Mastering the Basics: Learn the Parts of a Drum Kit
Whether you’re teaching yourself, taking drum lessons in Toronto or learning through online drum lessons, understanding the parts of the drums is important for every drummer. The drum kit consists of various pieces, each playing an important role in shaping the overall sound.
🎵 Looking to upgrade your kit? We’ve included some of our favourite gear to help you find the best drum equipment for you!
Table of Contents
Drums Anatomy 101
Drum kits vary in sizes, some with few pieces and some with many, but each consists of drums, cymbals and hardware. A typical beginner drum set is made up of 5 pieces and includes:
✅ Bass Drum – The heartbeat of the drums. Makes a deep and resonant sound and is played with the foot on a pedal. Often referred to as the "kick".
✅ Snare Drum – A sharp and punchy sounding drums that is central to almost all beats. It features small metal wires on the bottom to give it its sound.
✅ Rack Toms & Floor Tom – Used mostly in fills and generally tuned in descending pitches. 5-piece kits usually feature two rack toms and one floor tom.
✅ Hi-Hats, Crash, & Ride Cymbals – The metal pieces that sit above the drums on stands. They add texture and dynamics to grooves.
🔥 Looking for your first drum set? 👉 Pearl Roadshow 5-Piece is a fantastic option and even come equipped with cymbals and hardware.
Parts Of The Drumset
The Drums
🎵 Bass Drum
The bass drum can be found laying on its side on the ground and is the largest drum in each kit. It's the central piece to the kit and the rest of the drums and cymbals are set up around the bass drum. Being the largest piece on the kit, the bass drum produces the deepest and lowest tone. On a traditional drum kit, the bass drum has a pedal attached to the rim, allowing drummers to play them with their feet. For this reason, they're also called the kick. Bass drums come in a large range of sizes, measured by their diameter and most typically ranging from 16” to 26”. Most commonly, 18", 20” or 22”.
🥁 Snare Drum
The snare drum is an extremely important part of the drum set and can be found at the heart of any beat. For right handed drummers, it's set up on a stand just to the left of the bass drum pedal. For lefties, it's set up just to the right. This snare drum stand allows us to place the drum at the appropriate height and at the appropriate angle. These unique drums come equipped with a set of wires on the underside of the drum. These wires are called snares and have given the drum its name. The snares vibrate against the bottom head of the drum when the top head is struck, giving it its characteristic sound. Sometimes the vibration can be triggered by other sounds or sometimes a drummer might want to use their snare without the wires activated so each snare comes with a throw-off that allows us to lower the wires to avoid vibration. When the snares are deactivated, the drum produces a sound similar to the toms, which we will discuss below. Like bass drums, snares come in a variety of sizes but by far the most common is a 14" diameter. A skilled drummer could play a whole show using only a snare and kick so these two elements are often considered to be the most important.
🔥 Best snare head: 👉 Remo Ambassador Coated
🎶 Rack Toms
The rack toms are placed directly over the bass drum, mounted either from a Y shaped arm that goes in the bass drum or from cymbal stands. Some drummers even use a snare stand to mount their rack tom but this is not quite as common. Different drum sets have different numbers of rack toms but the most common setup is two, referred to as the high tom and mid tom. The smallest drum on the whole kit is the high tom. It produces the highest tone on the whole kit and has a diameter ranging from 8" to 12". The mid tom gets placed just beside the high tom, diagonal to the snare drum and usually has a diameter of 12" or 13". While toms can be used in beats, they're most commonly used for fills and solos.
🎶Floor Tom
Placed to the right of the snare drum is the floor tom - a large tom that most frequently stand on three legs. They're the second largest drum, after the bass drum, and produce the deepest tone of all the toms. They range in diameters from 13" to 18", most commonly either 14" or 16". Typically, the floor tom will sit at a similar height to the snare drum. While it's most common to have one floor tom, it's not uncommon to see drummers use two.
Cymbals and Their Types
We've now discussed all the drums on the kit so it's time to move on to the cymbals. Cymbals can be a bit more difficult to learn as there are many more types. A traditional drum kit doesn't use all as they are not all essentially and many used just to provide effects.
🥢 Hi-Hats
The most important cymbal on the drum kit is the hi-hat. They come in pairs and consist of a top and bottom hat. The bottom hat is placed upside down and the top hat attaches to a rod with a mechanism called a clutch and allows it to sit on top of the bottom hat, right side up. Hi hats are placed on a special stand that comes equipped with a pedal, allowing drummers to raise and lower the top had to create both open and closed sounds. The most standard diameter for a hi hat is 14", though there is a large range. Some drummers, like Thomas Pridgen, will even combine two crash cymbals to make an explosive hi hat with a 19" or 20" diameter. Along with the kick & snare, the hi hat forms the trifecta of most important pieces of the drum kit for rock & pop drummers.
🔥 Recommended: 👉 Zildjian 14" Hi-Hats
🎵 Crash Cymbals
Crash cymbals are usually larger in diameter than hi hats, most commonly 16" or 18", with thinner edges. While many drummers use two or more crash cymbals, a beginner kit will almost always have one, placed above and to the left of the high tom. Most frequently, drummers will "crash" on these cymbals, hence the name, by plying aggressively with the shoulder of the stick on the edge of the cymbal. Crashes are used for accents and the most common use for a crash is to play it, in conjunction with the kick, at the end of a fill.
🎵 Ride Cymbals
The largest cymbal on the drum kit, and the most important for jazz players, is the ride cymbal. It's placed on the right side of the kit for right handed drummers and on the left for lefties. The most common size for a ride cymbal is 20", though rides as large as 24" exist. Many drummers play on the bell of the ride (the raised part in the centre) to accent their cymbal patterns. While thicker rides only really allow for constant rhythm, much like the hi hat, some rides are thinner and sound and feel great when crashed.
🌊 Splash, China & Effects Cymbals
While not essential cymbals like the crash, ride or hi hat, these effect cymbals allow drummers to add unique textures and layers to their playing. Splash cymbals are small (6”–12”) and produce short, high-pitched sounds, making them ideal for accents but less versatile than crashes or rides. They can be mounted upside down on a top of a crash cymbal on the same stand stand or attached via boom arms.
China cymbals, ranging from 10”–22”, have a loud, aggressive, and trashy tone, often a favourite amongst rock and metal drummers. Larger chinas have more sustain and are typically placed near the floor tom for powerful strikes. Most drummers mount their china upside down.
Effects cymbals encompass any unconventional designs, including cymbals with drilled holes for a trashier sound and stacks, which layer multiple cymbals for a short, hi-hat-like tone. Stacks can be bought pre-made or customized from existing cymbals. One trendy effect cymbal is a "clap stack", a stack of cymbals, often with tambourine rivets, that is rolled to create an almost U-like shape and mimics the sound of a group of people clapping.
🔥 Best beginner cymbals: 👉 Sabian SBR 4-Piece Set
Drum Sizes & Choosing the Right Kit
Compact Kits (18” Bass Drum) – Best for jazz & small spaces.
Standard Kits (20”-22” Bass Drum) – Ideal for rock & pop.
Large Kits (24”+ Bass Drum) – Perfect for heavy-hitting styles.
FAQs About Drums & Learning Drums
Q: Can I take drum lessons online?
A: Yes! Many teachers offer online drum lessons so you can learn from home. If you're in Toronto, check out our drum lessons in Toronto for expert instruction! We offer drum lessons in-studio, online and in your home.
Q: Should I get an acoustic or electronic drum kit?
A: If noise is a concern, go electronic. For traditional feel, go acoustic.
🔥 Best beginner e-kit: 👉 Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit
Q: What’s the easiest song to learn on drums?
🎵 Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes
🎵 Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple
🎵 Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
Q: How do I improve my drumming speed?
✅ Use a metronome to build timing gradually.
✅ Practice rudiments like single & double strokes, paradiddles
✅ Work on foot speed with bass drum exercises.
🔥 Best practice pad for speed drills: 👉 Evans RealFeel 12" Practice Pad
Q: How do I tune my drum set?
A: Loosen the drumhead, tighten in a crisscross pattern. Lightly tap about one inch away from each lug and adjust until they sound even. Try to match the tone of the top and bottom heads for toms. For snare, crank the bottom head much tighter and for even more responsiveness from the snares, leave the lugs around the snare beds a little looser. If you struggle to tune properly by ear, consider a drum tuner.
🔥 Best drum tuner: 👉 Tune-Bot Drum Tuner
Conclusion
Understanding the anatomy of a drum kit is crucial for developing as a drummer. Whether you're taking drum lessons in Toronto or learning online, knowing the parts of the drum set will help you improve faster.
🥁 Ready to start drumming? Check out our online drum lessons or book a lesson in Toronto today! 🚀
We sometimes use affiliate links to products on retailer sites. If you click on those links and make purchases through them, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
Comments