Rack Toms Angled or Flat

Witterings

Silver Member
I see more and more drummers with their rack toms virtually flat rather than tilted towards them, I'm not that tall 5'7 and whenever I've tried to set them up like that unless I put my stool ridiculously high I'd always just be hitting the rims unless I played with my arms at a very uncomfortable angle.

How do others get their flat or do you just move your stool up?
 
Mine is angled. Peace and goodwill.
 

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I'm also not very tall. So I understand where you are coming from. Some drummers who are tall, have long arms and or certain kinds of playing techniques can have their toms flat. Some of us can't do that.

I have found the only way to flatten out rack toms is to use a bass drum that is 20 inch or smaller. Or mount the toms on a snare stand.
Another thing that helps is to use a 13 or 12 inch diameter snare drum. It helps you get closer to the toms.

Also I would never suggest having your rack toms perfectly flat. A little angle is good. Too much angle is bad.
It would be a good idea to have a drum teacher do an evaluation of your playing technique and your drum set setup.
For instance you air drum with your eyes closed. Then the teacher positions the tom right where it needs to be for your playing style.


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I sit down...set my snare, bass drum, hats, and ride.

Everything else is set according to those four non-negotiables.

I don't give a hoot what it looks like. As long as I can hit it properly and it doesn't interfere with the core of my setup I'm good.
 
It’s all a fad. They think it looks cool . I’ve seen drummers have to raise up off of their thrones to play rack toms. Where is the sense of that?
 
My toms are fairly flat, but not perfectly flat, but I'm also 6' 4".


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They should be angled proportional to your torso height (and the drum height). Your stick should come as close to parallel to the drum without constantly hitting rims.

There is no need to have toms at anywhere close to a 45 degree angle unless you have them super high or you are 4 feet tall.
 
It’s all a fad. They think it looks cool . I’ve seen drummers have to raise up off of their thrones to play rack toms. Where is the sense of that?

Yeah, it's a bit like the fairly new fashion of having cymbals pointing away with the playing edge angled higher.

Some of the very best drummers in the world (steve gadd, vinnie colaiuta, aaron spears, virgil donati, dave weckl) have their toms angled towards them to different degrees. You've got to go with what comes naturally to you personally. I've tried flat toms and flat snare but I always end up angling them slightly towards me. If the shoe fits, wear it.
 
I'm 6 foot tall and have my toms slightly angled towards me because that is the most comfortable position. If it was more comfortable to mount them flat then that is what I'd do, but it isn't, so I don't. Looking cool is for fashion victims.
 
What about Keith Carlock? Some of his drums are actually angled away from him (not so much the rack toms, but his snare and floor toms are angled away). But I think you gotta start with what's comfortable for you. How Keith plays determines his set-up. How you play should determine your set-up.
 
Who cares what anyone else does? Set your drums up so that the angle is conducive to hitting them with your stick at the appropriate angle for you. Everyone has a slightly (or majorly) different anatomy. and grip You will probably find your setup changing as quickly as your playing develops too.
 
A friend of mine has them all flat, and he tours the world.
For him, it came from marching band, and the drums always being flat in the band room.

I think a certain amount of flatness makes sense, but not completely flat. Some angle is necessary to keep movement fluid. Finding that balance point is key.
 
When I had toms over my BD, I had to have them higher than they are now, so more angled. With the toms on a strand to the left of the BD, I could bring them down and they flattened out more. When I brought my cymbdown, they also flattened out so I could play them properly. The only cymbal I have angled away from me slightly is my china. It opens up more if I can catch the edge just right, but I can still hit it flatter if need be.

I’m altogether a bit faster with everything lower, but that’s just me. Definitely won’t work for everyone.
 
I'm glad to hear flat MT are a fad - I was wondering what I was doing wrong. I have to angle my toms!
 
Ringo had a bit of an angle though ;-) !
To me angle is necessary, I just need to watch me wrist movement to see I need tom angle. I have power tom over 22” Bass drum, and I’m only 1,71 m.
Even with smaller toms I angled a bit otherwise I hit the rim.
Maybe with a 20” and hyperdrive toms but that’s absolutely not my sound.
 
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If it works and you can do what you need to do on the drums, I don't personally care how you set up your drums. Personally, I try to get as little angle as possible on the rack toms so that gravity is in my favor, but it always ends up being somewhat of an angle (20°-30°?) for ergonomic reasons.

When I played straight ahead jazz fairly exclusively, the snare was often facing away from me and to the right to accommodate traditional grip.

I used to hate anything that was purely for fashion or style but I've become more accepting of that recently. If you're performing, how you look is part of it. If your setup makes you stand out or be memorable, or people think of you as the guy or girl who stands up every time they play a fill, and it doesn't stop you from accomplishing your requirements as drummer, then I say more power to you. This has nothing to do with drumming skill and isn't required by any means, but it's up to each individual to decide how they want to present themselves to the general public (who is likely more your audience than a bunch of other drummers online).

I remember watching that Beatles touring years doc last year and watching Ringo work on his hair before a set, MAKING SURE that it flipped back and forth properly before they went on stage.
 
I like a bit of a tilt, not like Lars tilt which is bound to make your toms sound like crap and mess my technique up.

If your rack tom is just higher than your snare and it's comfortable then have it flat. It doesn't matter if you're 5ft or 7ft, it's all about comfort.

We've all seen the guys who try and set the kit up like their favourite drummer (Travis Barker cough cough) and they look really awkward and uncomfortable playing but the kit looks the part :)
 
I have mine set pretty much flat.

First of all, I'm tall, and it works well with my grip, which naturally tends to keep my sticks pretty level with my forearms. I also enjoy having easy access to tom rimshots. As my grip developed, my toms and cymbals got flatter, to the point where I'm struggling to play if it's angled too much towards me - I feel that the stick bounce is pushed back into my hand instead of up off the head or cymbal.

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Man, that's FLAT. I'd be hitting the rims, and I'm 6'2".
 
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