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As a tall drummer I’ve been feeling awkward at the set since I started, this is exactly what I needed. Thanks Stephen!

Thanks for these lessons! Im a 67 year old ‘teenager’ who has always wanted to learn the drums! I’ve been gifted an old set of drums and I aim to be playing in the church band by the end of the year! Loving it!

I'm a self taught drummer since 1967. I've noodled through virtually every point you've made here. To me, the key is balance, and the ability to keep "centered" around your core, or spine, regardless of the style of music you're playing, or how energetic / loud. I play open handed, and the right hand carries just about every back beat (2 & 4, normally). I've only seen two, maybe three other drummers who look like they're playing left-handed in a right-handed kit. Works for me, and I'm still playing at an age somewhere north of 70! Jazz, pop, rock, reggae, country, worship...done it all, thanks to following the advice you've given here, which is mainly to be aware of what your body is telling you when you play. It should be essentially effortless when all the pieces are in the right place. Good vid. Thanks!

Believe it or not I've waited almost 20 years for a video like this - thank you!

Stephen, I am 5’. I think I finally figured this out since I started playing the drums a couple years ago. Your tips are great. I enjoyed the Hi-Hat stick placement and the different position for the bass pedal tips. Thanks so much for another great video. ❤️

Glad this is a longer video.

After coming back to drumming 20 years ago to support my church I have always set up the church kits to my liking but this video made so much sense in terms of overall approach to the set up. I actually went to our church after watching this and made a few minor adjustments all around that made a big improvement in playability. Way smoother moving around the kit now - Thank you for this, truly helpful!

Great Video Stephen! I'm 6'4" and the detail you go into has helped me set up my kit for comfort and ability to work around the kit when playing and be much more comfortable while playing! Thank you!

THIS ONE. This is the setup video that’s actually useful. Thank you so much! Basically every single other video is like, “it’s all subjective and totally depends on what you want to do. Things shouldn’t be too high or too low, just figure out what works for you. Thanks, like and subscribe,” and that’s it. So I REALLY appreciate you giving such specific suggestions. I wish more drum videos (or videos for guitar or any other highly technical skill) gave the, “there are no rules” disclaimer, but followed it with specific suggestions that are likely to at least work as a starting point. And this did exactly that, so thank you 🙏

Funny, I just bought my first Acoustic Drum Kit Yesterday! (Aug 26 2021) And this video comes up. Thanks! : )

I feel more comfortable just watching.. I'm 6.2 and really needed this! Excellent idea for a video Stephen! 💪

I started playing drums in 1995 with no formal lessons,, but learned by listening, watching and emulating other drummers. Over the last 20+ years, I've been in numerous bands and recorded a lot of music, but I developed bad playing habits along the way. Playing heavier music with bad technique has gotten pretty challenging in my 40s, so I'm trying to work on technique and breaking bad habits. Your videos have been a great help. I can especially relate to your floor tom story at 19:49. That happened once at a gig when I was in my mid 20s. There was blood. Excruciating.

Been playing professionally in Nashville for 7 years now and have been recently been struggling with balance and comfort on long 4-8 hour gig days. This video made me rethink my setup and i found my throne height had creeped up way too high and I lowered it by a good 6 inches. Feels so comfortable and was able to gain a ton more speed and control in my right foot that I felt had diminished in recent months. Gonna try it tonight on a long gig! thanks for the great videos Stephen!

Love the drum sound and tuning

Typical, clear and concise video Steve. Thanks for this. You incorporate and demonstrate these fundamentals which provides practical advice and encouragement to be able to play this instrument. Drumeo vids are useful, but this one video is more so. Keep on Drumming.... Sharing your knowledge is appreciated very much.

I've been waitingr a while for a video like this & other videos you've done that I haven't found from anybody else on KZfaq. Or they just don't prepare and package it the right way, Explaining the placement process technique and patterns. So I applaud you for your thoroughness and patience.

Thank you for doing this video! Your videos have helped me improve as a drummer so much....they are very practical. Keep up the good work!

Thanks so much for tips on kit set up. I just started learning drums few weeks ago (at59) and all your tips will help me be comfortable. At least where to begin then adjust as needed. I am trying not be overwhelmed with learning but these videos all great. Thank again.

I am beginner and going in cheap with an e-drum kit. After watching multiple videos about "How to start" I found your video and it makes the most sense to me. This is because you break it down to the single components and then reason about each decision while putting it into context of technique and it's implications for playing. I guess that other instructors are just not able to go back to the "I don't know anything" level good enough partly because they use the assembled kit for demonstration. Thank you for this video. I appreciate it a lot.

Thank you very much Mr. Clark,you are definitely the guy I come to for basic problems I'm having with technique drum patterns or placement ,that have Arisen in my years of playing drums. Whether it's technique or the way something is positioned or my Tempo is too fast or too slow. There's a lot of bad things I've had to unlearn and even in my forties I'm still having to unlearn something and you've helped me do that and i learn how to accomplish this the correct way. And when I was younger I didn't have the internet or the patience, im Not trying to make excuses but younger Generations have it a lot easier when it comes to finding out how to do something the correct way or unlearn something that's hindering their drumming: bad patterns techniques and tempo.it's much easier for kids these days to want to learn how to do something or unlearn something by just going to KZfaq. When you're younger you just want to get on there and play the crap out of your drum set and not worry about all this stuff but I'm glad I was able to play band in the school for a while and take lessons for a couple of years that really helped. But even after that I've still had to unlearn some things that I picked up along the way that were not correct. that came back to bite me later on over the years. some of it you know I've incorporated into my playing like bad technique...... that's not good! so I'm trying to break these habits and you've really helped me more than anybody on KZfaq, Stephen! you got a great page and if anybody else I know that is a drummer, who needs some guidance and advice you're the man I point them towards. You got a good speaking voice and you're very thorough when it comes to explaining how to do something you don't try to overthink it and complicate things it's to the point & direct. I thank you mr. Clark! I mean this is supposed to be step-by-step so it should be slow and to the point& most importantly thorough. It just can't happen overnight you have to achieve the right way 4 technique drum pattern or placement of your drums. Anyway Mr. Clark, I hope you had a happy New Year An a Merry Christmas my drumming brother ,take care!

Thanks Stephen. This is gonna be a big help. I'm 1 year into to drumming, and I'm struggling with my wet up of my kit. Enjoy your channel, keep up the good work

I find your videos are getting better and better - Thanks!

Great video, really unlocked my setup. Its crazy, I never would have thought moving the tom forward towards the beater side of the kick would have helped this much. Thanks man!

Excellent! One of the best I have seen. This will come in very handy in setting up my set which has just arrived. Thanks.

This video is life changing!!! My drums are now set up for my 5’10” frame. Thank you!!

Just wanted to say a big thank you. I knew part of my setup was bugging me, I had spent a LOT of time getting most of my kit right. Then I fitted a little more with the mics, something was amiss, now it's perfect, I just had to bite the bullet a little. Rejigged the left side of my yamaha rack to make 10 inch tom closer and 18inch crash closer. Along with having lowered my snare, raised my throne and several other tweaks in the last week... ahh the joys of ergonomics :). Cheers mate.

Awesome!! Heading to my practice room and starting over w my placement. Thank you!!!

Just bought a Yamaha E-drum kit and this video was awesome! Thank you. It’s much more comfy than I had it before.

Great tips, thank you! This is one of the better kit set-up videos I've seen.

I don’t normally comment on anything. But you have helped my set up sooo much. I needed to let you know that! Total beginner here and it’s now easier to play, with more movement and less effort. Thank you!

I really much appreciated every video you made. It helps me a lot to improve my drumming. God bless you!

Well, ya earned my sub from this video!!! What I can see you are doing for young drummers is terrific! I wish someone had done this for me. The school of hard knocks had to suffice. Now, for me at age 66 I'm readjusting and refining the setup at least 1 to 4 times per year due to aches, pains, and the road effects of playing since the age of 12. Most of the time my changes are just tweaks mind you but essential. A side benefit of this "I think" is that if you are like me and ask to sit-in often or go to a blues jam etc., the drums are usually quite different than my setup (I'm 6'2") so therefore it's good practice and ya get to use that muscle group in your arms and legs just a wee bit different without ruining your own personal muscle memory. I also have the benefit of working in studios often and using different drums that I set up with 1 rack tom or two. One floor or two. Different amounts of cymbals etc. My main kit is 3 racks, 1 floor, 2 crashes, and a ride. 10,12, 13, 16, and 22. So..... in conclusion of my life story (snickering loudly), I'm glad I came across your channel. Best of luck sir! See ya on the bandstand.

I have been playing on and off since 1974 and I learn new things every day. Thanks for this video. I now play a Ludwig Breakbeats kit and the set up is very low but I due like it.

I'm only 4 minutes into this video and have already fixed a major issue. I was always taught that the angle of legs should be 90 degrees, not more than 90. Raising my throne height has already made a huge impact. Can't wait to see what else I'm doing wrong. Thank you very much!

Thanks man! Just picked up my new alesis kit. This helps a bunch!

thank you Stephen, for this comprehensive guide to drum set ergonomics

Great video! I am 6 foot 5 and I am going to apply this to my kit in the morning. Thank you!

Great video! I'm actually reassessing the setup of my e-drum kit but almost all of this information was still relevant. Thanks for going so in-depth on the ergonomics here 👍 The main difference I think is that I can probably be even more flexible in where exactly I put all my drums compared to an acoustic set just because most of them are physically smaller. My 4 toms are all small 8-inchers but I have a 13" snare, double-kick, and rack-mount hi-hat that's decoupled from the pedal so I appreciate all the info on getting the most important parts of the kit setup first and placing the toms and cymbals accordingly. I have paint marks on my rack from where I set it up YEARS ago, and my body is different now, but I never really took the time to renegotiate the placement of everything. So my snare is too low and therefore everything else relative to the snare is not quite right either.

This is exactly what I needed 🙌🏽

Tall drummer here. Finally. Man,, i have been looking for this info for so long. I have a Roland td 12 mounted on a low 'all in one' rack. A separate hi hat en snare stand. But with the long leggs always problems with balance en reaching the toms. 🇳🇱👋 thanks man.

I have watched a few of your really informative videos and I’ve got to say that I have struggled with playing my bass pedals with any consistency or stamina, until I made one simple adjustment . You pointed out that most players are too close to the kit. My thinking for years as been that you get all your drums as close has possible, to play faster and move less . But being to close meant that my thighs and hips were doing all the work,rather than my feet . And now I’m hitting the snare in the centre, instead of near the front ! 😂

"Bring things to light that you didn't notice before" That right there is one of the noblest thing a drum coach can do! Thank you for helping us. Your advices help a lot !!

This is the video I was looking for!!!!🎉

Brilliant video, very interesting and informative, many thanks.

I'm equally tall (6'5") and have lived life fooling around on short people kits for fun. Now that I have my own kit, I realized how uncomfortable it is. This is great information and reasoning. My eyes are opened by the reasoning for decisions presented.

Overall, these are good guidelines. The slight difference is that I face the audience and place the bass drum at an angle usually toward the guitarist which helps me see him without twisting and sends the kick directly to the guitarist's legs. This works whether it bass or lead/rhythm or even keys.

Brilliant! You’ve helped solved some physicality issues I have Stephen… 👏🇦🇺🎄✌️

Many things come to mind watching this video. I was taught that you should never be reaching for anything. Every piece should be at a comfortable distance. Some young guys like to set up things far away from themselves because it looks cool. But I remember the great Steve gadd saying that the older he got the closer his kit got to him

Thank you, Stephen, some great tips here. Well-presented and explained. I'm able to correct some of my bad habits after watching this...

These tips made a lot of sense.. I'm gonna strip down my kit, and rearrange while having few beers.. Today.. . Cheers!

You're a gem. Thanks for the vid

Thank you for this great Video, you confirmed my set up. Many greetings from Germany !!!

I agree with everything you said, at my surprise it’s almost my setting 👍

Thanks Stephen! Very helpful! Wish I had done this whenI first started!

Thanks so much man. Extremely helpful!!

This guy is an excellent instructor.

Stellar insight thank you

awesome thankyou very much you explained this really well and really easy to listen to will check out more of your videos.

Love this! You're a great guy!

I am just getting into Lesson 6 of Total Hand Freedom.....having my kit set up....I'm ready to go!

I had the throne height a bit low (3/4”) and way closer (5 1/2”) than your 1, 2, 3 formula. Moved the throne, snare, rack tom, high hat, left crash, and ride cymbal. Need to make some adjustments to the bass drum pedal (more spring tension). Have two floor toms, and suddenly I can reach the 18” with both hands, without putting myself in an uncomfortable position. Overall, it feels much better, better speed and dynamics on the bass drum, more consistent snare drum backbeats and ghost notes. May tweak the throne position a slight amount up and forward. Thanks for sharing what works for you, and sharing it with the drumming community.

This video helped me with my hihat height

Your question piqued my curiosity, so I did an experiment. I closed my eyes as I was sitting down on the throne, then I tried playing different things. Some of the stuff I play is tricky, because I have to make big movements to hit small targets accurately. I nailed all of that in the dark, and I am pretty stoked. So yeah, I'm going to say I nailed the setup. If anybody is curious, I got out a tape measure, and the footprint of my kit is about 7' wide and 6' deep. I have two snares, five toms, four crashes, two splashes, hat, ride, and china fitted into that space in a way that is just about optimal.

Hey bro, thank you for the video. Now my fit has become better and more convenient. Really ;)

Great video

Awesome info! Thank you

Thanks! It is very useful 👍👍

I could say many things about ergonomics as a 6'5" long time drummer. This is a well done vid for sure. I would add that drum height especially for us tall drummers is crucial and i learned this only recently. Todd Sucherman says make sure snare is at a height whereby you could set a plate on it and eat dinner. Then make sure toms in a reg 5 piece kit get gradually closer to you in a line, hard to explain, watch his drumeo vids. and the floor tom has got to match the snare or close like Stephen says here. Get some longer floor tom legs if needed. Makes a huge difference when all drums are closer to you (height wise) as a tall guy or gal. And finally, I've had hats overlapping snare or lined up like it is here in video for decades, But experriment and try to have edge even a few inches 3-6 or more to the left from snare. It might surprise you. Have a great day!

Great video!! In regards to throne and pedal placement, a great exercise that can work for some, which I do, is sit at a kitchen/dining room table chair or even a desk chair if you have one at home (don't worry about height at the moment) and pretend like you are sitting down behind a drum set. Do not actively think about putting your feet in any exact place but kind of close your eyes while sitting down and just let your legs and feet naturally put themselves down. Sit up straight then micro-adjust your legs in or out until it's super cozy for your heel up or heel down style. THAT will be your reference point to how far away your feet want to be. Next step would be to replicate the feet placement and now actually sit on your throne and adjust the height in accordance with the advice Stephen gives greater than 90 degrees. A full-length mirror helps greatly here. After that, the rest of the tips apply and you'll find things naturally fall into place because the throne is the foundation!

Thanks, helped me a lot 👍🏼

Nice material here 👌🏽

Thank you!! New subscriber!

I set my throne up first, then bounce my legs on the ground towards wherever the fell the most comfortable. Then I drag the kick drum/pedal into the position of my right foot, and the hi-hat pedal into the position of my left foot. Then I fill the rest of my drum kit around that. It's been the biggest improvement to my playing. I was keeping my legs way too close together before that, and I am way more spread out with my legs and it helps every bit of my balance and playing.

Great video!

Im amazed how many drummers dont think about ergonomics. Need teachers like yourself to educate ergonomics more like this. Good job Stephen. 👏 Im glad that I addressed this years ago. One thing i noticed is your seat height and snare height. From the video looks like the snare is pretty low. Snare rim 2” above knee cap fir me is way to low especially snare being tilted to me. One thing i still have issues with is my toms are offset , so my 10” tom off the kick which pushes my hihat farther out. Oh well treak treak and tweak lol. Good job 👍

So helpful 🙏🏾

Very helpful video so thank you! Can you do a video on stick placement with fills, such as leading with left hand or right hand?

such a real one

the positioning of the snare i also can use the infos for my practice pad 😀 thx a lot

New drummer .. I knew being cramp wasn't right, but had such limited room. I switched to a higher seat and it solved so much .. I dunno why I so stuck on sitting on the stool that came with it. So many other great tips too!!!

Thank you man.

Great vid!! I find that seating position coming from sitting high or low for tall or short drummers. Is really a situation dealing (wingspan) arm length. Nobody wants to feel like they are reaching while playing probably uncomfortable and limits progression possibly. Happy drumming everyone.

Thanks, Stephen. Always get a great deal from your videos! At 6'8" I have struggled with rack tom placement and love the idea of a basket stand. I have similar drum sizes and use 6000 series hardware all around because I'm old and hate heavy stuff. Is that a 6000 series snare stand you are using for your tom? Thanks again for all the material!

Hi Steven I've been recently watching your videos they are very helpful do you have a video on drumsticks and the length of them?

I've never been happy with my setup. Right now my kit is broken down during a rearrangement of my music room. I will definitely incorporate your ideas when I put it back together.

First up let me say thanks for doing what you’re doing here with your channel, which I have settled on after looking at no small number of other channels also providing similar content. Your instruction is delivered in plain language with all the relevant detail, and is easy to read and understand, even for a complete novice such as myself. I have a question which is rather long winded, maybe too much so to put here in the comments, so is there another platform you can be contacted on which might be more suitable, or should I just post it here?

As usual, another killer video, Stephen... although I oppose your opinion of racks diminishing portability and setup/tear down time, I use one extra case for my tubes and with memory locks, setup and tear down is much quicker than with stands since I play a monster kit. I've been playing a long time, and I'm always able to get some great information from your videos... keep up the good work!

😎✌️ thank you Steven

I had - I mean seriously - had nightmares about setting up my drumset. The worst was when it was a live concert and I was messing around the drumset minutes before the start or even break some screws etc. Then I woke up! :-D I played as a (semi)professional for almost 15 years but videos like these still educational.

18:30 interesting to hear you talk about core muscles. I started trying to learn drums a while ago and I have a lot of stomach/diaphragm pain along with severe back pain every time I play. I wonder how much my set up has to do with it. The funny thing is though that it seems like my body is adapting really well. When I first got the drum set out for the first time in like 3 years last summer I could only play for like 30 minutes max before the pain was too much. Now after practicing every day and working on physical therapy exercises to strengthen my muscles I can routinely play for 2 hours at a time. So it seems like instead of setting up my drum set for my body, my body has set itself up for my drums lol. I’ll definitely consider a lot of this advice though

Thanks for sharing Mr Stephen!!! Like # 163!!! 😊🥁🇵🇭

Amazing video Stephan! I’m also about 6’4 and quickly realized drum kits are not exactly designed for taller players. Do you or could you do another setup video for an E kit setup. Something like an Alesis Strike or Strata with a rack. Thank you

Thanks for this. Sitting at my kit and I just don’t feel comfortable when trying to do double pedal stuff

I love this video so far. When it comes to a double kick setup, i struggle to find a comfortable median with my secondary kick pedal and my hi hat. it always seems my hi hat is way too far from my second kick pedal and snare. any tricks for this? i use DW 5000s. i used to be able to set up my double kick and hi hat right next to each other so i could float between the two pedals. Since getting a new kit, i've been unable to re-create that. Any tips?

I think something every drummer should take note of is the natural angle of their foot compared to their knee. My foot veers outward quite a bit and as a result I need to angle my kick drum at a 45 degree angle to keep things comfortable

Watching this I cant stop looking at the interface and the iMac sitting on that stool, and the power cord just waiting to cause a disaster lol. But thanks for the videos!! I check the emails daily!

I’d LOVE to see this exact video with 2 rack toms and 2 floor toms!!!!🤔🤔🙏🙏

I am 5’1” so size constraints. Couldn’t get comfortable with the high hats so I got a HH stand with remote pedal… now hands and foot all accommodated. Also got a 12” snare to get closer to the bass pedal, old 14” has a lower tone, I use it as a spare on the left. Snare is angled 16 degrees towards me, rack toms (10” & 12”, mounted on bass drum) angled 35 degrees towards me; any less and I hit rimshots without meaning to. I’m thinking of getting a rack for more independent adjustment of the toms.

I am 57 now and I can definitely relate to what Steve Gadd says. Ian Paice once said that distance is time. To use a crude analogy, they say playing drums is like sex. If it hurts you're doing it wrong. But anyway. A lot of things are a matter of preference. Myself I prefer a level snare drum. It feels right to me although some guys prefer a particular angle. Floor tom just slightly lower than my snare. Hi hat at about 10 or 10:30 from my snare slightly lower for better contact of the tip of the stick. Whole still being able to comfortably strike it with the shoulder. I'm 6ft 3 and I tend to sit a tad high on the throne. Like my upper legs just above a 90 degree angle to my lower legs. Mostly play heel down. 3 rack toms at average angle and easy to jump up on from the snare. Not real high. Ride cymbal as far to the left as I can get it with having 3 rack toms. I feel like it's more ergonomic than moving your arm out too far right. Neil Peart made this change on his kit in later years. And I guess we need to just experiment and find our own personal sweet spots. Just my 2 cents. 😊