How To Get The Right Drum Setup

Getting a good drum setup is essential to your development as a drummer.  If you setup your drums incorrectly you could end up not reaching your full potential on the drums all because you didn't get the right drum setup. 

So I admit this does sound a touch extreme but now I have your attention it is worth pointing out that the correct setup for your drums the better your drum playing will be.  The aim is simple get yourself into a position where all the drums are with easy reach.

This guide will help you setup your drums.

Where Your Butt Goes!

Let us start with the first and most important decision you have to make.  How are you going to sit at the drums?

The setup of the drum throne is not just about the height but the distance that you place yourself from the drums themselves.

As a general guide line I recommend you adjust the throne so that your thigh is parallel to the floor so that that your knees are at a 90 degree angle.  This will ensure that both your legs are at the right angle and you are sitting the correct distance from the drums.  The best posture is to sit with a straght back and sitting towards the front of the throne.  The reason you sit slightly forward is so that you can improve the power to your feet.  You want to be pushing your energy forwards.

Where Your Smelly Feet Go (or is that just me!) 

How you approac and setup the kick even before you think about technique will greatly affect your ability to play the bass drum.

Position the bass pedal so they do not force your leg into an uncomfortable position.  You leg should position should feel natural and should be pointing directly in the direction of the pedal itself.  If you foot or leg is off to an angle you may have placed the snare in the wrong position.  Setup the snare and drum stand so that it is between your legs at about waist height.  I have seen endless new drummers slant the snare to much which later hinders their ability to develop certain techniques.  Keep the snare angle 'fairly' flat when you setup the snare drum.

Setup Your Tom Toms 

Setup the toms correctly and you fly around the drum set with ease and dexterity.

The best advice I can give you here for setting up the toms is to not over angle the tom toms, just like the snare.  The best way to get this right is to experiment as many drummers angle their toms to differing degrees.  Some have them low and flat while others have them higher and at more of an angle.  The choice is yours but make sure each tom is place around the snare within easy striking distance of your sticks.  If they are too far away you will end up moving your arms way too much.

Drum Cymbal Setup 

Setting up the cymbals is again crucial to being a relaxed drummer.  You must be able to get to everything easily and the cymbal setup is no exception.

The hi-hats and ride cymbal should be setup so that they have sufficient clearance from the toms and snare drum.  The crash cymbals are usually placed slightly higher than the ride and tend to be place forward rather than off to the side like the ride is (depending on how many cymbals you own!).  Also consider how you want the cymbals to be angled.  As a general rule of thumb many drummers angle the cymbals so they can slice the cymbal with the drum stick ensuring the best possible resonance and sound when the cymbal is struck.  Alternatively if your style of playing is more towards punk and thrash you might want to have a flatter angle which will make the cymbal resonates in a more aggressive and abrasive manner.  Best advice here is to experiment and see what works best for your drum setup.

With regards to the cymbals it is important to experiment to find out what works best for you.  Check out your favorite drummers and try out the way they set up there cymbals.  Most importantly like the rest of the drum setup make sure you can easily reach the cymbals while you are grooving away.

Top Drum Setup Tip 

• The best drum setup tip is to make sure you make use of Keeper Rings or similar locking system that allows you to always setup the drum set in exactly the same way.  This ensures you will always feel comfortable and relaxed when you are playing your drum set.

Here are a few pics to help give you an idea of the different possible ways you can setup you drum set.

	Sonor Special Edition Rock 22
	Tama Imperialstar 5 Piece Drum Kit
	Ludwig Accent Custom
	DDrum Diablo Player

Now your drum setup is correct why not learn to play the drums with studio drummer Jared Falk. 

Make the right sound with the right drumstick we reveal all go to ... Buy Drumsticks