How To Set Up Your Drums - Drum Lessons

You can set up your drums many different ways. Each way has different advantages and disadvantages. You can also set up your kit differently depending on what style of music you will generally be playing. The truth is that setting up your drums is based mostly on personal preference. You can set up your kit any way which is most comfortable for you. Experimenting with different set ups is a great way to find out which set up suits you best.

Let me start by explaining how to set up your drums from scratch. There are many different types of stands so I cannot go into great detail on exactly how to set each one up. Most are very straightforward, with wing nuts to loosen to be able to adjust the height, angle, and other dimensions of the stands. Toms should mount very tight and secure so they do not move when you are playing them. The bass drum should have its legs extended so it sits securely on the ground. As for the cymbals, they should be securely fastened to the boom stands with felt strips on both sides.

Start with your drum stool and figure out where you want to be sitting. Once you have this, relax and let your legs angle themselves to where they are most comfortable. Remember, sitting behind the drums should be a very relaxing experience, so make sure you are comfy! Also, you want to set your stool high enough so you can execute key techniques like the Moeller Method, and the Double stroke roll efficiently. Where your feet lie is where you will place your 2 foot pedals. After placing you’re hi hat and bass drum pedal where your feet are, fit your bass drum into your bass pedal. Once this is done, place your snare drum at a decent height between your bass drum pedal and you’re hi hat pedal. This is what you want to usually start with; from here you can do many options.

As for your cymbals, they can be set up any way you wish. The common rock drumming drum set up has a set of hi hats, a set of crash cymbals, and a ride cymbal. The hi hats obviously go on your hi hat stand. There should be a gap between them so you can use your feet or sticks to make a sound. The Ride cymbal is usually places on the left of your kit, above the third tom. Depending how tall you re, set up the crashes so they are in easy reach. This is also all personal, so experiment with different designs.

The most common rock drum set comes equipped with 3 toms, a snare and a bass drum. This is called the 5 piece kit. The most common rock drumming set up of these is by having 2 toms set up over your bass drum, and one to the left of it. Usually they will be placed in order by size, with the smallest tom to the right, and the largest tom on the left. Depending on the type of toms you have, you can set them up in different ways. For example, if you have a floor tom (a tom that rests on the floor), you can place that tom on the right side of your hi hats. This gives you a more symmetrical feel to your set up. You can also replace your middle tom with a ride cymbal, using only 2 toms on your drum set. This will give you more of a jazz or punk rock feel.

As you can see, the combinations of drum set ups are endless. The best advice is to find a set up that feels most comfortable to you, and at the same time allows you to keep your technique rock solid! Have fun and don't rush youself during this process.