Drum Kit

Overview

A drum kit is a collection of percussion instruments arranged so a single seated player can strike them with sticks and foot pedals. Each drum is a membrane stretched over a hollow shell: striking the head sets it vibrating, the air column and shell shape the resonance, and the tuned heads determine pitch and sustain. Cymbals are thin bronze plates that ring when struck. The five-piece kit described here pairs four tuned drums with a set of cymbals and the stands and pedals that position and play them.

The low end comes from the Bass Drum, a large drum struck by a foot beater, while the Snare Drum produces its sharp crack from Snare Wires rattling against the bottom head. Pitched fills are played on the Rack Tom pair and the deeper Floor Tom. Each drum's pitch is set by tensioning the heads evenly with tension rods at the lugs, adjusted with a drum key. The Cymbal Set adds hi-hats, a crash and a ride for accents, time-keeping and color.

How it's played

The drums and cymbals are held in playing position by hardware. The Hi-Hat Stand uses a foot-operated pull rod to clap two cymbals together, while Cymbal Stand tripods and the Snare Stand hold the crash, ride and snare at reach. The Bass Drum Pedal is a chain-drive mechanism that swings a beater into the bass drum head and returns it with a spring, letting the player sound the lowest drum with one foot. The drummer sits on the height-adjustable Drum Throne at the center of the kit, within reach of every surface, so hands and feet can play independent rhythmic parts at once.