Hello Pirate
New member, teaching myself drums in SE London.
I’m quite a lump (6’ 2”, 100 kg) and find that I like playing heel up.
I’m having trouble bringing the snare up to the right height and sometimes battling worn out throne clamps.
I’m not an actual giant so was wondering how other vertically advantaged percussionists managed? Is it just a case of dealing with it until I can budget for a taller/beefier throne and snare stand?
I’m about 5’10, and I find that making sure my seat is the right height (upper leg slightly angled downward, lower leg slightly forward) is the best starting point, and then I set the rest of the kit up around that.
Most seats and snare stands should be able to accommodate - but some of the pirate seats can get worn out and harder to lock in position, so if you’re struggling to set our gear up, there might be spares available if you contact CS!
If you’re playing at home, a good seat is well worth the investment - it’s not a sexy purchase like new cymbals or snares, but it makes all the difference if you can play comfortably!
Hi Diane,
Thanks for that. I did lower the seat a little and it’s probably more a matter of developing better technique than just using my quads to ‘drop hammer’ the pedal!
Tbh the house cymbals are pretty good in Greenwich (at least for my level) so I might start my ‘home’ kit with a throne and then maybe a bass pedal and hi-hat stand as those are the bits were I’d enjoy a bit more consistency, and are the elements that see the most wear at Pirate.
Yeah, don’t get into the habit of using your quads, else you’ll tire yourself out on a gig! If you get into the habit of hopping your heel up and down off the floor, heel up pedal technique is exactly that but an exaggerated motion, so your foot is doing the work instead (and you can practice it anywhere, no kit needed!)
As always, contact CS if you have trouble with the gear - that way we can flag it up and get it sorted before you’re in next. We try to test the gear as much as we can to keep ahead of stuff wearing out, but ultimately there’s always going to be a window between stuff wearing out and us getting to it to fix or replace, especially if it slips under the radar!
Thanks Diane, should probably stump up for a few lessons at some point.
The gear replacement via chat is pretty smooth - have done it a few times already. I think it’s more things like the hi-hat stands with tension adjusters I like tend to move around the floor despite winding the spike down, while the one’s I’m not so fussed about stay put. Probably me being a bit of a diva more than stuff being worn out.
I don’t mind investing a little in some gear where it’s sane to, but it’s great to rent a kit (and the soundproofed room) to get started and figure out what the priorities are for my situation. If I had started out with my own gear I’d probably have over-spent on the shells and under-spent on the hardware and cymbals.
The gear moving about while playing drives me crazy, I know what you mean! It’s tricky in studios with a hard floor - the spikes sometimes help, but I’m a bit of a hard hitter so ultimately I just get used to moving everything back once a song, since it also happens in my own non-pirate studio…!
Yeah definitely - it’s not worth buying anything until you’ve played enough to figure out what you want/need to buy. I’m glad the rooms are helping you out!
Hey there all, and I thought that downward drift during a drum session was just me not being able to tighten the clamps enough on the throne!! I guess clamp wear-out is something we could let Pirate know about? Agree seat height is pretty crucial - and I am not very tall.
Diane_Pirate - thanks, you already covered this!