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hogy
Active Contributer
68 Posts |
 Posted - 24/05/2012 : 20:07:05
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I just changed my tom setup from 10,14,16" to 10,12,14". It has always been hard to tune the middle tom (14") to a nice clear tone without nasty overtones.
Now what's surprising is that this same 14" tom that's now the 'floor tom' sounds absolutely spot on in that position, whereas the 12 now in the middle is a nightmare to tune!
Makes me think it is that spot between the high and low tom that's the trouble rather than the size? |
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lee haydn
Advanced Contributer
United Kingdom
2029 Posts |
Posted - 24/05/2012 : 21:11:05
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| The 12" is notorious for getting right,, |
Ludwig Maple Classic (Green Sparkle) + L400
Sabian HH and Paiste Stanbul vintage
Pro' Racket |
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Twotoms
Advanced Contributer
United Kingdom
754 Posts |
Posted - 24/05/2012 : 22:43:29
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My guess is you need to spread your intervals out.
That's how the 13" tom, which was the middle one for ages got an undeserved reputation for being difficult to tune. Why not start with the middle one and then tune "outwards?"
Alternatively, ditch the "spare" tom and just have the correct number :) |
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WendyB
Advanced Contributer
United Kingdom
5644 Posts |
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Badman_batman
Advanced Contributer
United Kingdom
667 Posts |
Posted - 24/05/2012 : 23:25:50
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quote:
Originally posted by WendyB
You need an 8" too then there is no middle Tom, ergo no tuning problem.
I love this logic  |
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facebook.com/thedrumchapel
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animal.22
Excellent Contributer
United Kingdom
177 Posts |
Posted - 24/05/2012 : 23:56:16
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quote:
Originally posted by WendyB
You need an 8" too then there is no middle Tom, ergo no tuning problem.
Just be sure to always increase kit size in increments of two!! |
hit it....good an hard |
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Bewdy
Advanced Contributer
United Kingdom
817 Posts |
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Captain Bubble
Advanced Contributer
United Kingdom
14590 Posts |
Posted - 25/05/2012 : 07:43:21
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quote:
Originally posted by hogy
Makes me think it is that spot between the high and low tom that's the trouble rather than the size?
Almost any two notes will sit reasonably well together, add a third and you start approximating a chord or a cadence, and you can get an uneasy relationship between the three (or more) tones. If you adjust the tension of the middle one higher or lower to get it to fit the cadence, you can end up with too tight or too loose a tone to sit really well with the high and low notes, and pitching the third (and subsequent toms) between high and low ones can also mean they have to be set at a tension at which they do not sound their best.
Another problem with all drum and timpani sizes is that they are not musically proportional. Unlike the frets of a ukulele or guitar which get logarithmically further apart as you go down the neck, drum head sizes are not. An 8" head is 1/3 bigger than a 6" head in diameter, a 16" head is only 1/7 bigger than a 14" head. We are stuck with our sizes due to convention/traditional, but in an ideal world sizes should perhaps be more like:
6 7 9 12 16 21 or similar, with the diameter difference increasing logarithmically as the heads get bigger.
This is true for timpani, with the pitch and tonal difference between a 20" and 23" being fairly big, but the difference between a 29" and a 32"is very small.
That's why I made a 40" timpani! |
Marcus de Mowbray
www.330studios.co.uk/marcus |
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hogy
Active Contributer
68 Posts |
Posted - 25/05/2012 : 08:21:51
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I was thinking about the position/angle of that spot on the kit possibly making the drum sound bad.
The high and low tom seem to ring out in a more controlled way, whereas the mid one tends to drop in pitch on the decay.
I'll have to tune from scratch with new heads and compare the positions to find out...
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Bewdy
Advanced Contributer
United Kingdom
817 Posts |
Posted - 25/05/2012 : 09:24:58
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quote:
Originally posted by hogy
I was thinking about the position/angle of that spot on the kit possibly making the drum sound bad.
The high and low tom seem to ring out in a more controlled way, whereas the mid one tends to drop in pitch on the decay.
I'll have to tune from scratch with new heads and compare the positions to find out...
if the decay pitch is dropping it sounds like the problem is the relative tensions of your batter and reso heads. I'm sure someone will come along with a proper explanation but if your heads are tuned to different tensions you can either get the pitch to rise or fall, or just ring out if they are equal. |
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lee haydn
Advanced Contributer
United Kingdom
2029 Posts |
Posted - 25/05/2012 : 10:15:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Captain Bubble
[quote]Originally posted by hogy
We are stuck with our sizes due to convention/traditional, but in an ideal world sizes should perhaps be more like:
6 7 9 12 16 21 or similar, with the diameter difference increasing logarithmically as the heads get bigger.
This is true for timpani, with the pitch and tonal difference between a 20" and 23" being fairly big, but the difference between a 29" and a 32"is very small.
That's why I made a 40" timpani!
Never went into the science of why toms are the sizes they are but as a traditionalist iv'e always thought what a waste of time a 15" tom is, also the 23" bass drum, of course all the big guns were rolled out to praise it but why bother, or am i missing something? |
Ludwig Maple Classic (Green Sparkle) + L400
Sabian HH and Paiste Stanbul vintage
Pro' Racket |
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