The Bottom Heads
Step 1: Place the tom shells upside down on the carpet or a solf cloth on the floor.
Tom Tom Shells
Step 2: Place the bottom drum heads onto the drum shells.
Bottom Tom Tom Heads
Step 3: Place the counter hoops into position over the heads. Make sure that the solts in the bottom hoop are correctly in line with the snare action.
Bottom Tom Tom Hoops
Step 4: Using your thumb and index finger, lightly screw the tension rods down against the counter hoop.
Seating the Tension Rods
Step 5: Using the heel of your palm, press down hard on the counter hoop and repeat the process of screwing in the tension rods. Work around the drum two times and you will have reasonably even pressure at each tension point.
Seating the Counter Hoop
Step 6: With one hand on top of the other, and again using the heel of your palm, you must stretch in the heads by pushing down quite hard three or four times in the centre of each head. When you have done this, you should repeat step 5 (Seating the Counter Hoops).
Stretching the Heads
Step 7: To tune each head you must hold your finger lightly in the center of the head, and tap the head with the drumstick, 15mm in from the edge at each tension point. You must adjust each tension rod so each point sounds the same as the other. To raise the pitch, you must tighten the tension rod. To lower the pitch, you must loosen the tension rod.
Tuning the Heads
When you have finished, if you press down firmly in the centre of the head, it should move approximately 1cm. The floor tom head, being of larger diameter, should move slightly more.
