Abstract: A hydraulic system for applying tension to musical drum heads. It consists of one or more master cylinders applying pressure to a hydraulic fluid in a sealed circuit. The master cylinders may be hand activated, foot activated, controlled by an external source, or a combination thereof. The hydraulic fluid is then forced through tubing to any number of reacting slave cylinders. The slave cylinders may be either single action (1 moving piston and seal) or dual action (2 moving pistons and seals moving in opposite directions), depending on the size and configuration of the drum. The pistons activate a mechanical lever or combination linkage that in turn pulls on a typical tension screw and rim configuration found on most common musical drums. The system allows for immediate pitch changes through the complete range of the drum while always maintaining uniform tension around the perimeter of each head. It also allows a fixed preset ratio between the tensions of the top and bottom heads on a two headed drum.