Drumset Setup
I can’t stress enough the importance if getting your drums set up in a way that lends itself to your body. Being on the road and playing many other drum kits other than my own, I’ve really seen the drastic and typical setups that a lot of church drummers use. Man sometimes I want to ask them how in the world they manage to play drums in that position, then I remember I used to do the same thing before I learned any different :)
For me personally, I sit really high on my seat, almost as high as it goes. That allows my legs to hang free below me, so when I am doing my fast bass drum grooves and using double bass I don’t have the stress on those hip flexors. If I sit too low I get this burning in my upper hip, and I feel like I can’t move my legs at all, so that’s why I sit so high. That also forces my snare drum and pretty much everything else to be raised up a little higher as well. Drums that sit on the ground just don’t do it for me, I feel constrained when they and I are sitting too low.
I keep my snare drum a few inches above my knee line with a pretty deep angle back towards the rack tom, the opposite of what I see most people doing. That’s a trick from the master Jojo Mayer, it allows the proper angle of your hand and wrist on the drum that allows for the maximum motion with minimum movement. It’s tough to get used to but once you do you’ll never go back. The same for the rack tom, I keep it really flat just above the bass drum, and slightly to the left of the snare drum. That really allows it to be easily accessible to both hands to get up there. I have a shallow rack tom, it’s only 8″ deep and that really helps in this configuration. Thanks Risen Drums :)
Finally I sit a medium distance from the kick drum, too close you’ll choke your legs, too far and you’re reaching. Try to find a good balance. For the floor tom I keep it exactly the same as the snare, only to the right, and then float the ride cymbal right over the top left edge of it. I’ve put so much thought into the setup and it’s really paying off on the road each night. I am more comfortable and faster than I’ve ever been before. So take a look, see what you think, move some stuff around a bit, and keep it there for a few weeks :) give it a chance before you freak out and put it back. You can make mistakes in the practice room as long as they help you out when you play live, so mess around ya know, have some fun!!