Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) are widely used to reduce vibrations in structures. However, very little research is available on the experimental investigation of TMDs and their performance in soilstructure systems. In this paper, a series of geotechnical centrifuge tests was conducted to investigate the effects of TMDs on the response of a multiple-storey sway frame structure undergoing dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI). Structural responses were recorded for a wide range of input motion characteristics, damper configurations and soil profiles. The practicality associated with the use of TMDs in the damping of resonant structures in light of unexpected earthquake characteristics different from design earthquakes was experimentally demonstrated. Tuning a TMD to soil-structure system properties rather than fixed-base structural properties was found to double the improvement in damping and reduce the original peak response by nearly half. The potential effectiveness of a detuned mass damper in light of significant SSI was also demonstrated.