Tuning your Frame Drum

There has been a really thread conversation going on over at the Framedrum yahoo group.

Here's a gem of a quote from Glen Velez on techniques for tuning your (tunable) frame drum (Riq, Tar, Bodhran):

"the Cooperman drums are so well made and the tuning is so sensitive that very precise tuning is possible. tap the tak's near each tuning device. use a sequential criss cross pattern, tune one small area and then the one across from it on the far side of the head. this can take several sequences around the head to match the pitch all around the head. when you are satisfied with the taks, then do the same thing with the dum's. when you are finished let the drum settle in for a couple of hours and check it to see if any area has changed noticeably. that can happen because the drum will slowly settle in to the new tuning. I consider these drum like timpani in regards to the tuning, so the more attention you pay to that aspect the better it will sound."