How to Set Up a Drum Set: Efficiency, Ergonomics, and Comfort

Are you ready to unleash your inner rhythm and dive into the world of drumming? Congratulations! Setting up your drum set is an exciting step towards creating music and expressing yourself. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of setting up your drum set.

I was full of questions the first few times I set one up, and could only go by the advice I got from a few other drummers. Now there’s often the opposite problem with so much advice available online. So let me share a straightforward method that addresses the most important things.

Choose the Right Location

Before you start assembling your drum set, it’s crucial to select the perfect spot for it. Choose a room or area with enough space to accommodate your kit comfortably. Make sure the flooring is stable and level to provide a sturdy foundation for your drums.

Also be sure there’s enough room for you to get in and out from behind your kit and that your drums and cymbals aren’t bumping into anything when you play them. Don’t put your bass drum up against a wall, for instance.

Unpack and Organize

Whether you’re unboxing a new kit or unloading an old one, begin by unpacking all the components of your drum set – drums, cymbals, hardware, and accessories. Lay them out in front of you so you can see all of the components and know what you’re working with.

Toms might be mounted on your bass drum, on stands of their own, on their own legs, or some combination of those. You may have a mix of straight stands and boom stands for your cymbals. Just take a quick inventory so you know what you have.

Prep the Floor

Now is a good time to make sure you protect your floor from your drums and your drums from your floor. You also want something that your hi hat stand and bass drum will grip to, so you aren’t constantly having to pull them back toward you as you use your kick pedals.

Any kind of area rug will do a decent job of protecting your flooring, but the thicker and grippier the better. In addition to area rugs (best with a rug pad, btw), you can pick up a drum rug (4×6 or 6×6), a fancy drum rug, or mat tiles. Choose whatever works best for you! There’s no right answer.

Assemble the Drum Kit

Start with throne, snare, bass, and hi hat

First, assemble the drum throne (seat) at a height that allows your knees to be at a 90 degree angle or just beyond a 90 degree angle when seated -see what feels most comfortable for you.
Next, position your snare between your legs, adjusting it to a comfortable height and distance. You want to be able to play it without having to raise your elbows up or away from your body.
Then, position the bass drum and hi hat for comfortable reach within the range of each foot, without having to extend your foot in a way that gets your knee too far beyond that rough 90 degree angle. Comfort and easy reach are key.

Typically, drummers position the hi hat on the opposite side of their strong hand. Once these three items are in a comfortable place, play and give them a test. Sitting centered to the snare with bass and hi hat to either side is basically the home position for most drummers, and the one you’ll play from most.

Now continue with the rest of your toms and cymbals

Make a few more adjustments if needed to get them all working with each other, but don’t worry about getting it perfect. You’ll make more adjustments as we go, and regularly while practicing. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little if it’s not feeling right though.

Now what about the rest of the kit? Well, this depends on what type of kit you have, and how many drums and cymbals you’re planning to add. In general, you’ll want to keep adding components starting with your toms and working closest to the snare then outward. Once you have all of your drums in place, you can start with your ride cymbal, then place your crash and effects cymbals, followed by any other accessories.

The video below by DRUM.DOG on YouTube is a great way to approach getting set up, and builds off of the instructions above. Think about how you plan to use each component, and place them comfortably in relation to your home position.

Keep Playing And Testing

DON’T WORRY- most drummers are constantly playing with their setup. It will likely never be perfect, just find what works for you in a safe, comfortable way. You mainly want to avoid things that:

Will cause you sore joints from bad positioning
Require an uncomfortable repetitive motion
Having your back and neck twisted regularly or at bad angles

If you feel any of that starting to happen, tweak your arrangement. If you want some additional advice, check out these videos by Stephen Clark and Ash Pearson on Drumeo. They discuss ergonomics and go into more detail about positioning of your components. Both full of great advice, and here’s an additional video from Drumeo detailing good drum posture.

Personalize Your Setup

There are a million set ups for a million drummers’ needs. You may have additional items you want to set up to personalize your kit to you. I can’t detail them all here, but here’s a quick list of examples.

Stick holders
Stick bags (most of which can hang from hardware)
Music stands
Laptop stands
Accessory percussion tables
Small percussion trays

Time to Tune

Now it’s time to tune your drums! Check out our complete guide here.