2. Tune the bass drum. The bass drum is the foundation of the drum kit, so it's important to tune it correctly. To tune the bass drum, hit the beater head and adjust the tension rods until the drum produces a low, resonant sound. The pitch of the bass drum should be about one octave below the lowest note on the tom-toms.
3. Tune the tom-toms. The tom-toms are the middle-range drums of the drum kit. To tune the tom-toms, hit each drum and adjust the tension rods until the drum produces a clear, resonant sound. The pitch of the tom-toms should be higher than the bass drum and lower than the snare drum.
4. Tune the snare drum. The snare drum is the highest-pitched drum of the drum kit. To tune the snare drum, hit the head and adjust the tension rods until the drum produces a sharp, cracking sound. The pitch of the snare drum should be about one octave above the highest note on the tom-toms.
5. Fine-tune the drum kit. Once the drums are all in tune, you can fine-tune the drum kit by adjusting the muffling and the cymbal placement. Muffling can be used to reduce the sustain of the drums, and cymbal placement can be used to change the sound of the cymbals. Experiment with different muffling and cymbal placement techniques until you find a sound that you like.