How to Put Drums Together
The drum set is the backbone of the band but before you can start making music with your band mates, setting it up can look overwhelming. A drum set has many parts and pieces but as you put each piece together, you will see that the drums have a logical set up to them.
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Things You'll Need
- Snare drum 2 Hi-toms Floor tom Bass drum Hi-hat stand Ride cymbal stand Snare drum stand Crash cymbal stand Hi-tom hardware piece Floor tom legs Bass drum pedal Drum stool
Instructions
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If you are not putting together your drum set on a carpet, lay down a rug that is larger then the drum set so it doesn't slide around as you put it together and play.
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Next, take out all of your hardware stands. You should have the following: one ride cymbal stand, one crash cymbal stand, one hi-hat stand, one snare drum stand, one bass drum pedal and one drum stool. Set up your hardware in a semi-circle from left to right, starting with your hi-hat stand. All of the stands work the same way from the bottom where the legs are, meaning you loosen the wing nut on the bottom (no drum key needed) to make the legs go down to the height that you need them. Make sure all legs for each stand are on the floor. From the top, each stand is a bit different: hi-hat: leave the pole alone for now, cymbal stands: loosen the wing nut on the body of the stand (near the middle away from the legs) and adjust the top part of the stand to the height you need, snare drum: using the wing nut, open the top part of the snare drum to the width so your snare drum will fit inside, bass drum pedal: leave it alone for now, drum stool: just loosen the bottom wing nut to get the legs on the floor. Continue setting up your stands from left to right in the aforementioned semi-circle, setting up your bass drum pedal where the bass drum will go, the hi-tom hardware piece in front of your bass drum pedal for now, your floor tom legs where the floor tom will go, and your drum stool where you will be sitting.
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Now that your hardware is set up, take our your drum shells. First, put your snare drum into your snare drum stand, adjusting the stand as you go from the bottom wing nut so the snare drum fits comfortably inside the stand. Next, take your bass drum out, adjusting the legs on both sides so they are on the floor. Then attach your bass drum pedal to the bass drum by loosening the wing nut underneath the bass drum beater (part of the pedal that hits the drum) and sliding the pedal onto the drum, and then tighten it back up. Next, put your hi-tom hardware piece into the hole on top of the the bass drum. It should slide in easily, and you will adjust the height and tighten it with the wing nut that's attached to the hole where the piece slides in. Take your hi-toms out (in a five piece typical drum set, you will have two of them) and slide them both on to the tom stands attached to the hardware piece you just put in. Also adjust the toms with the wing nuts provided on the side of each tom near the hole. Next, get your floor tom out and slide in each leg, adjusting with the wing nuts on the sides as well.
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Lastly, take out your cymbals as follows: the hi-hat with the clutch, and both felt and metal washers, the ride cymbal with its felt and metal washers, and the crash cymbal with its felt and metal washers. Starting with the hi-hat: unscrew the clutch with the wing nut on the side and put the top of the clutch into the top hi-hat cymbal. Flip the top hi-hat cymbal over and screw the washers on to the bottom of the clutch, making sure they are tight. Then put the metal washer onto the hi-hat stand, then the felt washer over it, then slide the bottom hi-hat cymbal on to it. Then slide the top hi-hat cymbal on top of that. Adjust the opening of the hi-hat cymbals using the wing nut on the side of the clutch. Next, put your metal washer on your ride cymbal stand, then put the felt bottom washer on top of that. Slide your ride cymbal on and put the top felt washer on top of that, then screw them on tightly with the wing nut provided with the stand. Repeat the process for your crash cymbal stand.
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Lastly, sit down on your drum stool, check that your drums and hardware are at a comfortable height (meaning you can reach each drum and cymbal easily), adjust as needed and you are ready to play!
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