Drum height setup

All the stands will operate in a very similar way, with double-braced tripod bases and adjustable tube joints to set your desired height. First things first, you will need to open up the tripod bases wide enough so the the stands are sturdy and that they will remain firmly in place.

When adjusting the height settings for each stand, make sure that everything is within reach and comfortable to play. It will likely take some experimenting later on to figure out works best for you. When adjusting and setting up drum hardware tighten all the gear levers in order to prevent anything from coming loose whilst playing.

Position the hi hat stand so that your feet feel comfortable when playing both the bass drum pedal and hi hat stand. You will want to aim for a 45 degree angle between your legs and have your knees positioned roughly over your heels.

With my drum kit setup, I am able to mount my two rack toms using tom arms that attach to my cymbal stands with clamps. This is a common feature on modern drum sets, and the bass drum is known as either an undrilled or a virgin bass drum.

Beginner drum sets often utilize a drilled bass drum. This means that the two rack toms are mounted from the bass drum with two tom arms into a bracket, instead of mounting them from cymbal stands.

Knowing how to set up a drum with a drilled bass drum is pretty simple. As you can see, the two tom arms are locked firmly in place into the designated mounting bracket. The arms will be positioned slightly away from each other and the toms are attached onto them.

Open up the snare basket using the swivel mechanism to open it wide enough so it can accommodate the snare drum. Ensure there is no metal to metal contact by having the hoop rest against the rubber gaskets of the snare drum basket correctly. The snare drum will sit directly in between your legs, and you will want to have the snare drum sitting just above waist height, so that whilst you play your drum sticks avoid hitting your thighs.

Floor toms feature 3 legs that will need to be inserted through the brackets so that the feet are underneath the resonant drum skin. Adjust the height of the legs as necessary but aim to have the angle of the floor tom relatively flat so that its not at an extreme slant.

Learning how to set up a drum set requires some patience and also it needs to be learned through repetition. What about those of you who dealt with back problems? I want to stress that back problems often stem from poor use of your body. This goes beyond drumming; it can be the way you sit, walk, use your computer, or even drive.

I recommend if you have back problems to see a physical therapist or specialist of some kind to help you deal with those issues. Stretching or other forms of physical practice are incredibly essential to maintaining your body and preventing injury. Research these different practices and try them out, and see which one is most beneficial to you. I also recommend getting a mirror to use when you practice. Now, if you are a taller person, you may need a taller throne to suit your needs.

The good news is that most thrones on the market will suit your needs. Another great throne I recommend is the DW This throne goes a little bit lower than standard thrones, which also makes it great for kids. Now the question is, how high should the snare drum be? The critical thing to think about with snare height is rimshots. I believe Nate Smith says it best in this video, aim for around the beltline and above the knees. This is an excellent basic metric to adjust your snare height.

From this base, you can adjust higher or lower for comfort. As far as the angle of the snare, I prefer the snare flat or very slightly angled towards me. You want to keep the angle of the snare stand fairly neutral to have easy access to the rim of the drum.

If you play traditional grip, it makes sense to angle the drum away from you, as this helps with rimshots. Some drummers will even angle their floor tom away from them, as Fransico Mela does here. Find what you think is most comfortable.

Again, everything needs to be easily accessible without straining yourself. The same goes for the rack toms and the snare drum. From this point, you want to adjust the rack tom, so it is above the snare drum. How much higher and at what angle are up to your discretion, with one caveat. You want to make the rim of the drum easily accessible for rimshots, but not too high as to force you to angle your wrists to play the drum regularly.

I like my rack tom about 5 inches above my snare drum and slightly angled towards me, as you can see here. I also place my rack tom physically closer to me for ease of access to my left ride cymbal.

Some people like to put their rack to the right of the snare, as opposed to perpendicular with it. Another popular option is to put your rack tom on a snare drum stand, as John Bonham famously has done. This is an excellent option as it helps reduce noise in the bass drum.

As far as the floor tom is concerned, the solution is pretty simple. You want to set it to the same height and angle as your snare drum. Sometimes your tom legs are shorter than the height of your snare drum. I find sometimes I set up my floor to a little lower than my snare drum, and at a slightly sharper angle. Ease of access is fairly self-explanatory. You want to be able to access all parts of the cymbal, body, bow, and bell, without much extraneous effort.

The angle at which you position your cymbal has a significant effect on its sound. A cymbal at a sharper angle is going to have more stick definition, while a flatter cymbal gives you more of the body of the cymbal. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Your height and drum heights. Thread starter Concrete Pete Start date Feb 5, Concrete Pete Senior Member.

Hi gang, Yet another stupid question for all here! The reason I ask is that I'm kinda tall 6'4" and my hi-hat only goes up about 4 inches above my snare, which limits snare height, or I smack my knuckles going from hi-hat to snare.

I like to be chest-height with my toms, so as to not have to raise and angle them too much, and my throne is set for comfort's sake at 25". I know someone will probably ask, so my bass is 22'', and my toms are set at the lowest height above that- about 5". Thanks all, C. No set hights. Just what's comfortable to you. Yeah I agree, my drums started off with some strange heights just because of spacial constraints, but now it's just what I find comfortable and functional.

Boomka Platinum Member. Concrete Pete said:. Click to expand Last edited: Feb 5, I'll add a little There are drummers who don't go by the 'parallel thighs' position. Me for example.