Do my drums grow with me?

A

ahsdrumline2013

Member
Well do they? Here's what I mean:

For the past few weeks while playing I have felt really uncomfortable behind my kit but couldn't figure out why. Tonight I realized I feel really short behind the drums and I am sitting too low.

So my main question is since I am 15 and still getting taller, should i have to adjust the height of my throne as my legs grow?

I like to have my legs angled down at about a 45 degree angle and adjusted my whole kit for that just this spring, but tonight my legs were almost parallel to the floor. In that time I know for a fact I have added an inch or two and about 20 lbs. Older guys talk about how they searched for years before they found their perfect setup but they are older and done with the growth spurts. If you think about it if my drums were set up how they were when i just started i would be WAY too big. And as your arms feel too long you also tend to scoot the drums away a little, too. Also, is it maybe that my pearl throne is slipping a little bit and gradually getting lower every time i sit on it? Maybe this is a reason that, as a beginner, it is harder to get that perfect setup.

This may be a dumb question or one that does not matter or has already been anwered but I am curious.
 
Your setup will change as your body changes, and as your grip changes.

During these times where you find the need to transition, it's good to pay careful attention to your posture, so that you don't develop bad habits, and don't make existing bad habits worse.

As you make adjustments, make certain you can reach all of your instruments. Make sure you can play with both feet simultaneously without falling over. Make sure you can rimshot, and that all rim shots are intentional. Make sure you're not chopping up sticks on your hat.

I tend to sit high for a drummer (6'1 with 25" throne and 45 deg angle legs) and have only found a handful of other drummers play this way, so we're definitely odd, and quite possibly doing something wrong.

If your posture is still good, and you can reach everything comfortably, and play reliably, don't stress it too much.
 
I'll take a vote for slipping throne, because that's happened to me in the past.

I have a nice throne, the standard kind of threaded spindle base used by Roc-N-Soc and many others, but until I figured out how to really lock it down tight, it would gradually work its way toward the floor.

Finally noticed that my footwork on the bass and hi hat were suffering and after much trying to figure out where my technique had gone, checked the spindle lock, and sure enough, it was loose enough to let the throne drop.

Since I seem to be sensitive to throne height, I took a tape measure to it to make sure it and any other throne I use is set to my preferred height.

Also, I've noticed that as I have improved as a drummer, the ergonomics of my setup change. For instance, I used to put the snare level, now I angle it just slightly toward me.

The thing to do is just whenever your setup starts to feel weird, adjust it. Move your throne up and see if you like it. Change the height of your hi hat and snare and see how that works for you.

Growing or not, I think drummers make changes to their preferred setups as they go along.

It's not about "should" you have to adjust your throne, just adjust it to where it feels best and play. That's why there are so many adjustable things on a drum kit, so we can set it up to suit us.
 
Just set up the way you like and take note how high the seat is in relation to your knees. Then as you grow, keep adjusting.
 
I change the heights of things anyway about once a month just to try things out.
 
Adjust everything. I call it Tweaking.

Throne, floor tom height, snare height, up tom relation to the snare, maybe even cymbal angles, or height.... cowbell. Take note of relationships of the drums, stands etc... between each other.

And keep tuning up the kit. I still make changes based on my flexibility, what I see on other kits, changes to my equipment etc... it's part of the process. I recently moved my china in between my left crash and the hi-hat and it has proven to be a much better position (for me).
 
Actually, they don't. As you get physically larger, you'll need larger drums and cymbals. So at this point, you should be at a 26" bass drum, 10x14 rack tom and 16x18 floor tom. If you don't already have a 26" ride cymbal, you'll eventually have to get one of those too. Don't believe what these guys say about adjusting your hardware, it isn't true. You'll get larger stands as well.

I'm lucky since I stopped growing, I've had the same size drums for most of my life ;)
 
While I was growing I had to become used to having my toms at a pretty steep angle so I could reach them comfortably.

When I was done growing I did spend time adjusting to more oblique angles.

Do you have to?...no

Is exploring new set ups/new things in drumming good for you as a musician?...you betcha!

Dealing with a perceived loss of facility(which can happen from changing your set up) and pushing through...over and over....that's a skill frequently ignored...and can be developed like any other skill...and it enhances your ability to learn....which pays off in your ability far faster and into the future far more than many other skills.
 
Growing is absolutely glacial compared to how drum arrangements get tweaked on a day-to-day basis. Unless you're in a single set-it-and-forget-it mindset and never move your kit anywhere, I wouldn't give it too much thought. Just set it up how it's comfortable to play every time you move it around and all future placements will take care of themselves.
 
You're body, back, arms and legs need to be properly aligned and comfortable. You will need to adjust your throne, drums and cymbals as you change technique and grow. Your drums, however, will not need to grow.
 
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