How To Set Up A Drum Set

Hi, I'm Rick from the music workshop company. I'm going to show you some tips on how to drum. Okay, so we're setting up a drum kit here, and what I want to do is focus on three things that are a little bit more challenging.

So the first thing we're going to do is the high hat. Now, it's quite a complicated contraption this. It has a steel thin rod which is encased in the top part of this, of the high hat.

And it will appear like that. Now, this steel rod is currently unattached. What you need to do is you need to take it out of here, which is the top of the high hat, and you need to take this thin rod and you need to screw it in to the bottom.

Now when that is tight, what this thin rod here does is it's attached to the pedal, which then goes up and down like that. You then take the outer casing and then put it on top like that, and then that is your high hat. As you can see the steel rod, up and down.

Now, for the cymbals, we have high hats, a pair of high hats, the bottom and the top. Any good high hats will be, will show bottom and top. So the bottom obviously will go on first like that.

And then the top high hat, this is a little bit more complicated, you need a clutch. Okay, now the clutch, can be seen here, it can be seen there. Now, the clutch supports the top high hat.

Now this is how you do it. You need a close-up for this. You take off the top, and then you should have two felts.

Now, you take off the first felt, you should have one felt there, and then you put the high hat on like that. So here, you get the felt back on, so it's like a high hat sandwich. And then, the screw goes on like that.

When you've done that, that's what you should be left with. Then, put that on the thin rod I was talking about earlier on, and that's a high hat. Now, we're not done yet, okay.

Because when you use the pedal, nothing happens. So, at this point, what I suggest you do is you push the pedal down very slightly, and then tighten, and then, one working high hat. Okay, so that's the high hat.

General point, always make sure everything, all the screws are tight. Moving on to the bass drum, okay, the kick pedal attaches to the bass drum. Now, what you'll see on the end of every bass drum pedal, kick drum pedal, are three sorts of felts.

Now in this bit here, the bass drum, the ring of this bass drum, goes in between there. So, you have the drum, the kick drum pedal on the floor, you raise the base drum up slightly and then you just push the pedal in like that. So you should see the top felt on the top.

It basically grips the base drum like that. Now, there should be a screw which tightens it around the side here, for this I need a drum key. I need a drum key like and that just tightens like that.

And that won't come off now. And there you have a fully working bass drum. I just want to move on to a cymbal, cymbal stand.

This is what we call a boom stand because it has this, it has this sort of arm here which is extending. Now, when you're a playing a cymbal, it's very important that are tied tight. Now ,the bottom here make sure the legs are nice and spread out.

Because what we're going to be doing, is putting on quite a big cymbal. Okay, you need to take the hole, every cymbal has a hole, this hole is designed to go on the top of the stand here, like that. You then should have some felts just like the high hat to put on top, this keeps it nice and steady.

And a small washer goes on top, so should you hit it too hard, it won't come off. And there you go, one nice secure cymbal on a boom stand. So, when you've finally got your kit set up, it's perfectly normal just to check everything is, all the screws are tight.

And make sure your bass works. Obviously this high hat, there's no air to it, so we undo the clutch, put the pedal down and then tighten, and then. So, you need to make sure before you start playing that you're nice and comfortable you see, and that your feet are