1: Place taiko vertically on a soft surface. (be careful not to damage the heads)
2: Line up the holes in the top head halfway between the holes in the bottom head.
3: Take one end of the tuning rope and thread it though a hole in the top head. Continue lacing the rope through all of the holes in the same manner, always lacing from the playing surface of both heads down.
4: Once you have laced all the way around the drum, tie one loose end of the rope to the other leaving the excess rope hanging free.
5: Check to insure heads are centered on the shell and begin to pull the slack from the ropes working your way around the drum. You are now done unless you wish to continue with the lateral tuning ropes.

1: With all slack removed from the vertical ropes, take the loose end and pass it over 2 vertical ropes and then back behind them .
2: Bring it back to the top of the first verticals and then over to the next pair of verticals. This pair is made up of the last rope from the first verticals and the next vertical.
3: Wrap the rope around the next two verticals in the same manner as the first. Each time you wrap around a pair, include the second vertical from the previous pair.
4: Continue around the drum, without pulling very tight yet. Keep the lateral tuning line fairly centered for a professional look when finished.
5: After tightening, take the end of the lateral line, wrap it around a vertical pair.