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School Rock
Proper Posture and Positioning For Better Drumming
By Rob Wariner
The drums are a very unique instrument. Not only are they non-melodic (something that sets them apart from most other instruments) they're also quite a bit more physical than many instruments. While most instruments make use mainly of your hands and
fingers or mouth, when playing the drums you'll be using your arms, your legs, your core, practically your entire body. As a result of the physical nature of the instrument, it makes sense that the physical placement of your body and the positioning of the drums around you are very important to your playing.
Many of the things I will mention in this article can be tweaked slightly based on personal preference. There are some general guidelines though that you can use to improve your playing from a physical standpoint. For starters, when you first set up your drum kit you want to make sure that the drums are arranged in a comfortable position for you. You want to avoid having them too far away which could result in you being forced to stretch uncomfortably to reach them and you also don't want them too close to you so you may accidentally hit an undesired piece of the kit. Make sure everything is arrayed at a comfortable distance and position.
Once you have the drums set up, it's time to adjust your drum throne. You want to make sure that you are sitting at the right height for you. Since every drummer is a different size or height, it's impossible to give an exact quantified distance above the ground that your drum throne seat should be. However, in general, your drum throne should be high enough that, when seated, your knees are at a 90-100 degree angle. Another way to judge this is that your thigh should be a bit above parallel to the floor with a slight downward slope to them. You don't want to have too much of a slope to your thighs because this will cause you to lose power in your kick drum hits. Conversely, you don't want to have too little of a slope (or none at all) because this will result in you having to work too hard to perform your kick drum hits. Again, the watchword is comfort. Using these rough guidelines, adjust the throne to the height that feels best for you.
Next, when seated on the drum throne, be sure to sit up straight. This seems like a very simple thing but you'd be amazed at how much it can affect your playing. One of the biggest issues with improper posture when playing the drums is the stress it places on your lower back. Slouching or hunching over while playing for extended periods of time can lead to some pretty nasty and troublesome lower back problems. If you're a person who doesn't have very good posture away from the drum kit, it may take some time to get used to this but it's worth it in the long run. Force yourself to sit up straight when you sit down to practice and soon it will become second nature to you.
The last thing you want to do is relax. You'll play your best when you are relaxed and not tensed up. Even though you want your playing to be tight and precise, you want your body to be fluid and relaxed. If you find yourself tensing up behind the kit, make a conscious effort to loosen up your muscles. You may also try out some simple full body stretches before you play which should help the relaxation process.
All of these tips should help improve your playing, enhance your enjoyment, and allow you to practice and play for more extended periods of time. Enjoy!
fingers or mouth, when playing the drums you'll be using your arms, your legs, your core, practically your entire body. As a result of the physical nature of the instrument, it makes sense that the physical placement of your body and the positioning of the drums around you are very important to your playing.
Many of the things I will mention in this article can be tweaked slightly based on personal preference. There are some general guidelines though that you can use to improve your playing from a physical standpoint. For starters, when you first set up your drum kit you want to make sure that the drums are arranged in a comfortable position for you. You want to avoid having them too far away which could result in you being forced to stretch uncomfortably to reach them and you also don't want them too close to you so you may accidentally hit an undesired piece of the kit. Make sure everything is arrayed at a comfortable distance and position.
Once you have the drums set up, it's time to adjust your drum throne. You want to make sure that you are sitting at the right height for you. Since every drummer is a different size or height, it's impossible to give an exact quantified distance above the ground that your drum throne seat should be. However, in general, your drum throne should be high enough that, when seated, your knees are at a 90-100 degree angle. Another way to judge this is that your thigh should be a bit above parallel to the floor with a slight downward slope to them. You don't want to have too much of a slope to your thighs because this will cause you to lose power in your kick drum hits. Conversely, you don't want to have too little of a slope (or none at all) because this will result in you having to work too hard to perform your kick drum hits. Again, the watchword is comfort. Using these rough guidelines, adjust the throne to the height that feels best for you.
Next, when seated on the drum throne, be sure to sit up straight. This seems like a very simple thing but you'd be amazed at how much it can affect your playing. One of the biggest issues with improper posture when playing the drums is the stress it places on your lower back. Slouching or hunching over while playing for extended periods of time can lead to some pretty nasty and troublesome lower back problems. If you're a person who doesn't have very good posture away from the drum kit, it may take some time to get used to this but it's worth it in the long run. Force yourself to sit up straight when you sit down to practice and soon it will become second nature to you.
The last thing you want to do is relax. You'll play your best when you are relaxed and not tensed up. Even though you want your playing to be tight and precise, you want your body to be fluid and relaxed. If you find yourself tensing up behind the kit, make a conscious effort to loosen up your muscles. You may also try out some simple full body stretches before you play which should help the relaxation process.
All of these tips should help improve your playing, enhance your enjoyment, and allow you to practice and play for more extended periods of time. Enjoy!
Rob Wariner is a guitarist, drummer, and composer that has recorded with several well-known progressive rock musicians. He is currently teaching himself to play drums at home and is chronicling his self-taught drum lessons on his blog, Drum Lessons at Home. He is using the Complete Drumming System as a resource and has published a review of Mike Michalkow's Drumming System on his blog.
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