by deerskins » Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:01 am
Dude,
You skins are just fine, leave em and play em. They will go down.
My drums from Mario came just like that and now they are down plenty.
Also, I have mounted plenty of skins, they always come down, I 'usually' don't detune.
My belief is that, mounting high is NOT a 'new style' or 'new school' method. It just might seem this way in America.
Perhaps the people that are doing this are just hip to a different kind of conga culture.
Perhaps, they have been to plenty of rumbas and to Cuba and have seen that it is just easier and more fun to start high and leave em tight.
Detune if you like, but I don't...except for a cranked quinto or requinto.
Yeah sure, it makes your skins last longer, better on the tubs and the hardware....blah, blah, blah.
If you want to spend all your time tuning up and down and worrying about all that stuff, go for it.
But, from my experience, it ain't worth the time. Play em and have fun and your drums will last for the rest of your life.
Sure, you will have to put new skins on some time, but I have seen skins last for 30+ years.
Look, some people here say 'I always tune down 2 full turns'. Others say different...
But, in relation to what? I keep my drums fairly low to start with, so, maybe when they back theirs 2 turns, they might still be higher than where mine were to start...you see?
Also, Cubans don't detune their drums, at least the ones I was hanging out with down there. I know, I know, but their drums are all beat up. Yeah, but it is not because of tuning, it is because of the way they use them. There drums get used A LOT, and, the way they transport them is tough on them...bicycles, carrying on the street, stacking in cars, etc.
Let's look at other drums...bata...djembe.
These drums don't get detuned...no way.
Actually, djembes are really, really tight and stay that way.
Sure, they have thinner skins, and sure, thick skinned djembes that are super cranked sometimes warp.
Then, when a new skin is put on, the spine is put on the other way to help it warp back.
Well, the debate can go either way.
I have no doubt that mounting a little lower to start and detuning will treat your drum more gently and if you people that do that wish to do so, then enjoy. But for me, I like to sit down and play anytime I want, any day I want, for 5 minutes, 20 minutes or 2 hours. And, having to tune up and down every single time would reduce my ability to have that freedom and my quality of life. So, for me, I just keep them where I want them (granted, this may be lower tuned than many like, but that's old school style). With the exception of when I gig and I tend to tune up a little more on the quinto. Another exception would be when cranking a quinto or requinto for rumba...even though the Cubans don't tune down, I still do it because a thick skinned quinto can be insanely tight for rumba.
End of the day, have fun, keep the crowns level, keep the threads lubed and play em!
p.s. I do tune my drums up or down and the weather changes. Typically, in the winter, I might have to tune down a little and summer time, up. Also, minor adjustments to keep the right tone. In addition, I usually don't crank a djembe when heading into winter, the skin can pop as the airs drys out. So, I wait until Spring to 'pull' my djembe super tight (and always have a spare ready to go).
p.s.s. when I am first tightening or mounting, I don't worry so much about equal tension, I just make sure the crowns are equal all the way around. Then, I tighten evenly, the same amount of turns. Sure, some lugs will be tighter than others, but the skins will stretch accordingly and it will be just fine and your crown will be nice and even.