How to Differentiate Between Drum Stands

You need to be able to tell the difference in the stands when you set up drums. At first, all the stands look alike but you can tell the difference between them once you know what to look for on the metal stand.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Look for the pedal on a tripod. The pedal is a signal that this tripod is used for the high hat cymbal. The only other standard pedal in a drum set is on the bass drum.

2. Find an arm with the tripod. This is a boom stand. The arm extends the cymbal out and position the cymbal at an angle. The boom stand lets you put the cymbal in different areas for better reach and allow to move the angle for your comfort.

3. Set the three legs aside for the floor tom. The legs look like an "L" with an extra, plastic protected projection coming from it. You slide the legs into the openings at the side of the floor tom and tighten down.

4. Hunt for the very short tripod. This is the snare drum stand. You loosen the arm and straighten it up. It also allows you to raise and lower the stand by loosening a wing nut and adjusting. The tripod at the top opens up to hold the snare drum securely.

5. Discriminate between tripods that are long, without pedals and those that have pedals when you set up drums. Those without are additional cymbal stands.

6. Prepare the base drum for set up by simply loosening the screws and pulling out or straighten the legs outward and pull. Tighten down the screw. Some older drums have arched metal pieces that have points on the end. You should remove these and put them back on when you set up drums.

7. Differentiate a floor tom boom from a regular tripod boom. This attaches to the base drum and you can mount the high tom to the base drum. The bar on the holder extends out and the high tom slides on to the bar.