Drums · Planner · Interactive explainer

Drum tuning planner

Turn shell sizes into a usable kit-wide tuning plan with tom note spacing, batter-versus-resonant head relationships, and approximate lug-frequency starting points for toms, snare, and kick.

Build a kit plan

Target search intent: drum tuning calculator, tom tuning notes, lug frequency chart.

How to use it

  • Choose a shell layout or switch to a custom list of tom diameters.
  • Pick how widely the toms should sing apart, then decide whether the bottom heads sit above, below, or equal to the batters.
  • Use the notes as starting fundamentals and the lug numbers as tuning-meter starting points, not absolute rules.
  • After you get close, fine-tune by ear for shell depth, head choice, and how much sustain you actually want in the room.

These numbers are meant to get you to a musical starting point quickly, especially when you are tuning a whole kit rather than one drum in isolation.

Read the launch note for this planner.

Whole-kit summary

Tom plan

Snare and kick starting points