So you’ve bought your new drum kit, scoured the world of
music shops to find the exact setup you need and are ready to become a drumming
legend overnight. There’s just one more thing you need to do before you start
rocking the neighborhood – set up your drum kit properly!
In this article, we
will explain how to set up a 5 piece drum kit – a beginners’ kit that the
majority of people new to drumming will have in front of them.
Firstly, what you need to do is to assemble the main
components of your kit and lay them out in front of you. This will be easier to
do if you have purchased an all in one drum-kit that contains everything you need,
but if you have bought separate parts, skins, cymbals and so forth, you may
wish to keep the items separate.
Locate All of the Attachment Parts First
The majority of beginner kits come with a frame attachment
for mounting the toms onto the bass drum, so let’s start with the biggest item
of the kit. The bass drum is the main drum that brings together all of the
other components to create a solid base for the drums. In beginner kits, the
skins are usually already attached to the frame itself, so place the bass drum
on the floor and find the stabilisers that attach to the bottom.
The stabilisers stop the drum from rolling, so make sure
that they are firmly attached and are spread out enough to stop the bass drum
from rolling. You will find two slots on top of the bass drum that allow the
attachment of the two toms on top. Find the attachment rods and use the
included drum key in the kit to secure the two rods in a vertical position for
now.
Use the Brackets to Secure the Toms
On the two toms, you will find attachment holes on the sides
so grab your first tom (the smaller one) and lower the hole onto the pole that
is attached to the bass drum. The smaller tom should be positioned on the left
side of the bass drum as you sit behind it. Use the drum key or thumb screw
(whichever your kits supports) to tighten up the drum onto the bass drum. When
it is secure, you can move onto the next tom and perform the same installation
method.
The final attachment of your drum kit setup regarding the
bass drum is the foot pedal. This pedal usually comes in two pieces – the foot
pedal and the beater. These two pieces slot into each other and usually attach
with a spinning nut to secure them together. Lift the bass drum up slightly and
slide the bass drum foot pedal underneath it. Secure it to the bass drum with
the nuts on the foot pedal to make sure that the pedal doesn’t move around at
all.
Setting Up the Floor Tom
Many beginner kits also include a floor tom that is a large
standing tom slightly smaller in size to the bass drum itself. This drum is
relatively easy to set up and usually comes already assembled. Simply find the
three legs and slot them into the slots on the bottom of the floor tom and
secure them with the thumb screws. Position this floor tom to the right of the
kit as you sit at it.
The snare drum has a few special features that separate it
from the other drums that need to be treated carefully. First of all the snare
has a tensioner system on the underside of the drum that gives this particular
drum its distinct sound. Open up the special snare tripod that has a triple arm
attachment at the top and place the snare on it. Then tighten the nuts
underneath so that the snare is secure, and move to a comfortable height for
your playing at the left hand side of the bass drum.
Now On To the Cymbals
The cymbals in your drum kit usually come in separate boxes
for shipping purposes but are relatively simple to set up and get started. A
beginner’s kit usually consists of a high-hat system, and two larger cymbals
known as the ride and the crash. Each has a sturdy tripod stand, so let’s set those
up firstly.
The two larger tripods are used for the ride and the crash
cymbals, so fully extend both of the tripods and remove the thumb nut at the
top of each tripod and place the cymbals over the top of the vertical rods.
Ensure that the felt dampener is under the cymbal to get the best sound quality
and resonance.
Tighten the thumb screws over the top of the cymbals and
place the cymbal tripods behind the bass drum so that the ride cymbal comes in
over the kit between the snare and the first tom, and that the crash cymbal
reaches over the kit beside the second tom.
High-Hat and Foot Pedal Setup
The high-hat is a little trickier to set-up, but should only
take a few minutes to do. Remove the vertical high hat rod from its tripod and
set the tripod up to stand freely. Place the bottom high-hat cymbal in place
over the rod and secure it to the bottom “tilter” section of the tripod facing
upward.
Then insert the high-hat rod, making sure that the tilter
washers are in place and secure the higher cymbal to the rod between the felt
washers. Tighten down the thumb screw at the top and you are almost ready to
go.
Ensure that the foot pedal for the high-hat is of correct
length so that you have full freedom of movement in the pedal, whilst the high
hats do not completely close when the pedal is not pushed. Alter the tension in
the chain by moving the higher cymbal up and down the upper rod and securing it
tightly to allow the cymbals to close shut together when the pedal is pressed.
The last part of this tutorial in how to set up a drum kit
for the first time is the drum stool itself. This is easily set up, usually by
pulling the legs out and sliding down a fastening thumb screw underneath the
seat. Secure the screw when you have found a comfortable seating height and
there you have it, You are now ready to start rocking your new drum kit!
