Proper Posture For Drummers – How To Sit

A drummer’s posture can make the difference between sounding good and sounding bad. There are four basic things a drummer needs: proper posture, proper kit set up, proper drum tuning, and have correct stick grip - it all matters! Not only will you perform better, you will feel like you have more energy, as well as more freedom to the kit. It will open up new doors you thought you never had, allowing you to move around the kit a lot easier, and with more ease. In addition, you will find after a gig, you will feel a million times better, as opposed to being achy, sore, and extra tired! So what is the proper posture for a drummer then?

Sit Up Straight

It may seem all very basic, but it is important to know! Basically, you have to sit up straight. Slouching on the drum throne is the worst thing a drummer can do. Look at your back when you play, is it straight up? You may notice you have a slouch, or curve in your back. Playing like this for extended periods of time will cause harm and a lot of unwanted stress on your lower back. Try sitting straight up on you drum stool for a show, and you will notice the difference right away. Now it may be hard to get this at first, naturally you will want to slouch, however try to counter that. Force yourself to sit with better posture, eventually it will come as second nature. If you look at any professional drummer, you will notice how they are all sitting up right, and not slouching.

Sit At The Right Height

Correct posture does not only mean sitting up, there is much more. For example, how high do you set your drum stool? This is very important, as it is connected to how much endurance and strength you have on your foot pedals. Every drummer is a different size, so I can’t give you a certain number of inches; however, I can guide you in the right direction. Generally, you are going to want to have enough room to make a powerful kick, keeping in mind comfort and immovability. Adjust your drum stool so that with your feet on the pedals, your knees make and angle of 90-110 degrees. Another way to look at it is this: make sure your thighs are sloped downwards towards the floor a little – not too much though! Having too much a slope will give you a lack of power. If they are angled the other way, you will have to use a lot more energy to kick your bass drum!

Relax Your Arms

Now that we have your upper and lower body correct, let’s figure out your arms and hands. Basically, you want to relax! If you find yourself struggling to keep your arms up, let them down a bit. You want to make sure your arms and hands are as comfortable as possible. So no more struggling with your elbows, trying to get them to stay up. As for your hands, same idea. Make them as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Make sure you maintain the proper stick grip! Never sacrifice stick grip for comfort!

Follow these basic guidelines next time you sit at your drum kit and you will be surprised on how much you improve. Not only will you feel better while you play the drums, but also when you get off the drums as well! These are all very much common sense; however there are still drummers that ignore these simple rules. This is one of the things that separates the professionals from the garage drummers!

By: Dave Atkinson

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