How to Set Up a Drum the Hip Hop Way

Hip hop drummers and jazz drummers have a drum set up that is very different from rock drummers, meaning less is more. The thing that makes this a hip-hop style set up is the fact that there are only three drum shells: snare drum, bass drum and floor tom. That's the set up of legendary hip hop drummer Questlove from the hip hop band The Roots.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Snare drum Bass drum Floor tom Hi-hat stand Snare drum stand Bass drum pedal Floor tom legs Ride cymbal stand Crash cymbal stand

1. Lay down a piece of carpet that is a larger size than your drum set so that the drums and hardware don't slide around as you set up and during playing.

2. Take out your hardware and set it up in a semi-circle starting from the left. Set up your hardware in the following order: hi-hat stand, snare drum stand, crash cymbal stand in front of the snare drum, bass drum pedal, floor tom legs and ride cymbal stand. Leave the floor tom legs on the floor for now.

3. Take out the following drum shells: snare drum, floor tom and bass drum. Put your snare drum in its stand, put the floor tom legs in the floor tom lugs, loosen the bass drum legs and attach the pedal to the bass drum. Your set up should be as follows: hi-hat stand, snare drum, crash cymbal stand in front of the snare drum, bass drum, floor tom, ride cymbal stand.

4. Take out your cymbals and put them on their stands: hi-hats, ride cymbal and crash cymbal. You are now ready to play.

Resources

• Modern Drummer Website