hi hat distance over snare?

opentune

Platinum Member
Have been watching different drummers and they vary the height of their hihat over the snare. Some jazz guys seem to have it incredibly low and to the side of the snare (say Buddy Rich), then there's Dave Grohl who has it towering above (or used to). I guess it depends how low or high you sit in the kit as well.
Just curious what most folks use for this distance? I used to have it higher, but am finding it much better to articulate stick work with it lower, about 5 inches.
 
Have been watching different drummers and they vary the height of their hihat over the snare. Some jazz guys seem to have it incredibly low and to the side of the snare (say Buddy Rich), then there's Dave Grohl who has it towering above (or used to). I guess it depends how low or high you sit in the kit as well.
Just curious what most folks use for this distance? I used to have it higher, but am finding it much better to articulate stick work with it lower, about 5 inches.
I'd guess mine's 5 or 6 inches about my snare. It's just in that sweet spot where it's high enough that I can play crossed over without making a mess of things, but low enough that I can get my left stick up on it.
 
Have been watching different drummers and they vary the height of their hihat over the snare. Some jazz guys seem to have it incredibly low and to the side of the snare (say Buddy Rich), then there's Dave Grohl who has it towering above (or used to). I guess it depends how low or high you sit in the kit as well.
Just curious what most folks use for this distance? I used to have it higher, but am finding it much better to articulate stick work with it lower, about 5 inches.

Idk it just seems to me that if its in the middle i play better than if high or low... also depends on what im playing and using
 
Depends what I'm playing, really.

When I know I won't be playing my hi-hat much (jazz) or if I am, I wont be hitting hard or only with the tip of my stick or doing a lot of diddles and one-handed sixteenth note grooves, I put it down low. Maybe two to three inches above the top of my snare drum, at the most.

In my rock band, I usually have it a little higher. Probably somewhere between five and seven inches above. I can get a nice chunky sound with the shoulder of my stick on the edge of the cymbal.

At the same token, if it's sunny out, and the sun is in the right spot, I'll go Dave Grohl and use my hats for shade.
 
9 inches ! Strewth - if you ever use your LH to play the hats that would feel very strange to me. Being a short ar£e and all.

davo
 
9 inches ! Strewth - if you ever use your LH to play the hats that would feel very strange to me. Being a short ar£e and all.

davo
I went and measured it. It's 9.5" or from the tip to the R on a Vic Firth stick.

I'm 6'2 tho and that seems about optimum gap to me. I want enough room to give the snare a decent hit. And I do use LH on the hats quite a lot

I played on a kit where there hats were 3 - 4" above the snare at a jam night once. I stayed on the ride
 
Mine is about 4 inches away from my snare (horizontal distance) and about 6 inches higher then my snare (vertical distance). IMO there's no hard and fast rule about hi-hat placement...just put it in a spot that you're comfortable with it when you're playing.
 
My hats are 36 inches from the floor and 10 inches above the snare.
I measure the hat height of every hat stand that I own and I set the mem locks to that 36" height for consistency,
Thrones are set to 23"
Top of snare hoop is at 27" at the highest point. I tilt my snare down away from me so that the highest point is toward me.
 
I measured a few kits I have set up and they are just an inch or two difference between them.

My DW Classic kit is set up with the hats 32" from the floor. It's snare drum is 27" from the floor This gives a difference of 5" in height between the hi hats and snare drum. Also the two are 4" from one another. I also tilt my snare drum away from me.

DSC_0083-3.jpg


My Ludwig kit is very close to the same with the hi hats 32", snare 26 1/2" which is a difference of 5 1/2" in height. the distance between the hi hats and snare is 4 1/2".

DSC_0245-3.jpg


The other kit I have set up is the Tama Starclassic Bubinga. I rock out on this kit so I have this laid out a bit looser. The hi hats are 34" above the floor, the snare is 27" making a difference of 7". the separation between the hats and the snare is 6".

DSC_0386-1.jpg


My Yamaha drums are set up with the hi hats 33" above the floor, the snare is 27" which equals 6" between the two. the hats are 5" from the snare drum.

DSC_0261-1-1.jpg


I hope this helps,

Dennis
 
Interesting topic, since I just watched a video of Lars Ulrich and it looked like his hi-hat is WAY above the snare. I wonder how many sticks he saws off in a night, especially given how hard he hits?

I keep mine about 6"-9" above the snare.
 
As high as feels comfortable. Probably around 5 inches above the snare.
 
Mine are up there pretty high. If I have them too low, I smack my left hand with my hi hat stick. It works great for rock, looks cooler too IMO, but I understand why guys have them set low. To each his own I guess.
 
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