FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Tama Snare Drum

Question:
I have a Tama snare, Everyway I tune it it still gives me a hollow ringing sound as though I am hitting a empty can. How can I solve this problem, currently I cover the snare with a piece of cloth as I play, this reduces the volume too much.

Answer:
You didn't mention what model drum, shell construction or what kind of heads you are using, but I will tell you what works great for me with a Ludwig 61/2 x 14 supra phonic snare drum. Ambassador coated head for the batter, Ambassador snare side head for the bottom head. Tune the bottom head tight and tune the top head medium to medium tight and use a zero ring or muffl O's for damping and ring control. Adjust the snare to were they just start to choke, then back them off some and your set. Hope this helps. By the way a little ring is desirable and adds to the over all sound of the drum, also the room you play in affects the sound too, so you may have to make minor adjustments to your tuning. I use this technique in my snare drum tuning and I regularly get compliments on my snare sound. If all else fails get a Ludwig Snare Drum, hard to beat the sound of one, especially for the money. I'm betting you have a steel snare if it sounds like you're hitting an empty can. From my experiences with steel snares, you are going to have a slight 'ring' in your sound no matter what, but there's ways to reduce it. Put something on your snare so that it covers up the circumference of where your snare head meets the rim of the snare drum, because this is where that ringing is coming from (it's coming from the sides of the snare and travelling upwards, so you want to put something at the sides to stop it). You can put lots of different stuff on your snare to muffle the ringing, but don't cover your whole snare or you won't be able to play as loud as you want. Buy RemO's, Moongel (? - hope I got this right, never used it) or get an old snare head and cut out a ring shape so that when you place your cut-out on the snare it covers up the outside of the head where it meets rim of your snare.