Drum Tuning- Sound and Design - Bob Gatzen [VHS]

Finally, the secrets that all drummers rarely speak of...
Come December 14th, it will mark 41 years since my very first drum lesson. In all these many years, I have practiced numerous hours and spoken to scores of fellow percussionists. Seldom has anyone, including myself, had much significant contribution in the area of drum tuning. We all just sort of wing it with what we perceive as a "good" sound.Bob Gatzen has forever altered my thinking and approach to drum tuning. Bob has finally revealed the hidden mystery of maximizing the unrealized potential of every drum.If you think that you know everything about drumming, Bob will surely blow your mind.Hey Bob, if you ever read this: where were you in 1962, when I really needed you???Respects to All,Rick Rabineau

Excellent Source
I've been playing for many years, but never had a really good source of how to tune drums. When I found this video, I thought, "Wow, let me check it out, I know I'll learn more than I know now." Well, it was an investment worth making. It's an excellent source to learn about tuning. I must say, though, that more information such as snare drum relating to the toms, should've been taken into consideration. For example, how to tune the toms, to eliminate snare buzz, or tuning the bass drum to where it accomodates the beater coming back to you. These areas and more. I would like to recommend another video that isn't as extensive as this one, but it deals with the Sound of your drums through micing and non-micing. It's called "Natural Evolution: Sound & Mixing" by Dave Weckl. I think these two videos are a wealth of information.

Better than a stick in the eye!
Once Gatzen gets past his esoteric rumblings, it's a pretty good video. The tom tuning section is by far the best part of the video, while the snare and bass drum sections are somewhat lacking in detail.Dale

A good place to start
Tuning is crucial. The problem is, there's really little information out there on this topic. Gatzen's video is somewhat dry, and much of it seems improvised, but if you're starting from ground zero or if you haven't tuned your drums before it's a very good way to establish your confidence in taking the drum keys out and tuning your drums. He's got an extremely useful technique, he's obviously an expert in his field, and the information is useful. I gave this video four stars because I don't know where else you'll find this information. Hopefully, either Gatzen will produce an update to this video or someone will do an even more extensive job, but until then this is a very good place to start.