THRONE / SEAT HEIGHT

sparky88

Junior Member
What is the recommend seat height? I've been adjusting to try different heights.
What should the snare height be relative to sitting position? I see some drummer with the snare really high and some lower. Just trying to find what works best for my body.
I play heel up 99% of the time.
Thanks for the replies in advance.

Sparky
 
Someone once told me your thighs should be parallel with the ground, or like you're sitting on a toilet seat. I'm short, so this doesn't work for me. My thighs are angled towards the ground since I'm sitting slightly higher, which makes it easy for me 'dance' on the pedals. I think you need to experiment with different heights to find what works for you, we're all different.
 
Someone once told me your thighs should be parallel with the ground, or like you're sitting on a toilet seat. I'm short, so this doesn't work for me. My thighs are angled towards the ground since I'm sitting slightly higher, which makes it easy for me 'dance' on the pedals. I think you need to experiment with different heights to find what works for you, we're all different.

this ^
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It varies for everyone, it depends on many factors, you should aim for a comfortable height that allows you to reach every part of your set quickly and effortlessly. Your knees should be a little lower than your snare so you can rim-shot withouth anything getting in the way.

Whatever you do, don't ignore the issue, it's very, VERY important to have the correct height and posture, it can be the difference between a smooth as butter gig or a grueling three hour gaunlet of a setlist.
 
Someone once told me your thighs should be parallel with the ground, or like you're sitting on a toilet seat. I'm short, so this doesn't work for me. My thighs are angled towards the ground since I'm sitting slightly higher, which makes it easy for me 'dance' on the pedals. I think you need to experiment with different heights to find what works for you, we're all different.

Couldn't have said it better. It really all depends on what you're comfortable with. Dirk Verbeuren of Soilwork has his legs aiming forwarding (which is so odd for me), I've seen others who have their thighs at an upward angle, and so on. Really, it's whatever works for you to give you the velocity and speed you desire. As with anything drumming, play with it until you find what works best (including spring tension, seat height, posture, position, and so on).
 
Someone once told me your thighs should be parallel with the ground, or like you're sitting on a toilet seat. I'm short, so this doesn't work for me. My thighs are angled towards the ground since I'm sitting slightly higher, which makes it easy for me 'dance' on the pedals. I think you need to experiment with different heights to find what works for you, we're all different.

I have been told the same thing about the thighs being parallel. Doesn't work for me.
Having my thighs angled somewhat towards the ground is max comfort for me.
 
Try what feels good for you. Short Ringo plays very high and tall Tommy Lee has his knees above his hips. I play with my knees lower than my hips by a bit. Seems to keep me balanced a wee bit forward for better bass drum power. Experiment. this is one of the main sources or reasons for fatigue
 
I think it depends alot on if you play heel up, or heel down. I play a lot of both styles, so I try to keep my thighs parallel to the floor, maybe angled upward a little so playing heel up doesn't take so much extra effort. So pretty much whatever makes you feel good.
 
I'm only 5'9" and I have my throne up darn near as high as it can get. As far as the bass pedal is concerned it's not uncomfortable for me to play sitting lower. But as far as the toms go, being up higher helps me avoid an extreme angled rack tom set-up. Works for me!
 
We are all different, but almost all of us have knees. For this reason, there is a minimum seat level. If your thigh bone is absolutely parallel with the ground, you are in for knee problems down the road. It just has to do with the way the knee is built. Slightly above parallel is the lowest you can safely lower your seat. The quick way to do this is to adjust your seat to the height of your kneecap. You can safely sit up as high as you want.
 
Just trying to find what works best for my body.

You said it yourself: You need to find what works for your body. Some drummes sit high, some sit low. It's all about comfort, and we're all built slightly differently, and we have different playing styles.

When you experiment with throne height, remember that height is only one factor. You also need to experiment with how far away from the pedals you sit. Some guys have their knees over their pedals (some to the point where their knees are in front of their ankles), while others sit so far back that they almost have keep their legs straight to reach the kick pedal.

Personally, I have my thighs parallell to the ground when my feet are in their playing position (heel up), and I have my knees a bit behind my ankles. For me, this is where I get the most power from my kicks.
 
I sit in such a way that when in rest my thighs are pointing downward and when I raise my heel my thighs are almost parallel to the ground.

In the end though it's what you find comfortable.
 
I struggled with this in the beginning as I sat Parallel, but try doing double bass sitting that way...it's a work out! you use more muscle lifting your legs. I raised the seat and voila! less strain on my legs. I also used to sit very close to the snare but backed off on that too a bit. Then you have people like Neil Peart who has the rim of his snare around his belly button!
 
I try to make sure my feet are always 2-3 centimeters above my snare. and that my elbows are slightly above my cymbals.. that way its easy to use all 4 limbs in my tom rolls.

now on a serious note:

knees should make a 90 degree angle with your feet on your pedals not applying pressure... this way you avoid postural strains in your lower back by not overcompensating with your hip flexors/extensors...

if your knees are too high above your hips.. you are in for a real treat (probably from your chiropractor)

if your knees fall below your hips a little its not as bad. but you shouldn't let them go too low or your gunna develop bad low leg imbalances
 
What is comfortable and works for me, may not be the same for you! Seat height is an individual preference. When I was younger, I played with the seat approximately 4-5 inches higher than today. I'm not really sure why I changed.

I use a DW 9100M throne. A friend of mine came over to play on my set - we lowered the throne as far as it would go. His response, "is this as low as the seat will go?" Again, it's all personal preference and what works best for you. It's like trying to tell someone which sticks to use. Try different positions !!
 
i have my seat as low as it goes, probably a foot high. I played a gig the other day and forgot to take my stool, the house stool was quite high and couldnt be changed. After playing a half hour set my hip joints were hurting so much, i thought of all the things it could have been but the only thing i can think of was the high stool. So playing on a seat thats too high (or low) is not just uncomfortable but it can probably cause some long term damage
 
My legs angle slightly downward from my body while I'm sitting on my throne. I also sit very close to my set, my throne actually touches my snare drum. I like to be over my kit, not behind it.

I'd suggest not going too low, because that will require you to lift your frame of playing manually, instead of having it hang over your set. This will take extra energy that you could be using to play.

But don't forget that you can change at any time!
 
At least parallell, then it's just a matter of taste. I've gone higher lately and it has really helped my bassdrum chops and my back, too.
 
Until recently I had been sitting pretty high up, for some months. A few weeks ago I lowered my throne and found it much easier. But originally I would probably have sat at all sorts of heights because my old throne wouldn't stay up, and gradually got lower and lower.
 
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