Hi hat placement

[modizzlez]

im a new drummer and im still trying to find my comfort zone with my set. just wondering how high your hi-hat is supposed to be set and where it should be placed. is there a standard placement for it or does it just depend on your preference. thanks

[Class A Drummer]

It doesnt matter how hight it is. Some people put it low, some put it high. Its a matter of your comfort level. People like Barker put it high up (looks terribly uncomfortable, but i put it relativley low. I would like it to be a tiny bit higher, but my set sets a barrier so i cant.

[KLittle123]

I have it level with my snare drum...only cause i play open handed

[thecraponline]

You can put your hi-hat anywhere you want. Just mess around until you find something that feels comfortable for you.

[kjsm]

i agree with the last post and i would like to add my own comment that i think that it is good that you as a new drummer (from your description) are looking at things like comfort zone and placement this early on. If your next logical step after that is working on rudiments and then gradual applcation and then listening to this and seeing this and so on...well you'll make afine drummer i tink.

[fourstringdrums]

I wrote this article for my site on setting up for comfort. www.handidrummed.com/articles/comfort.php

I don't remember if I mention it in the article, but as far as actually placement, this is what I do. Sit on your drum throne, just as if you're sitting down at a chair to eat or whatever, and wherever your feet naturally fall relaxed, that's where you should put your pedals, making slight adjustments if possible.

[modizzlez]

THANKS FOR ALL THE RESPONSES! THIS SITE IS JUST AWESOME! CHEERS!

[modizzlez]

i agree with the last post and i would like to add my own comment that i think that it is good that you as a new drummer (from your description) are looking at things like comfort zone and placement this early on. If your next logical step after that is working on rudiments and then gradual applcation and then listening to this and seeing this and so on...well you'll make afine drummer i tink.

THANKS MAN! YOU GUYS R AWESOME!

[jollymosher]

take all your drums away, Sit in just your throne, place your feet apart, and start to air drum,THATS where you put your drums. thats the best way to decide where to place stuff. that means thats where you naturally go to hit your stuff.

[Wavelength]

Take all your drums away, Sit in just your throne, place your feet apart, and start to air drum,THAT'S where you put your drums. That's the best way to decide where to place stuff. That means that's where you naturally go to hit your stuff.

...then again, you might have developed bad playing habits which feel natural but are indeed quite un-ergonomical, perhaps downright bad for your health.

I agree with taking the drums away and starting with a clean slate. Sit comfortably, with good relaxed, symmetrical posture, and place your pedals exactly where your feet are. Make sure your knees stay below your hip level even when you raise your heels all the way up. Let your arms hang loose at your sides, grab a pair of sticks and lift your forearms parallel to the ground. Assume the German position bringing the sticks' beads close to one another. Your wrists should be straight, not bent up or down. Place your snare under your sticks so that the batter head's center point is some two inches below the tips. Tilt the snare drum as little as possible.

Play some grooves with the hi-hat, snare and kick drum and find the most comfortable height for your hi-hat. I find that four to five inches is more than enough for me: it forces me to play with smaller, more controlled strokes, which improves my overall touch on the instrument. Remember not to cross your arms, just your sticks! It's easy to give the snare hand some extra space when your arms aren't crossed.

[aboylikedave]

On my Yamaha Stage Custom I can't get the HH less than 5 inches from my snare. Should I be able to get it lower or is some hardware like that? Do I need to hack off a bit of the stand?

[Antman]

Raise your snare?

202020

[Mr. Pasquini]

I personally like a high hat. 5 inches is about my norm. It's comfy and when I cock back I never knock sticks. It also looks cool for my friends, I can flail around and look cool because of the spacing. That aside, you should probably raise your snare if you want them closer and if you want the same spacing, raise your throne to compensate.

[aboylikedave]

Raise your snare?

202020
It's level with my thighs which is perfect. Rather not change

[aboylikedave]

I personally like a high hat. 5 inches is about my norm. It's comfy and when I cock back I never knock sticks. It also looks cool for my friends, I can flail around and look cool because of the spacing. That aside, you should probably raise your snare if you want them closer and if you want the same spacing, raise your throne to compensate.
Its becasue I'm playing open handed.

Isn't raising throne quite a bad idea in terms of posture, leg angles etc.?

[snowman25]

whenever i adjust anything my biggest fear is that when im playing simple beats my hands or sticks are going to hit eachother so when i placed my snare height and HH height i allways keep them far enough away from eachother so nothing hits anything that it shouldn't.

[dea]

My hi-hat is in front, up close, and just to the right of my snare. I still play with my right hand on hi-hat/ride like normal, but my hands never cross. It is just sooooo cozy to play this way. My left hand can move anywhere to the left of my kit with no worries of obstacles. My hi-hat is also right next to my ride cymbal, which really allows me to dance between the two nicely.

Ergonomically speaking, my wrists can be more easily turned inward ( no stress on my shoulders at all ), and my arm at a low relaxed position ( no energy keeping my hands up and forward ). No stress, no fuss, no mess, ..., ...just grooooov'n.

Try it, you may never go back.

[eightill]

My hi-hat is in front, up close, and just to the right of my snare. I still play with my right hand on hi-hat/ride like normal, but my hands never cross. It is just sooooo cozy to play this way. My left hand can move anywhere to the left of my kit with no worries of obstacles. My hi-hat is also right next to my ride cymbal, which really allows me to dance between the two nicely.

Ergonomically speaking, my wrists can be more easily turned inward ( no stress on my shoulders at all ), and my arm at a low relaxed position ( no energy keeping my hands up and forward ). No stress, no fuss, no mess, ..., ...just grooooov'n.

Try it, you may never go back.

I'd love to see a photo of that!

[dea]

I'll get those pics posted as soon as I can.

[Drummer30]

Ya, any place that suits your style and comfort. I've changed my 3874326748 different times just to find where I felt was the best. I've seen people go as far as to use a remote pedal and put their hihat on the right side (of a right handed kit). Eventually it will become easier to tinker unitl you find the positions you like for your kit. There really aren't any standards but rather just majorities in the drumming community.

[dea]

I got my pic of my kit.

[d.c.drummer]

For harder type music, i put it higher. You can get more volume from your snare in and hats when they are like that. For more sensitive stuff like jazz or stuff with alot of fancywork on the hats i put them lower. i put them very low when i am experimenting w/ open handed playing.

[drumpunk]

who likes their hi-hats set up high???
who likes them set up low???
i put mine high, just more comfortable 2 me.

[MaDaBe]

I never liked playing cross handed. I just bought a DW remote hat and since I don't play with rack toms, stuck it right in front of my snare drum Bill Bruford style sort of like what dea describes. It's so comfortable to play that way.

[caddywumpus]

who likes their hi-hats set up high???
who likes them set up low???
i put mine high, just more comfortable 2 me.

I like mine about 10cm above the top of the snare. In the studio, sometimes, I play it about 30cm above the snare (for isolation). I'm used to playing it both ways and everywhere in between.

[k3ng]

I used to like mine about 2-3 inches above my snare, with the edge of the hats nearly in line with the edge of the rims on my snare.

But then mic gigs came along and studio gigs and I found that snare mic placement doesn't really work with my setup and I had to change. Now the hats are further away and higher up.