How to Mount Tom Toms on Bass Drum

Setting up your drum kit can be very easy, yet can appear pretty intimidating, depending on the size of your kit. The proper mounting of drums is determined by the size of your body, as well as the size of your equipment. This article will simplify the installation of the tom toms to your bass drum.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Bass drum
• Tom toms
• Drum key
• Drum throne
• Drumsticks

Mounting Tom Toms

1. Set up your drums where you plan on playing them.
2. Position your bass drum in the center and place the drum throne where you feel most comfortable sitting.
3. Beginning with the smaller tom tom, place the post into the mounting bracket on the bass drum, in the leftmost position.
4. Take the larger tom tom and place it next to the smaller one.
5. Sit on the drum throne and position yourself at the height you prefer and the position you like the most.
6. Hit each drum in your set (left to right) with your drumsticks. Check to make sure you can reach each drum easily and make contact with the center of the drum head.
7. Adjust your small tom tom by tilting it upward.
8. Adjust your larger tom tom by matching its tilt to that of the small tom tom.
9. Hit each drum (from left to right) with your drumsticks to redetermine that you are able to reach the drums easily and hit the drum heads in the center.
10. Adjust your tom toms (if needed), either by moving them to face each other or moving them away from each other. Adjust the height and tilt.
11. Hit each drum (from left to right) with your drumsticks to redetermine that you are able to reach the drums easily and hit the drum heads in the center.
12. Continue rearranging height, tilt and distance apart, hitting each drum (from left to right) to test for accuracy and ease of reach until the desired settings are achieved.
13. Use your drum key to tighten the heads and posts to the mounting brackets.

Tips & Warnings

• Always make small adjustments, to avoid overcompensating.
• Always do a drum run-through before tightening them completely.
• Avoid banging heavily on your drums when the heads are loose.