# How to sit

The seat, the heights, and the hands, before the groove. A snare that is too
low makes the shoulders shrug, and a shrugged shoulder makes the grip tighten.
Fix the seat first.

The pieces named below are on the kit page. If you are left-handed, mirror the
kit. The grip stays the same in both hands.

## The throne

Sit on the front half of the seat, both feet able to reach the pedals. With
your heels down, your thighs slope slightly down and your hips sit a little
above your knees.

Too low, and the kick comes from the hip while your back rounds. Too high, and
you perch, and the snare crowds your lap. You should be able to lift either
foot onto its pedal and set the heel down without shifting on the seat.

## The heights

The snare goes between your legs, close to you. The top head sits near your
navel, tilted so the far edge is a little higher and the head faces the stick.
Forearms slope down. Elbows hang a short distance from your sides. A shrug
means the snare, or the hat, is too high.

The hi-hat is on your left, closed. The top cymbal is about a hand's width
above the snare, so the right hand reaches it with the shoulder still down.
The clutch is tight enough that the left foot can shut the two cymbals
completely.

The two rack toms sit just past the snare, a little higher, close enough that
a fill does not make you lunge. Angle each head so the stick meets it flat. A
stick that hits the rim first means that drum is too flat or too far. The
floor tom is outside your right leg, about the height of the snare. You reach
it by turning, still seated.

The ride is on the right, a bit higher than the hat, over the floor tom. A
relaxed hand lands on the bow, the broad middle of the cymbal. The crash sits
up, out of the path between the hat and the toms, so a full stroke clears the
rims. Leave room to miss.

## The pedals

Set the kick pedal so the beater meets the head near the middle. For now the
right heel stays down and the ankle plays. The hi-hat pedal sits under the
left foot, with the knee pointing roughly forward. A knee shoved out to the
side means the pedal is too far left.

## How to hold the sticks

Matched grip: both hands hold the stick the same way. A 5A with a wood tip is
a fine first pair. Marching sticks are heavier than this room needs.

1. The fulcrum is the thumb and the index finger, about a third of the way up
   from the butt. The thumb pad meets the side of the index finger at the
   first joint. That pinch is light.
2. The other three fingers curl under the stick. They guide it. A fist stops
   the bounce.
3. The back of the hand sits at an angle, halfway between palm-down and a
   handshake. The tip points at the center of the snare.
4. A little of the butt shows behind the hand. A hand at the very end has
   nothing to balance. A hand in the middle chokes the stick.
5. The stroke is a turn of the wrist. The stick goes down and rebounds to
   where it started. The fingers follow. They do not clamp as it falls.

Test: let the other fingers drop off. The stick stays, held by thumb and
index. Wrap them back without changing the angle. Then four quiet taps and
four louder ones. The loud ones are a bigger wrist turn. The grip stays the
same.

The right hand keeps that grip when it reaches over to the hat. The wrist
turns a little. The fulcrum does not move.

Traditional grip holds the left stick differently, palm up. It comes from
marching, and some jazz players keep it. Both hands here learn one motion, so
both use matched grip.

No kit yet: the grip can be learned on a pillow. The throne and the heights
wait until there is a kit.

## Before you go on

- Throne at a height where both heels can rest on the pedals
- Snare near the navel, forearms sloping down
- Hat about a hand above the snare, and the left foot can shut it
- The stick stays put when the other fingers let go
- Four quiet taps and four loud ones without tightening the hand