Well, a snare one got started so what the heck. I know I'm not the only one who needs a little insight on tuning.

My line uses Yamaha tenors, very old model. We use Remo Emperor Suede Coated heads, that actually sound decent (considering I've never used them before). I have tuned the two sets we have quite a bit, so I'm pretty confident at this point.

I seem to like the pitches Eb, C, A, and F# (1,2,3,4 respectively). I don't tune the spock to a pitch usually...I just crank it until it gets a "poppy" overtone. The best way, for me, to tune the tenors is by using a guitar tuner that plays notes. Turn the tuner on to the pitch, then I turn it off and sing the pitch. Then, I adjust the drum accordingly, while once in a while turning the tuner on again to re-check the pitch. Then I take that set and tune to other set to it. I do not try and tune both seperately, but to each other.

Same rules apply to this thread as they did in the Snare Equipment, but just for a reminder:

Thread Guidelines
Post your tuning methods for the world to see. Tell us what kind of sound you are going for and have achieved. Tell us what heads you are using and even the tools you have on hand to tune the heads. Go into every detail on your tuning method (I don't want to see any one line tuning descriptions). Tell us what has and hasn't worked for you. Like any other thread, if your post is off-topic it will be deleted. If your post is not in a descriptive format it will be deleted. There isn't any need for conversation to go on between members in this thread. Let us make this a pure reference thread for members to easily find different tuning methods without having to read through garbage. This can be an invaluable guide for somebody to find information if it is done right.

I use the same metod you do except we use a marimba to tune ours and we tune to an arpegio on whatever key the show music is in. As for the spok, thats the only problem i see in your method. The number 1 problem most tenor players make is that they overcrank the spock to tight so that its really high pitched. It may sound good at first but after like a week of practice it'll either break or go dead.

Post deleted by Font

What Font is trying to say..is the technique I use to tune the tenors, is somewhat the same as i would with a bassdrum. I tune the drums to 4ths..using the "here comes the bride" technique.


I start on drum 4 and get my desired tone and sustain (rim shot and letting it ring). then i move up to drum 3, where it would be a 4th above. 2nd then drum 1. as for the spocks...the left spock is cranked to a 5th up from drum 1, and the right spock is boned to my liking.

Font you need to do a bit more studying....

the way i learned was From Quad logic by Bill Bachman... you tune 4 till it sounds about what you want... then you tune 3 up a minor 3... and so the same for drum 2... then you tune a MAJOR third for drum one... and Spock... whatever you think sounds nice...

i have never heard of tuning them to instruments... if they were marching Timps(back in the 70's heh...) then yea... but not for Quads...

we just tune to the ear then tune the others to them

With OC this year we had many tuning problems. We had the large Dynasty 6 pack with the Remo Suedes. We also had the Dynasty high-tension keys. (New this year) But, we would normally tune one set, and check the intervals between each drum. (I.E. interval between drum 2-->3.) Then after 1 set sounded "right" we would simply tune the rest to them. Also, one technique we used was to have only 1 person do this tuning. So that each pitched is match to what that one person felt was the same to limit any variables in tuning. But, we found the Dynastys to be very inconsistent as we would tune right before we left our housing sight, put them on the truck, then take the drums off at the show site only to find that the temperature in the truck for a 1 hour ride was enough to throw each drum off from another. This happened all season for us, but we just had to deal.

Another thing that helped was taking the new head and loosening the glue so that as the head is tightened the glue was already prepped so that it would not drop when tightening the drum to another set of tenors. This was achieved by rolling the edge of the head between your fingers all around the head.

One day, we also tried to double rim them but we found out that longer lugs were needed for our drums.

Has anyone found a technique to conquering these inconsistencies with Dynasty?

we tune ours in minor 3rds