Throne height

Excess5

Junior Member
hey guys
i was wondering, does the height of the chair im seeted on affect my double bass ability and speed? and whats the optimum height i should set my chair at for high speed and accuracy??
thanks
 
Indeed, it's all about "what YOU find comfortable". And don't be suprised, if over the years, this changes. Some cats sit really high, some cats "low ride". And a lot fall in between.
 
hey guys
i was wondering, does the height of the chair im seeted on affect my double bass ability and speed? and whats the optimum height i should set my chair at for high speed and accuracy??
thanks

great quesiton, though you'll only get very subjective answers. the other guys are right i think in saying to find out what's best for you.

for me its been trial and error, if somethings not working making a change. just recently maybe less than a month ago i made a slight height raise. now sitting maybe that 100 degree mark, i have no idea, but i found it an improvement on my previous 90 degree sitting position.

bass drum speed and accuracy has really been improved by the exercises you do, in my experience, and has been effected very little by throne height. aslong as you're comfortable you should be able to work on, and eventually gain the skills you desire.

perhaps observing the guys you look up to might help? checking out their seat height in relation to their kits and trying if that works for you?

there are fantastic players using the full range of seat heights so i don't think your choice will hinder your progress.
 
Tommy Lee, a tall guy, sits real low. Knees above his hips. Ringo, a short guy, sits real high, knees much lower than his hips. Max Weinberg, sits up very straight, with knees about hip heigth. I would suggest knees some what lower than hips, but you will find your own spot.
 
The most important is your back is straight. Don't lean over! You should be able to move both legs without pivoting.

The throne should also be high enough so you don't hit your leg when hitting the snare. It's relative to snare and HH height.
 
Chris Dave is a prime example of "what ever suits you". I've seen that cat playing tiny bop sets on a freakin' BAR STOOL.
 
I've been steadily sinking lower and lower for a couple of years now. Right now, the top of my thighs are about parallell to the floor when my heels are on the ground. I play heel up, however, so when I play, they actually point slightly upwards from my hips.

I've found that my groove and power improve when I sit lower. I do lose a little bit of foot speed, but I'm not much of a double bass player, and mostly use it for accents and fills, so that's not really a problem.

Another advantage of sitting lower for me is that I'm quite tall, so when I sat high I had problems sitting in on other people's kits, since they were almost always set up too low.
 
A general rule is that the higher you sit, the easier it will be to lift your whole legs and the lighter will your feet feel on the pedals.
My happy medium is when my thighs are parallel to the floor in heel up position. Higher than that and I feel lack of power and start leaning forward to compensate, lower than that and I get cramps in the hip flexors after prolonged double kick runs.
 
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