overtones - tuning

[congabebe]

So, I came home with my tumba and decided to really learn how to tune all 3 drums with the aid of a piano. Spent all day, by the end of the after noon, I heard bell sounds instead of the open tone /bong. I tried the cheaper to keep her. Couldn't find it. I could hear 3 notes in a bell sound. Convinced I was tone death, I gave up. Week or so later, I still hear a bell overtone sound. So, maybe it wasn't my imagination. I had raised my drums so they were higher off the floor so I thought this must be the cause. I started taking lessons and my teacher just uses the interval between the drums to tune to. He is very talented but he is not 'formaly' trained. So he does not think it is necessary to tune them to notes. I haven't asked him about the overtones. I was thinking about tuning them down and changing heads. They are fiberglass a with mondo heads. Very bright. My question is... actually I have several, but I was thinking about trying a strip of foam on the inside of the drum. Like the way you take the ring out of a cow bell. Any suggestions? I have ordered some conga skins but haven't gotten enough heads to replace all of them, so that is my other idea, maybe it is the head that would change it. Anyway, is this a common problem?

Thanks,
congabebe
???

[120decibels]

Ahh, the burning question...... I don't have a good answer for you, but having just revisited the same issue (overtones), I can offer some suggestions and some opinions. I'm sure that this topic will bring about many of those.

Chances are that you are not tone deaf. Tuning drums to specific notes can be very frustrating. Drum like Timpani are easier than congas because the tone contains fewer overtones and it rings longer.

Using the methods that have been posted to this forum in the past to get each lug in tune with all of the others are necessary to minimizing overtones.

I would suggest that you look into skin heads for all of your drums. Particularly on fiberglass drums, you are more vulnerable to overtones. Wood is a more porus material and therefore can absorb some of the high frequency overtones that fiberglass can't. If you don't want to or can't replace the heads right now, two strips of electrical tape forming an X on the inside of the head will cut down on the overtones. I have done this to deaden the overtones on my drumset when looking for a pure tone sound on a recording. The only consequence of that is that it will dampen the vibration of the head and none of the sound will ring as much. However, with a fiberglass drum, it might not make that much difference.

Don't give up. Tuning and learning how to make your drums sound the way you want them is part of developing your own "sound." I have recently spent a week of evenings revisiting the tuning issue. I found it really nice to tune my drums to sounds I could deal with and then record myself. The drums sound much different at a short distance away where I placed the microphone. I was able to make improvements and tune the drum to what I wanted the audience to hear. In doing so, it made the drums sound better to me as I was playing them.

Good Luck,

Zach

[congabebe]

Thanks for the advise. I have added the tape. Still playing with the tuning. I tried stuffing a plastic bag... several up the bell. Not traditional cuban technique but took the ring out so I can concentrate on technique and not go crazy listening to the bell overtones. I ordered some heads off ebay, but still need one for the quinto. Bill Losh emailed me about some heads on ebay also, I am definitely going to try them soon. I did find out by hearing my teacher play my congas with the band I am in, that I don't play hard enough and that is probably part of the problem. My attack is not a clean open tone, so I am some work to do. Thank you for your comments.

Thanks,
Congabebe