you play at home (which could be small and dead) could be very different to, say, a large pub (big and bright). Snares especially will be very sensitive to this.

As a rule of thumb, if you think you need to ask this question, it's probably time...
 
I tune mine whenever it needs it, which can vary. I check the tuning between each set, and even between songs, making sure the pitch is still the same at each lug. I wear heads out and have to change every 2-4 shows on average, so I tune a lot!!
 
I check the tuning regularly and adjust when needed (e.g. tap by the lugs and listen for a consistent tone). In fact, I do this with all my drums. This is a good habit to acquire.

GJS
 
I tune mine whenever it needs it, which can vary. I check the tuning between each set, and even between songs, making sure the pitch is still the same at each lug. I wear heads out and have to change every 2-4 shows on average, so I tune a lot!!

I hear ya brother. Cuurently on my 6.5x14 supra, I have my batter head tuned so that the pitch at each lug point is an "A". I've noticed that the tuning gets a bit lower after a set, especially if the head is relatively new. I tweak it back up to an "A" via my pitch pipe and go from there. Before the next gig I make sure that each lug is the same pitch. After the head gets broken in, it usually stays pretty close to staying right around that "A" note.
 
I tried to tune my snare drum after every 3 or 4 practice days and the drumhead ended up breaking. It was a Clear Remo Pinstripe that I didn’t even have for a month. The plastic part ripped out of the metal hoop on the drumhead. I’m sure that based on how I’m unable to refer to parts of a drumhead by there technical terms, you can see that I’m a beginner, which would absolutely explain a lot. I went to Guitar Center and they told me to only tune it once a month, which I’ve found quite hard to do because I become so tempted to tighten the snare drum after the sound changes “from a ding to a clang” which is after every 3 or 4 days. It’s a temptation that I must fight for the lifespan of the drumhead.
 
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