Introduction A drum kit or drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and/or other percussion instruments arranged for convenient play by the drummer.
Two basic types: 1.
Acoustics; and 2.
Electric.
Here, we learn about the basic set-up of an acoustic drum set or drum kit and the individual components.
The Basic 4-Piece Set-Up The basic 4-piece comprises [Recall the configuration is based on the number of drum pieces without the cymbals]: 1.
Snare drum 2.
High Tom 3.
Low Tom (Floor Tom) 4.
Bass Drum The Cymbals The basic drum kit is usually accompanied by the following types of cymbals: 1.
High-Hat (Hi-Hat) 2.
Crash Cymbal 3.
Ride Cymbal 4.
Splash Cymbal The Hardware The hardware consists of the following parts; 1.
High-Hat stand; 2.
Cymbal stand (Straight); 3.
Cymbal stand (Boom); 4.
Snare stand; 5.
Thrones (Stool); 6.
Bass drum pedals.
General A drum generally comprises the following parts: 1.
Top (Batter) head; 2.
Hoop; 3.
Tension Rod; 4.
Shell; 5.
Vent; 6.
Bottom hoop; 7.
Bottom (Resonant) Head; and 8.
Lug.
Snare Drum A snare drum consists of the following parts: 1.
Snare strainer; 2.
Snare hoop; and 3.
Snares.
The snare strainer is a lever-and-thread device allowing adjustments to snare tension or disengaging snare totally from the head to give a tom sound.
The snare hoop contains slots in its sides allowing the chords holding the snares to pass through.
The snares are a series of coiled wires stretched across the resonant head (skin or membrane) to give the "snappy" sound.
High Toms The parts of a High Tom mounted on a Bass Drum are as follows: 1.
Tom holder; 2.
Stop lock; 3.
Bass bracket; and 4.
Tap.
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