Here is another interesting tidbit. THE JOHN BONHAM SNARE DRUM SOUND TUNING BONZOLEUM 63.1K subscribers Subscribe 756 Share Save 215K views 13 years ago The early era Zeppelin John Bonham snare sound (think Zep II. The demo of his green sparkle kit and the methods of tuning the 26" kick. As a result, Bonhams blending of triplet rhythms with straight eighths and sixteenths allowed his groove to occupy a special place that exists in another dimension of rhythm. The subliminal effect of every drummers influences can be enormous, and Bonham learned much of his initial technique by observing the styles of two early giants of swing, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. Youll need two crashes (one 18-inch and one 20-inch), with either a 22-inch or a 24-inch ride cymbal. Sep. 22, 2022 September 25th will mark 42 years since the passing of one of rock's all-time great and most influential drummers, Led Zeppelin 's John Bonham. but Youtube has quite a few video's on how to tune a snare, for a Bonham sound. Use 30 or 40 strand snare wires for increased sensitivity, but make sure theyre not too tight so they dont choke the drum. userType: ['guest','loggedin'], // display only on user type Dyno tune $750+ HPT credits. These include devices that measure drum tension and torque, allowing you to quickly tune to equal tension across the drum. assignToVariableName: false // false if not in use Im not the biggest expert. Amusingly, he introduces this massive statement with its own shorter, introductory fill. assignToVariableName: false // false if not in use Be careful not to strike the resonant head too hard, as theyre very thin and not designed to be hit as hard as the batter head. Next, find the lugs that are within the 3 and 9 o'clock position and tune them to medium tension. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 5c, making appearances in Black Dog, Kashmir, Since Ive Been Loving You, The Ocean, Good Times Bad Times, For Your Life, and too many more to count. Its quite common to hear a line of sixteenth-notes and notice the bass drum playing in unison with the right hand on the downbeats (think Keith Moon). Not very technical. userType: ['guest','loggedin'], // display only on user type To clean up undertones, stretch a felt strip across the shell of the drum, under the head and near the pedal attachment point. // Sponsor Adunits pageType: ['mainpage','post'], // display only on page type But they sound massive and round out to the audience or room mic's. Furthermore, engineer Eddie Kramer once recalled a mere tap of his finger eliciting a timpani-like resonance from Bonhams front bass drumhead during a session for Houses Of The Holy. By This is only for start-up, NOT DRIVING! Joined Sep 4, 2006 . However with those clues, and some experimentation, I have come very close. Listen to the latest SIGNAL PATH podcast with EMMA-JEAN THACKRAY, the English bandleader and producer known for her modern mix of jazz, electronics and How Do You Do That? He decided against using the more expensive brass-shelled drums. }); advelvetTargeting.push((Math.floor(Math.random() * 20) + 1) + ""); Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Most of us can recite it in our sleep by now: Ludwig drums 14 x 10 rack tom, 16 x 16 and 18 x 16 floor toms, 26 x 14 kick, and the legendary LM402 14 x 6.5 Supraphonic snare drum; Paiste cymbals, Giant Beat and 2002 combined 15 Sound Edge hi-hats, 16, 18, 20 crashes and crash/rides, 24 ride, and a 38 symphonic gong; all topped off with a squeaky Speed King pedal and a ching-ring tambourine mounted on his hi-hat stand. Me too. Regular drum maintenance is essential to keeping your drums in tune. adUnits.push({ Combine that with large drums, his unique feel, and boom, classic rock god. header.nohb.html function detectWidth() { the drummer already has a Ludwig kit. SO I had a LM402 Supraphonic many years ago and I sold it like a idiot not thinking clearly and I've wanted another one ever since Bonham had multiple LM402s. "It sounded huge," recall Pegg. googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); } As you practice, you may notice the tone of the drums changing. Each type of head produces a different tone, and some are more durable than others. With the School of Rock Method app, you can get live feedback as you play to make practice smarter, not harder. That being said: Head choice- Remo Emperors on the batter side of both kick and snare. The top head is called the batter head. After choosing the best drum set for you, and tuning your drums, the next most important thing for a beginner is learning how to play! googletag.enableServices(); Would have been awesome to see what JB would have played then and through the 80's, 90's, and today as drum equipment has changed. You have to remember, or realize, the Remo pinstripe head was invented sometime around 1973. His TOUCH was what made the tone happen, he had his own way of playing that some can emulate, but no one can really duplicate as they are not HIM!!! }); device: ['mobile'], // display only on device }); GLX-D+ Wireless First Look with MPNG and Martina Blazeska. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. code: 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_desktop_midcontent_728x90', network: dfpNetwork, Bonham was very jazz influenced, and he liked that sound. The fact of the matter is that the gear and how its tuned means next to nothing when taking into consideration the individual sitting behind it. Resonant heads dont need to be replaced as often as batter heads; you can usually change them every second or third time you change your batter heads. You are using an out of date browser. if(mainpage.indexOf(loc) >= 0) return 'mainpage'; googletag.defineSlot('/143039214/drumforum_Primis', [1, 1], 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_Primis').addService(googletag.pubads()); Any wrinkles in the drum head should disappear once you start to get your drum head up to proper tension. Previous image. As mentioned before, each drum has a range of pitch that it can accommodate. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Bonham particularly relied on sixtuplets at the sixteenth note level six notes in the place of four to provide a basis for most fill material. adunit: 'drumforum_tablet_sticky_728x90', Its important to note that throughout the evolution of Bonhams various kits, he always remained unwaveringly faithful to his Supraphonic 402 snare drums in all performance settings. However, the simple act of playing along to recordings of Led Zeppelin, as well as other groups of the era with drummers notable for their ability to swing (Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell), can be very helpful in developing feel. On 12/16/2015 at 11:45 AM, Ethan Christensen said: http://www.ledzeppelin.com/image/brussels-1980-4. The snare had an Emperor coated batter and an Ambassador (sometimes Diplomat) snare-side resonant head. Wood & Weather Drum Shop. adunit: 'drumforum_rosbtf_728x90', South Hadley Falls, MA, United States. Bonzoleumon Youtube is a very interesting guy and I think very knowledgable about Bonham in both playing and equipment. The shell is the wood body of the drum. }); Tuning your snare drum is mostly a matter of personal preference. Bonhams input on Kashmir went beyond the drums, though; it was apparently he that conceived of the main riff, a three-over-two polyrhythm (also called a hemiola) between himself and the other instruments. If this seems a little vague and over-intellectualized, let me clarify: Were pretty much talking the Golden Ratio of old-school, badass rock and roll swagger all but lost in much of todays quantized, digital assault that passes for rock music. This is a giant rabbit hole, fyi. Wireless microphones give you unparalleled onstage freedom to connect better with your audience. The number of lugs can affect the tuning stability and the sound of the drum. I dont remember when possibly also for the 1980 tour. Tuning the heads the same produces the most even tone, tuning the bottom head tighter than the top gives the notes a slight bend upward, and tuning the bottom head lower than the top gives the pitch a slight bend downward. The kick drum (also called the bass drum) provides the bottom end of your kit. Its only healthy for us to admit that no matter what kit we buy, and no matter how we tune it, we will never quite be able to achieve the same exact sound as our heroes. The snares are attached to the bottom head and give the drum its signature sound. device: ['mobile'], // display only on device advises only the most creative and frugal application, so as not to be known as the drummer that always plays all those Bonham licks. 7a illustrates the rhythmic counterpoint between these two entities, then the change of groove that Bonham issues in the bridge (notice during this part his use of the figure from Ex. For the kick drum, you might consider the Shure Beta 52. How To Do It. These little air holes are built into drums and allow air to escape the drum shell when the drums are hit. No youll never get that sound out of a 22 Gretsch. Very "old school". Would have been awesome to see what JB would have played then and through the 80's, 90's, and today as drum equipment has changed. Its useless to ponder what the future might have held for Bonzo had fate not intervened so unfairly; his contribution was, after all, so much more than anybody could ever have asked for in the first place. 1b illustrates how Bonham would sometimes highlight the flipside of an eighth-note triplet by emphasizing only the left-hand notes in a sixtuplet. Heres the shocker he also add a extra crash for that tour http://www.ledzeppelin.com/image/brussels-1980-4 here you can see that he used 4 crashes on that tour, from Bonzos left i think the first one in a 16 inch medium-crash, 15 sound edge-hit-hats, 18 medium-crash, 24 ride, 18 ride and a 20 inch medium-ride. From thunderous John Bonham drums on Zeppelin records to R&B, neo-soul, and hip-hop tracks from today, that thick, fat, '70s-esque snare tone can elevate an entire song. 1d it made more of an impact on the listener than either one could have had on its own. That is because John had is own way of tuning his drums. device: ['desktop'], // display only on device He got a full drum set at age fifteen, a Premier set, about the same time when I got mine although mine were Ludwig. pageType: ['mainpage','post'], // display only on page type code: 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_rosatf_728x90', A drum key is a small tool that's used to tighten or loosen the tension rods that control the pitch of the drum. The snare drum is hit the most often, so it may need replacing more often. network: dfpNetwork, Then, playing a right then left hand (or vice versa) on the first and second notes of the triplet with your left foot still on the downbeat will create this versatile figure. code: 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_desktoptablet_1stguestpost_300x250', Just make sure you dont fit it too tight youll lose all that lovely resonance if you do. He said Bonham was to have a Black Sparkle kit for the American tour that never happened. To hear Bonham at his most behind the beat, listen to Black Dog, When The Levee Breaks, and the impossibly groove-laden Whole Lotta Love (Ex. assignToVariableName: false // false if not in use size: [[728, 90]], Ditch the porthole on the kick. adUnits[i].display = true; You must log in or register to reply here. if(adUnits){ After extensive use, the drum heads will need to be replaced. device: ['tablet'], // display only on device userType: ['guest','loggedin'], // display only on user type Experiment with drum tuning ranges and find the sound you like. Can somebody who really knows the gear of John Bonham please help me with the following infomation Year - Model - Shell Type - Thanks Phil . A bad day of drumming is better than a good day at work! Tighten them until they are just finger tight. pageType: ['mainpage','post'], // display only on page type QUAL A MELHOR IDADE PARA APRENDER A TOCAR BATERIA. Carmine Appice's rare Ludwig kit is for sale on Reverb for $25,000. Gradually tune the drum up until its roughly at the same pitch as the bottom head. Bonham also liked the sound of played-in heads: he'd only change them when he absolutely needed to. Press J to jump to the feed. Jonas Gehrmann, a live sound engineer for the Dutch-Iranian singer Sevdaliza, relies on the Shure Axient Digital ADX5D, which he can safely and comfortably Bang It Like Bonzo: How to Get John Bonhams Sound. Remo Ambassador on the kick resonant. The tension of the resonant head is particularly important for tuning your toms. He creates a similar effect in the live version of Since Ive Been Loving You (Ex. Very flexible yet easy to tune, its tone is what I was looking for. He played both Keystone and B/O badges. Bonham brilliantly used this phrase to construct one of his mightiest fills of all (Ex. In his early bands, A Way of Life and Band of Joy, he played a four piece Ludwig kit in Sparkle Green (Ludwig finish number 2004). Note each of the following as you put together your drum set: The drum hoop is a round piece of metal that holds the heads onto the drum. He offered that he thought Bonham's tom resonants were tuned about 1/4 to 1/2 a turn tighter than his batters and his snare was tuned high with loose snares, but that was about all he went into tuning wise, besides citing it as a perpetual mystery that even Ochletree doesn't really address. B8 alloy is the way to go. No matter if youre addressing an important shareholder meeting, spreading the How to Choose the Best Mics for the Guitar. Different styles of music may call for different tunings. He was commanding, precise, and efficient. }); 3b and 3c). He played louder that many of his contemporaries, but he still had very well developed hand and foot technique. I also can't believe that Jason Bonham doesn't own a set from back in the day. Apart from the bands collective love of James Brown, it was Bonhams joyfully busy grooving and penchant for syncopating bass drumming that infused an element of funk into the groups sound. size: [[300, 250]], What size KickPro pillow for a 14" deep bass drum. Jimmy Page ended up scrapping a track the one time he did use a double pedal, because the guitarist deemed it too busy. All other. size: [[300, 250]], There were no SuperkickEMADyaddayadda heads back then. If youre happy with the fundamental pitch of the batter head, fine-tune the resonant head to maximize the resonance of the drum. adunit: 'drumforum_desktoptablet_1stguestpost_300x250', all paiste 2002 series. Tuning your drums only takes a few minutes, but its well worth the time you put in. Dear Prudence, was it Ringo or McCartney? By continuing to use our site, you are agreeing to our cookies policy. Theres no way to notate it and it can be difficult to express, but technically speaking, this elusive rhythmic value sits right in between the second eighth-note of a beat and the third note of an eighth-note triplet in that same beat (see Ex. If you opt for a regular singleply head instead, cut up an old bass drum head (just as Bonham would do) and make your own muffling ring. userType: ['guest','loggedin'], // display only on user type For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. userType: ['guest','loggedin'], // display only on user type The batter heads need to be double-ply, tuned to medium. Ex. The lugs are attached to the shell of the drum, and the threaded part of the tension rod is inserted into the lug. Powered by Invision Community. The main groove from When The Levee Breaks, as seen in Ex. for (var i = 0, len = adUnits.length; i < len; i++) { The bottom head of the drum is called the resonant head. One of the most overlooked and misunderstood aspects of drumming is drum tuning. code: 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_mobile_footer_300x250', code: 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_300x250_3', This means having the keenest sense of awareness for things such as the slight difference of inflection between any two strokes, the timeliness of a note in the context of the phrase it belongs to, and the natural ebb and flow of tempo throughout the course of a song (this is before the days of the almighty click). In most of his kits, John Bonham had a kick drum well over the standard 22" in most commercial kits these days. Bonham was very jazz influenced, and he liked that sound. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. Make sure you have felt strips on plain coated heads with no porting for your kick drum. This is also dependent on the number of toms; drum kits with several toms may need to be tuned to closer intervals to allow all the drums to sound their best and not be tuned beyond their comfortable frequency range. Its going to sound wrong at first when youre sitting in front of your kit. Superior Automotive quickly gained a well deserved reputation as one of the finest state-of-the . if(adUnits[i].pageType.indexOf(pageType) === -1) {adUnits[i].display = false; continue;} Apr 1, 2019 #2 ARGuy DFO Master. Imagen 1 de 21 de 2 Main takeaway for the 'Bonham' sound is everything is tuned tighter than you'd think. The main concept behind Bonhams tuning strategy was that he tensioned the resonant heads tighter than the batter heads. Elite Floor Tom Legs and Brackets. There's no proof of him using a brass drum other than Jeff Ochiltree saying so. The set was eventually bought by British drummer Robin Melville, who lives in Cumbria. } In this Shure guide, learn How to Start a Podcast: Structuring an Episode. Bonhams setup is one of the most widely documented (and employed) configurations in the history of rock. Join PAUL THE SOUND GUY, as he walks you through several acoustic guitar miking techniques in the latest installment of the practical Shure video Touring with a Compact Axient Digital ADX5D Two-channel Wireless Receiver. googletag.defineSlot('/143039214/drumforum_Midcontent_VideoAD', [1, 1], 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_Midcontent_VideoAD').addService(googletag.pubads()); You have all forgotten the MOST important and CRUCIAL part of this "Tone" equation. }); This gives them a louder and brighter tone. The resonant pitch is dependent on the size of the drum and the type of wood used. People have been playing drums for thousands of years, but what we think of as the modern drum set wasnt developed until around the 1920s. Some other things. if anyone could help me with any input that would be much appreciated! the notes play on any drum; that last one is slick. In fact, he did his signature triplets on a standard bass drum pedal. Keep the depth relatively shallow either 14 or 16 with a ideal diameter of either 24 or 26 and use a doubleply coated batter head. Here are some methods and tips that will help you achieve your perfect drum sound: Drum dampening is done by adding something to the batter head to minimize the unwanted ring of a drum. code: 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_rosbtf_300x250', pageType: ['mainpage','post'], // display only on page type While theres no standard note that the snare drum is typically tuned to, most drummers pitch their snare somewhere between E3 and B3 (the third octave is the octave below whats called middle C on the piano). Youll love your sound, and all it takes is following a few basic steps. code: 'div-gpt-ad-drumforum_tablet_sticky_728x90', Imagen 1 de 2. The more you play, the more your drums will need to be tuned. Snare - Lots of people swear by just cranking the living bejeezes out of the resonant head. I've seen pictures of two mounted drums near Bonham in 1970. This indicates that while Bonham was known for using felt strips to dampen his kick, he only used one on the batter side while in the studio. JavaScript is disabled. When it comes to the bass drum for a Bonham-style kit, the bigger the better: Youll need one with a diameter of at least 24 to 26 inches and a depth of 14 to 16 inches. device: ['desktop','tablet'], // display only on device var googletag = googletag || {}; The "not so secret secret" JB used was tuning his reso. To my knowledge there are no photos of him with a Black Beauty so I don't believe it. Smaller drums have higher resonant frequencies, and larger drums have lower resonant frequencies. Then you can use tune-bot to tune your set to those specific values. size: [[300, 250]], Next image. One end of the tension rod is threaded; the other end has a square head. adUnits.push({ Once the head is centered, place the hoop over the head and line it up with the lugs on the side of the shell. Did he use any moon gel or stuff a duvet into the bass drum? network: dfpNetwork, Click a section below to learn more about how to tune your drums. Once youve got your kit together, theres one more thing before you bang it like Bonzo go for the groove! If you have two or three toms, you can tune them to wider intervals. Remember, its a matter of personal taste! in this months Modern Drummer magazine (december2008)someone asked the same JB tuning question which was answerd by Mr Ochletree himself. Remember this, Bonhams sound was big drums tuned up big band style like Gene Krupa and Buddy rich. E-mail: info@superiorautomotive.com. Also proper head selection is crucial. I still can't believe that John sold the maple set to his sisters boyfriend for five pounds! Medium toms (12-14 inches) are tuned lower, and large toms (16-18 inches) are tuned even lower. googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); Amber finish / Bass Drum hoops are Sable with Gold Sparkle Inlay. Legal Beat: Do You Need Permission To Upload A Cover Song To Youtube. Do not muffle these drums, and use double-ply coated batter heads and single-ply resonant heads. Start by tuning the kick drum until the wrinkles disappear in the head. Applies especially to vintage emperor Tune the bottom head to top head in proportion approx 3turns bottom to 1 turn top Muffle slightly the ring Look for the sweet spot: between 6-7 o clock, 2-3" from the hoop. Many Bonham fans have spent wads of cash on oversized 70s kits, or detuned smaller setups in the vain hope of achieve his booming bass. Set up your kit to where its comfortable to play. For kick and toms, he tuned the drums up a fair amount (way more than you'd expect) and brought the resonant heads up even more. assignToVariableName: false // false if not in use 93ZoSo93 size: [[300, 250]], Large Classic Lugs. network: dfpNetwork, network: dfpNetwork, Single-ply heads are louder and brighter but have less durability than the double-ply heads. Medium high on the batter. Emperor/Ambassador or Controlled Sound/Ambassador and a felt stripand a good ear. He said Bonham was to have a Black Sparkle kit for the American tour that never happened. Tune the drums so theyre roughly a third apart, but dont be too focused on pitch. To be able to tune like John first you have to have the same identical drum kit and heads that he used and from there it is tweeting around till you find that John Bonham sound. (Just put that giant gong he had behind his kit right out of your mind.). It controls the attack and ring (the unwanted overtones) of the drum. Tom Tuning A good way to tune your toms and your snare as well, if you like, is to use notes in musical }); network: dfpNetwork, should i use a demo emperor coated on the bottom? When its time to change heads, the old heads will need to be removed by loosening the tension rods and removing the hoops. As notated in Ex. Instead, he achieved his powerful stroke with the use of his wrists. So how to replicate that big, fat, funky Bonzo sound yourself? There can be a lot of variety in how the toms are tuned. Ex. This had been the standard rock drum kit in Britian, for those who could afford one, since Ringo Starr had swapped to Ludwig from the British brand Premier in 1963. (Black or Green Sparkle). The '70 came with his first green sparkle kit which he received in June of that year. adunit: 'drumforum_rosbtf_300x250', Whether or not he ever "upgraded" to those new drums or rotated them in with any frequency is unknown. Do not add any additional muffling to the inside of the drum. There is no question that Bonham helped write the book for hard-hitting rock 'n' roll stage presence and drumming. adunit: 'drumforum_mobile_1stguestpost_300x250', Any snare resonant head will work. }); userType: ['guest','loggedin'], // display only on user type Additionally,inbetween this kit and the maple kit he had a Ludwig Black Diamond Pearl set for only a couple of months from December '68 - February '69 it can be seen in pictures from Gonzaga '68 and the Whiskey a go go in January of '69. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMqHqADnREY, http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61252. For the resonant side, use a single-ply head with an inner plastic muffling ring if you want to save money you can cut up an old bass drum head for this, which is exactly what the great man himself did. When it comes to miking your kit, keep in mind that Led Zeppelin worked with engineers like Glyn and Andy Johns, who favored a simple setup of just four mics. 5b), played identically in both Stairway To Heaven and Night Flight. Also notice the inclusion of the figure in Ex. New technology was able to take the 1976 Black Beauty to daring new heights. A3 is a fairly common pitch for snare drums. 2023 School of Rock LLC. If you move your drum set frequently, make sure to check the tuning often. 2a). var adUnits = adUnits || []; As you tune your resonant head, increase the tension until the wrinkles are gone and theres equal tension across all the tension rods. The kit was a Super Classic: 22in x14in bass drum, 13x9 and 16x16 tom toms, with a 14x5 Supraphonic 400 metal-shell snare drum. googletag.cmd.push(function() { GUIA DE COMPRA PARA O SEU PRIMEIRO KIT DE BATERIA. (function(n,e,r,t){function o(){if((function o(t){try{return(t=localStorage.getItem("v4ac1eiZr0"))&&0