Adjusting to play 1 up 2 down setup

[hurders]

I've just changed my setup a little from a 2 up 1 down (how I have played for 10+ years), to a 1 up 2 down (same kit, just different tom arrangement and I have moved my ride over to fill the space where the 2nd tom used to be mounted). It not only makes my kit look much much better but I am also hoping my playing will benefit from the change. It obviously feels a little different to play at the moment (Its getting late so I have only had about 5 mins bashing around the new arrangement so far to be fair!) so I'm wondering whether anybody has any tips or exercises which will quickly get me comfortable with the new arrangement.

[Thrash Drummer]

I had that setup for a while, then I added a second rack. Both my toms are moved to the side so I have that space for the ride.

I would recommend using the 2nd floor a lot to get used to it being there. Also get really used to cross sticking cus your gonna be ending up on the floors a lot. That's really it... experiment and make some good licks for that setup.

[Wavelength]

Exercise one:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1149/1358359921_5fefc0798b.jpg

Play single strokes on the hi-hat, the snare and the toms, going back and forth, back and forth. Play three consecutive strokes on the hi-hat and the floor tom when changing direction. You'll be leading with the right hand for the first portion of the measure, and after changing direction, you'll be leading with the left hand. First accent the leading hand's strokes, then even out the strokes. Start slowly, be relaxed, and always aim at the center of each drum. When you can combine relaxation with accuracy and consistency, increase the tempo by a notch.

Exercise two:

Play single strokes on the snare, and accent every third note: R L R L R L R L R L R L ... Once you get comfortable, play the accents on the hi-hat. Once you nail that, play the accents on the crash cymbal, then the tom-tom, the ride cymbal, the floor toms etc... going around the kit in a circular path. Once you're back playing accents on the snare, use the hi-hat as your "home base", playing the whole accent pattern on it and moving the accents around the kit again. After you're through that round, move forward, playing on the crash cymbal and moving accents around the kit -- you get the idea... Due to the nature of the exercise you will be crossing over many times. When this happens, find out the most comfortable way to cross over, i.e. which hand should be on top and which on the bottom.

As always, start slowly, be relaxed and stay consistent and accurate. Don't raise the tempo until you can move around the kit fluently. This exercise is great not only for increasing your facility on the kit, but it will also help you notice the flaws in your set-up -- if you can't move freely from one place to another, you're either going too fast, you're crossing over with the wrong hand on top, or something in your kit is out of place. See what the problem is and try to fix it. I always use these exercises when I need to get comfortable with a new setup.