8 Piece Drum Kit Setup Diagram
Where every drum goes, seen from above · drum sizes drawn to scale · tap any piece to hear it
How to play
- This is the kit seen from above, with the player seated at the dashed circle at the bottom. Every drum is drawn to scale, so a 22″ bass drum really is nearly three times the width of an 8″ rack tom. Tap any piece to hear it and read its size and job.
- What the “8” actually counts. A kit is named by its number of drums — shells only. Cymbals and hardware are never counted. A famous 5-piece might ship with three cymbals, a hi-hat stand, a pedal and a throne, and it is still a 5-piece. Use Show what counts to fade out everything that does not.
- So an 8-piece is eight drums. The usual arrangement, and the one shown here, is two bass drums, a snare, three rack toms and two floor toms — a double-bass kit. Manufacturers build it as their 7-piece plus a second kick.
- Other 8-piece layouts exist — one bass drum with four rack toms and two floor toms, for instance — so treat this as the common configuration rather than the only one.
- Rack toms mount on or above the bass drums and usually run 8, 10, 12 and 13″. Floor toms stand on their own three legs and run 14, 16 and 18″. 14″ is the crossover size — it turns up as both.
- Play around the kit runs a fill from the highest tom down to the lowest and finishes on the kick and crash, lighting each drum as it sounds. It is the quickest way to hear why the toms are laid out high-to-low left to right.
- One warning if you are shopping. Acoustic kits are always counted this way, but electronic kits often are not — some makers count cymbal pads in the total, so an “8-piece” electronic kit can mean five pads plus three cymbals. Check the component list rather than the headline number.
- Keyboard — Tab to any drum in the lists below and press Enter or Space to select and hear it.
This is a to-scale diagram of an eight-piece drum kit from above. The widget displays a to-scale diagram of an eight-piece drum kit from above. Clicking on any of the drums or cymbals will allow you to interact with them, and you can also use your computer keyboard to move through the lists.
This shows you how a double-bass setup is laid out. The diagram helps you visualize the standard layout. Which elements contribute towards the total number of pieces and which are deemed as extra hardware?
How to Use the Drum Kit Diagram
In the visual section, you can see all of the drums, scaled to their real-world sizes. The red-dashed circle indicates location of the drummer themselves. Clicking each item highlights it on the map and plays a synthesized version of the instrument. Above the drawing is the readout box which will change depending upon what’s been clicked on. Here you’ll find both the size and name of the chosen drum. This also provides a short description of how this instrument fits into the kit.
The drums also appear in a diagram that allows you to play the kit using just the keyboard, no need to pick up the mouse. Simply click on the List buttons underneath to move around the different elements. Once you have highlighted the drum you wish to test, hit spacebar or enter key to hear it and check out the notes associated with each drum size. It is quicker if you want to test individual parts or know what notes to expect from each drum size. Keeps your hands on the keys as you navigate around the set-up too.
Show what counts
The Show what counts button is another helpful way to learn how they name kits. It filters out what isn’t being counted when naming acoustic drums, specifically cymbals and hardware. When you click this button it will fade out the cymbals leaving just the eight drums in view. So you can visualize how a seven piece kit with an additional bass drum makes an eight-piece kit. It removes the clutter and isolates the key elements.
The Play around the kit button will play a fill on all the toms. From top to bottom, this runs through the entire kit playing one at a time from the highest rack tom to the lowest floor tom. As each drum is played it lights up so that you can follow along with the sound and see where it’s coming from. You can then use this to learn quickly about how toms create a tonal range within the kit and why they are positioned from high to low on the kit.
Two lists below the diagram separate the counted drums from the uncounted items. On the left, we have the eight drums which form the basis of kit size. On the right, we have the hardware and cymbals that don’t count towards the total number of instruments. By clicking on any item in these two lists you will be able to highlight and hear the sound of that instrument. A border around the item shows which one is highlighted, so you know instantly what is selected.
Use the slider at the bottom of the widget to adjust the master volume, which is the sound output for all the synthesised sounds produced by the diagram. If you’re wearing headphones or this might be used in a communal space then it’s useful. The volume remains the same each time you select another cymbal or drum. Set to a comfortable listening level first so that when you begin to play you’re not taken by surprise.
To enlarge it to take up the full space of your browser, click the Fullscreen button. That way you have a larger area in which to view the diagram and make sense of its layout on a smaller display. If you’re viewing the diagram at the same time as something else (e.g., reading an article about drum setup in another tab), this comes in handy. To leave fullscreen, hit the Escape key or click the Fullscreen button again.
The widget is flexible enough to fit different screen sizes and your way of working. Hit the How to play button on the top of the page which opens the help panel. Here is where you find out all about numbering systems, how to count drums, and the differences between electronic and acoustic kits. If you’re planning on buying a new drum kit then reading through this part will save any confusion about what’s in the box when it arrives. It ensures you know exactly what components are included in the advertised piece count.
Click on each of the rack toms (left to right) and note that the pitch drops accordingly. Click on each of the floor toms for a deeper sound. Listen also to the difference between the bass drums and the snare so you can understand their unique purpose. With the Show what counts filter, you’ll be able to view the kit’s layout without the cymbals. The little interactions will allow you to learn the actual physical setup of a pro kit.
What this does is provide an accessible, quick-to-understand layout of how drums are positioned in a drum kit. It includes sound and visual representation to help you develop a mental map of how things are laid out. Whether you’re considering purchasing equipment or want to learn about typical drum set-up arrangements, this will help you confirm what pieces are called. You can also get a feel for what they sound like without needing to have them with you.
Click on each piece and spend some time exploring the possibilities. If you’ve got a snare drum, select that as a starting point then move around the set to get a handle on what everything should sound like.