Drum Tuning Chart: Target Pitches for Every Drum
Use this chart as a starting point, not a rulebook. It gives you a target pitch range for each drum size so you are not tuning blind, but the right number for your kit depends on your heads, your shells, and the music — and a drum tuned evenly at the "wrong" pitch will always beat one tuned unevenly at the "right" one.
The short answer
Tune each drum until the head gives a clean, even note, then aim for the target range for its size. A 22-inch kick wants roughly 50 to 70 Hz; a 14-inch snare wants its batter head around 220 to 277 Hz (roughly A3 to C#4); a 12-inch tom wants about 180 to 220 Hz. Pitches descend as drums get bigger.
Tune the batter head to the target and the resonant head the same or a third higher for a controlled, focused note. Match every lug to the same pitch first — hitting the target with even lugs is the goal, and an uneven head at the right pitch still sounds bad.
These numbers are starting points, not laws
Every number below is a typical, safe landing zone, not a specification. Two 12-inch toms from different makers can want noticeably different pitches, because shell depth, shell material, head choice, and bearing edges all shift where a drum sings.
Three things move the target as much as size does. Head choice matters: a two-ply head wants a lower pitch than a thin single-ply on the same drum. Shell depth matters: a deep tom sounds fatter at the same tension. Your room matters: a drum tuned to sound great in a dead room can sound thin in a live one.
::: callout
Why a range instead of a single note: a drum has a comfortable window, and inside that window it rings clearly and stays in tune. Below it the head is flabby; above it the drum chokes and loses body. The chart gives you the window. Where you land inside it is your taste.
:::
The chart: kicks and snares
Start with the two drums that anchor the kit. Kick figures are the fundamental, what you feel more than hear. Snare figures are the batter head, the one you hit.
- Kick, 20 inch: roughly 60 to 80 Hz. A punchy small kick with a quick decay.
- Kick, 22 inch: roughly 50 to 70 Hz. The all-purpose standard for rock and pop.
- Kick, 24 inch: roughly 45 to 60 Hz. Deep and boomy; hard to control without muffling.
- Snare, 13 inch: roughly 250 to 300 Hz. Bright and cutting, common for pop and funk.
- Snare, 14 inch: roughly 220 to 277 Hz, about A3 to C#4. The default, and the range most snare heads sound best in.
- Snare, 13 inch piccolo: roughly 300 to 400 Hz. Thin, snappy, and dry.
On the snare, the snare-side head goes a third to a fifth above the batter — for a 14-inch top at A3, that bottom head often lands near D4. That interval is what gives the drum its snap, and it matters more than the exact number on top.
The chart: toms
Toms are where a chart earns its keep, because you want them to descend in even steps so rolls and fills sound musical. These are batter-head targets; the resonant head sits the same or a little higher.
- Rack tom, 8 inch: roughly 300 to 380 Hz. Bright and tight.
- Rack tom, 10 inch: roughly 250 to 300 Hz, about B3 to D4.
- Rack tom, 12 inch: roughly 180 to 220 Hz, about F#3 to A3.
- Rack tom, 13 inch: roughly 160 to 200 Hz, about E3 to G3.
- Floor tom, 14 inch: roughly 110 to 140 Hz, about A2 to C#3.
- Floor tom, 16 inch: roughly 80 to 110 Hz, about E2 to A2.
- Floor tom, 18 inch: roughly 65 to 90 Hz, about C2 to F#2.
Notice the steps between sizes. If your 10-inch and 12-inch toms land almost on the same pitch, fills will sound mushy — you want a clear, hearable drop between each drum. That is the one place the chart is close to a rule. If you want the toms to relate musically rather than just descend, see tuning toms to a chord.
How the resonant head changes the number
The number above is for the head you hit. The head underneath is the control knob, and it changes the character without changing the pitch much.
Tune the resonant head at the same pitch as the batter and the drum sustains longer and sounds bigger. Tune it a third or more higher and the pitch stays roughly the same but the note shortens and focuses — this is the tighter, more controlled sound most modern recordings use. Tune it lower than the batter and you get a soft, bendy, vintage thud, which is a deliberate effect rather than a default.
So the chart is really telling you where to put the top head. Once that is right, the bottom head is a character choice: same for open, higher for focused. For a full method on one drum, the snare tuning guide walks through exactly this relationship.
How to hit a target pitch without perfect ears
You do not need perfect pitch to hit a number. You need a reference tone and even lugs.
Tap about an inch in from each tension rod and get every lug to the same note first. Then compare that note to a target. If you are below the range, tighten every rod a small, equal amount; if you are above it, loosen them equally. Work in quarter turns in a star pattern, never in a circle.
The free Drum Tuner on this site plays the target tones in this chart and lets you match by ear, one lug at a time, so you can land inside the range without a tuning app or a drum dial. It is not a substitute for even lugs, but it removes the guesswork from the pitch itself.
::: warn
Do not chase the number past the drum's comfort zone. If a drum has to be cranked far tighter than the chart suggests to reach the pitch, it is telling you its comfortable pitch is higher — because of its heads, its depth, or its shell. Stop and listen to the drum rather than the chart.
:::
When the chart is wrong for your room or band
The chart assumes a neutral room and a drum kit playing alone. Neither is usually true. In a small, live room with hard walls, low tunings boom and muddy everything; you often want to tune up a little and shorten the notes. In a well-treated room, you can go lower and enjoy the body.
Your band matters too. If the guitars are tuned down and the bass is thick, a deep, rumbling kick disappears into the low end, and a slightly higher, punchier tuning cuts through instead. If the mix is sparse, a big open drum fills the space beautifully. The chart is a starting point you then adjust to the song.
And your own taste is allowed to win. Some drummers love a fat, low kit and accept the loss of definition. Others want tight, focused toms at the top of each range. Both are legitimate, and both are easier to reach once you have a target to move away from.
The mistakes that make a chart useless
- Tuning to the chart before tuning evenly. Even lugs at a nearby pitch always beat uneven lugs at the exact number.
- Tuning every drum in isolation. Play the toms together; the gaps between them matter as much as the pitches.
- Forcing a drum past its comfort zone. If it chokes before it reaches the number, the number is wrong for that drum.
- Tuning to the chart with the wrong heads. A two-ply head at a single-ply target will sound dull and lifeless.
- Never re-checking after settling. New heads drift for days, so the pitch you set today will move by tomorrow.
Do this now: tune one drum to the chart
Pick the tom you hit most and spend fifteen minutes on it. Get every lug to the same pitch with the drum in front of you, then compare that pitch to the chart's range for its size and adjust the whole head up or down in small, equal steps. Play the drum, count how long the note lasts, and decide whether you want it more open or more focused.
Then tune the drum one size up, and listen to the two together, adjusting the smaller tom until the gap between them sounds musical rather than muddy. Repeat around the kit. That top-to-bottom sweep, done once, teaches you more than reading any chart — and once you have your numbers, the drum tuning guide shows how to keep them stable as your heads settle.
Frequently asked questions
The questions readers send us most about drum tuning chart.
There is no single correct pitch, but each drum size has a comfortable window. A 22-inch kick lands around 50 to 70 Hz, a 14-inch snare around 220 to 277 Hz, and a 12-inch tom around 180 to 220 Hz, with bigger drums sitting lower. Tune every lug evenly first, then aim for the range and adjust to taste. The window matters more than the exact number inside it.
They can be, if you want a melodic relationship, but it is optional. The practical goal is an even, hearable drop in pitch from each tom to the next so fills sound clean. Tuning toms to notes of a chord takes that idea further, and it works best once you can already tune each head evenly by ear. Start with the intervals, then refine the exact notes.
A drum is in tune with itself when tapping an inch in from every lug gives you the same note. That evenness matters more than the pitch. Play the drum, then tap each lug again: if one is higher or lower, nudge it until it agrees. Even lugs are what make a drum ring cleanly and hold its pitch, and no target note can rescue an uneven head.
Usually because the head was never properly seated. Press the centre of a new head firmly until you hear it crackle, then retune, and repeat a couple of times. New heads stretch for the first few days, so expect to re-check the pitch a day or two after fitting, then it will settle. If a drum drops out of tune within minutes, the seating step is the usual culprit.
No. The Drum Tuner runs entirely in your browser with the Web Audio API. There is no server and no account, and nothing is uploaded or saved — your selections exist only in the page's memory. It plays the target pitches from this chart so you can match each lug by ear. Refresh the tab and everything resets, and it works with cookies blocked.