How To Set Up Drum Kit

By DAVE CONSTANTIN

If you want to avoid injury, sound your best, and get the maximum efficiency and enjoyment out of your playing, you owe it to yourself to start with a properly bundled drum set. Keeping in mind there are almost as many strongly held opinions on how to ready upwards your drums as there are drummers in the world, if you empathize some bones principles, finding a setup that works with you lot rather than against y'all will be much, much easier.

For this piddling ergonomics primer we're using a basic v-slice kit with a crash, ride, and hi-hat. Once y'all go that cadre setup where you want it, the heaven's the limit for the aggressive percussive architect.

How To Set Upward Your Drums

THRONE

The start thing y'all'll want to practice is become your throne adjusted to a comfortable pinnacle. This is your center of power, so make certain you experience centered and counterbalanced at all times. A good place to first is with your thighs nearly parallel to the ground, with your knees simply below the tops of your legs.

Yous'll find slight adjustments either up or down will land you in the sweet spot for your particular condolement zone, while all the same allowing you to stay well counterbalanced every bit you move effectually the kit.

BASS DRUM

Next you'll want to anchor the bass drum in a central spot, leaving plenty of room on either side to build out the kit, and enough infinite behind information technology for you to move around freely without knocking your elbows into walls or guitar amps.

Keep in mind that your upper leg should be parallel with the drum, with a straight line running from your hip flexor all the way through to the resonant caput so that energy from your hip is focused straight downwardly into your bass drum pedal. (Fig. 1)

Fig. one

Apply the spurs on the bass drum legs to keep the drum from sliding effectually if you're on carpet, and adjust the height of the legs so that the front of the bass drum is raised up off the flooring a hair to compensate for the lift you're going to get on the concoction hoop when you slide your pedal clamp nether it, and to let the bass drum to resonate freely. (Fig. 2)

Fig. 2

SNARE

Next you lot desire to place the snare drum in a comfortable position. The height and angle volition vary for everyone, but this may be the most crucial adjustment parameter on the whole kit since information technology's the drum yous're going to be playing almost often. Set information technology also high and you'll be smacking the hoop all the time unintentionally; too low and your thighs will make it the way of your downwardly strokes.

Offset with something effectually belt-buckle meridian and adjust from at that place until you can hit rimshots and ghost notes comfortably and consistently at every dynamic. Traditional-grip players sometimes angle the snare away from the trunk, pulsate corps–style (i.e., Steve Smith).

If you're playing matched grip, though, tilting the snare just a little toward you lot follows the natural angle of your sticks while playing, and is the default for virtually drummers. (Fig. 3)

Fig. three

BASS Drum PEDAL

Next you'll want to attach the bass drum pedal to the bass drum concoction side. Most companies volition include a hoop protector pad with a pasty backing that you tin lay down on the hoop where the clench grips on.

You desire to attach the pedal clench correct in the center of the hoop (Fig. 4) and then the bass drum sits fully stable similar a tripod between the legs and boot pedal.

Fig. 4

The beater height setting is an of import and oft overlooked consideration.

On any bass drum under 24″, the beater will tend to hitting the caput above heart — equally you can see on this 22″ boot (Fig. v) — and nearly dead eye on a 24″.

Fig. v

You'll want to set the beater shaft in the clutch at its balance indicate. Just like when you option up a pair of sticks and experience for the fulcrum, y'all'll want to call back in the aforementioned vein with the bass pulsate beater. Clamping it at the fulcrum will give information technology a more responsive throw and rebound off the caput.

At the same time, make sure the bottom of the beater shaft doesn't make contact with the head on the backswing or you'll wear a pigsty into your head before you know it, not to mention retarding the movement of the beater on each stroke.

Hullo-Hat

Next comes the hi-lid, which you want set up with the same considerations for ergonomics every bit your bass pulsate pedal. You want a direct, direct line from the toe of your hi-chapeau pedal upwards through your leg to your hip flexor.

The how-do-you-do-hat pedal and bass pulsate pedal should be bundled in a symmetrical "V" germination (Fig. half-dozen), with yous sitting comfortably at the apex, your snare drum straight between your legs without your thighs touching it.

Fig. 6

Hi-hat height is another important but very personal pick, which depends a lot on your playing style.

If you're playing a strictly open up-handed style on the howdy-hat and snare (Fig. 7), where your hands practice non cross over, then you can set your how-do-you-do-hat quite low.

Fig. 7

Most players use a typical crossover technique, then you lot'll want to leave some room for your left hand to play the snare strokes comfortably. If you're an aggressive punk or metal drummer, you may want to go out a lot of room for the left hand, and place your hats upward around chest superlative (i.e., Branden Steineckert of Rancid). Nigh drummers play some combination of open up-handed and crossover playing, then the height of the hi-hats will be somewhere in betwixt.

(Fig. 8) Retrieve that you desire to be able to hands switch between stick tip and shoulder on the bow and edge of the hi-hats, respectively, for accents and rhythmic variation.

Fig. 8

Discover the height that allows yous to comfortably alternating those stick positions with alternating eighth-notes while playing a backbeat (beats 2 and four) on the snare. If you tin can play everything easily and you don't detect your hands getting tangled up, y'all've probably found your ideal hi-hat height.

Another important thing to continue in mind at this betoken is that you shouldn't be overreaching for anything on your kit. While sitting upright and centered, your hi-lid and snare should be easily reachable and comfortable to play without overextending at all. This especially comes into play when we add the toms.

TOMS

When arranging the toms, imagine a half-circle running from high tom to floor, with the center of each tom head bisected past that imaginary half-circle line.

(Fig. 9) If you concord your sticks out then the tips strike the eye of your high tom, you should be able to merely rotate on your throne without irresolute the angle of your elbows at all and be able to strike the heart of the other 2 toms.

Fig. 9

This arrangement allows yous to do fast, comfortable tom runs and reach every major part of your kit with a minimum of endeavour and without expending any extra energy worrying about readjusting for accuracy.

Naturally, the height and angle of the toms are equally important here. It helps to set mounted toms all to the same superlative and angle so you don't have to exercise any unnecessary or extraneous torso movements on the fly. (Fig. x)

Fig. x

Besides, you desire to gear up each tom and then that its bending, like the bending of the snare drum, reflects the natural bending of assault from your sticks. (Fig. 11)

Fig. 11

Setting the mounted toms at besides steep an angle is a common fault start drummers make, and all it does is ensure yous wear out drumheads faster and don't get the optimum rebound off the head. Gear up the drums so you can hitting them at the correct angle and pinnacle without raising or lowering your arm, shoulder, or wrist in some unnatural way. This is where your own personal feel and intuition will dictate what works best for you. Also, be sure the bottom hoops of your mounted toms aren't touching your bass drum, both for sonic and artful reasons.

As for floor toms, the same rules use equally for the mounted toms, but a skillful place to start is to mirror the height of your snare pulsate with the flooring tom angled in toward you but a bit. (Fig. 12)

Fig. 12

This way, there's minimal difference in positioning and body mechanics when you move back and forth between the snare and floor toms.

CYMBALS

The last step is adding the remainder of your cymbals. At bare minimum, you'll probably be using one crash and one ride (or crash/ride) to first.

A good position for a single crash (probably something in the 16″ range) is merely to a higher place the snare and high tom.

(Fig. 13)

Fig. 13

Like the drums, you shouldn't have to reach for the cymbal in any mode that would compromise your center of gravity. Ideal cymbal height is, y'all guessed it, whatever feels most comfortable to you, but go on in mind that the higher you put your cymbals, the greater the separation you'll get when you brainstorm to get into miking. The higher up the cymbal, the less cymbal drain you'll get in your tom mikes.

The ride cymbal placement should be loftier plenty and at an angle to where you can get to your depression and floor toms easily, merely shut enough where you don't have to overreach when playing the bell with the shoulder of the stick.

Play with various heights and angles until y'all notice something that allows for the greatest freedom of movement and allows you to stay centered on the throne.

Remember, these are just suggestions to get you started. You lot'll encounter drummers playing whatsoever fashion of extremes of kit setup, merely you'll never become wrong if y'all keep the basics outlined here equally your guide.

In the terminate, information technology's all virtually your human relationship with your drums, and how your kit makes you feel, so when in uncertainty, get with what feels correct.

Source: https://drummagazine.com/back-to-basics-how-to-set-up-your-drums/

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