Your Mind's Ear: A Guide to Finding Your Sound
Discover your signature drum sound with guides on tone, tuning, influences, and gear - blending concepts, techniques, and tools into one framework.
Includes transcriptions and subtitles in 7 languages!
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Spanish
Your Mind's Ear: Dave's Tuning and Drum Sound Course
What do all of your favorite musicians, painters, photographers have in common? They’re instantly recognizable. When it comes to drumming, a large part of that is your sound. So how do you find and develop your own sound?
This course started out as a tuning course because I’ve had so many people asking me: “Your drums sound amazing, how are you tuning them?” on social media. Once I started writing down my ideas in regard to tuning, I realized that it’s so much larger than that only tuning. How do you develop your own sound and find your own unique tonal thumbprint?
This is broken up into 3 distinct categories:
- Your conceptual approach to sound/your influences
- How to actually tune the drums themselves
- The role gear plays and how it functions
This is the first course to approach tone and aesthetic identity on the drum kit from all of these perspectives simultaneously to form an all-encompassing, cohesive perspective. Knowing how to actually tune a drum is important, but it’s actually just a small portion of the formula! If you want your drums to sound amazing and also have an instantly recognizable sound, you have to know where you’re coming from conceptually in the first place in addition to the role the gear itself plays in the equation.
Imagine finally being able to walk into a recording studio confidently, armed with the knowledge you need to get your sound or walking off stage and having people run up to you saying “Wow! I can’t believe how much better your drums sounded than the other bands tonight!”
Even if you’re simply playing by yourself in your basement, nothing is better than hitting a snare drum and it sounds exactly like what’s in your head.
When our instrument sounds good, we’re inspired to make music. After all, that’s the point at the end of the day, right?
This one of a kind course is the all-encompassing guide to finding the real you. Isn’t it time to finally discover who that is?
What's Included
Part 1: Aesthetic Approach
Introduction
Philosophical Approach
Tonal Influences/DW Performance
Gadd vs. Bonham
Functionality
Mimicking
Getting Acquainted With Your Snare Drum
What We're Looking For in a Snare Drum
What We're Looking For in a Rack Tom
What We're Looking For in a Floor Tom
What We're Looking For in a Bass Drum
How the Room Affects Tone
How Shell Depth Affects Tone
How Shell Diameter Affects Tone
What if There is No Shell?
How Technique Affects Tone
Hitting In the Center
Other Variables
Part 2: Tuning
Seating the Head
Tuning By Feel
Tuning By Pitch Matching
Aesthetic Function of Batter Heads
Aesthetic Function of Resonant Heads
Adjectives for Tone
Tuning Intervals Between Heads/Tuning 60's Ludwig Kit
Pitch Bending or Diving
Concert Toms
What If An Uneven Drum Sounds Good?
Muffling
When Not To Do A Rim Shot
Tuning DW Collector's Maple Kit
The Steve Jordan Trick
Hole or No Hole?
Burying the Beater
Cranking the Resonant Kick Drum Head
Tuning 60's Ludwig Kit
60's Ludwig Performance
Tuning 80's Gretsch Toms
Tuning 80's Gretsch Bass Drum
Gretsch Performance
Use a Drill!
Part 3: Gear Guide I
How Gear Affects Tone
Drum Anatomy
Construction vs. Material
Materials
How Shell Depth Affects Tone
How Shell Diameter Affects Tone
Tonal Spectrum
Stave Construction vs. Ply Construction
Solid (Stem-Bent) Shells
Acrylic Shells
Phenolic Shells
Fiberglass Shells
Remo Acousticon Shells
Wood Fiberglass Shells
Metal Wood Hybrid Shells
Carbon Fiber Shells
Carbon Fiber Wood Hybrid Shells
Rolled Welded One-Piece Shells (Without a Bead)
Rolled & Welded 1-Piece Shells (With Bead)
Rolled & Welded 2-Piece Shells
Thick Rolled And Welded Shells
Spun Shells
Sand Cast Shells
Centrifugal Casting
Bearing Edges
Reinforcement Rings
Sanding Bearing Edges
Getting Bearing Edges Recut
Cutting Snare Beds
Throwoffs or Strainers
Parallel Throwoffs and Extended Snare Wires
Snare Stand For Rack Toms
Part 3: Gear Guide II
Vent Holes
Lugs
Tension Rods
Hoops: Wood Hoops
Single/Double Flanged Hoops
Triple Flanged Hoops
Die-Cast Hoops
Brass Hoops
Snare Wires
Snare Tension
Snare Beds
Straps or Cords
How the Amount of Lugs Affects Your Tone
Zim Gar Performance
How Stick Diameter Affects Tone
Stick Material
Composites
Glued vs Crimp-Locked Head Design
How Style/Brand of Heads Affects Your Tone
Calf Skin Heads
Coated Heads
Clear Heads
Single Ply Heads
Double Ply Heads
Pinstripes
Controlled Sound
Snare Drum Batter Head Options
Snare Batter Head True Cast Shoot Out
Snare Side Resonant Head
Powerstroke 3
Tama 1980's 6.5x14 Tama Rosewood Snare
Ludwig 1920's 2PC. N.O.B. Snare Drum
Ludwig 1960's 5x14 Pioneer Snare Drum
Gregg Keplinger Stainless Steel Snare Drum
Ludwig 60's 5x14 Acrolite Snare Drum
In Conclusion
Part 4: Factory Tours
Drum Workshop Factory Tour
Remo Factory Tour
What Others Are Saying
Getting your course hasn't just changed my drumming, but my life forever. Can't thank you enough.
After working through your course, I just wrapped the best studio session I've ever had. Thanks for everything you do!
Your course makes me approach life differently and I don't think I can thank you enough for that. Thank you!