How to Play the Floor Tom

The floor tom is the large drum that you'll find in almost any full drum kit. Playing it requires some set-up and arrangement as well as a little "drum theory." There are many ways to include the floor tom in the melodies you play, but here are some practical steps toward playing the floor tom as part of a percussion composition.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Set up the floor tom. Make sure the lugs catch so your floor tom will stand up to playing. Tune up the floor tom to the tone you want by adjusting the hardware around the drum head to get the best sound.

2. Place the floor tom drum within reach. Many drummers keep the floor tom to the right of the high hat and cymbal stands, so that the right hand can easily access it during play.

3. Assign beats to the floor tom, part of the bar, so that you can predictably mix it into drumming.

4. Use the floor tom as part of a tom roll. This is where you start out on your highest toms, possibly a small rack set hanging from your cymbal stands, and do a series of taps on each tom, progressing down toward the floor tom. The tones should get lower and heavier as you progress. You can finish the tom roll with a cymbal hit or another finale.

5. Utilize a variety of floor tom hits. You can use sticks, rods or brushes on the floor tom for a variety of sounds.