Stay tuned! - Everything around tone stability

[windhorse]

Mine are tuned low - traditional baby ,, and I keep then tuned always.

[Bachikaze]

I am a wood-and-hide drum maker, and I've learned a few things from experience.

It helps all drums, even those with plastic heads, to be detuned when not in use. Membranes naturally weaken under constant high tension. I detune my congas until the lugs are loose, then I tighten them a half-turn or so until snug. Almost all tension is out of the heads. When I used to play djembe, I took 12 knots out of the tuning ropes each time I stopped playing.

Thicker skin stays more constant in both temperature and humidity. It simply takes longer to absorb dampness or dissipate heat.

I was going to say much of what akdom did. Part of the problem of drums is the tendency of the head to stick to the bearing edge. If you tighten a drum and strike the head with repeated hard blows, you can actually hear the tone lower. This is the head, which was tightened below the bearing edge, equalling out the tension over the upper surface. I have been using soft drum mallets to hit congas during tuning, but I like akdom's rubber hammer idea.

By the way, hitting my drum heads with the soft mallets (basically yard balls on sticks) produces a very pure, consistent tone on the drums with little variation, making tuning more accurate.



Edited By Bachikaze on 1197499616