Kick Drum

• The kick drum, or bass drum, is the bottom-most drum located on the drum set and provides the bass beat of the rhythm. A foot pedal connected to the kick drum enables the drummer to beat the drum with his or her foot. Stepping on the pedal causes a beater connected to the pedal to strike the middle of the kick drum. The kick drum is propped upright by two legs extended from each side of the drum for support.
  
  

Snare and Toms

• The snare drum features snares made of metal, plastic or gut materials and sits on a special stand to one side of the kick drum. The snare provides the back beat of the rhythm, usually in opposite time to the kick drum beat. It is also the most flexible drum on the set. A switch located on the side of the drum enables the snares to be turned on, creating the standard snare drum tone. When the switch is turned off, the snares are loosened and the snare drum tone reverts to a muted, non-snare tone.
  
  Tom drums come in different varieties, the most typical of which is two rack toms and one floor tom. The rack toms sit on a rack directly above the kick drum, with one tom tuned higher than the other. The floor tom sits on a stand to one side of the kick drum directly opposite from the snare drum. This drum is the largest tom and subsequently offers the lowest tone. Toms are often played as an alternative to cymbals or snare, and often enable the drummer to provide colorful fills throughout the music.
  
  

Cymbals

• Cymbals are round discs made of different metal alloys mounted on stands around the drum kit. The hi-hat consists of two cymbals mounted against each other on a stand next to the snare drum. A foot pedal at the bottom of the hi-hat stand enables the drummer to open and close the cymbals.
  
  A crash cymbal is a large cymbal mounted on a stand, usually above the rack toms. This cymbal is used sparingly because of its enormous volume and tone. The crash is most often struck to signify the start of a new verse or chorus. A ride cymbal is also a large cymbal mounted on a stand above the floor tom and is used in contrast to the hi-hat for rhythmic purposes.
  
  

Accessories

• The drum set can be enhanced by a variety of accessories. First, an array of drum sticks are available at the drummer's disposal, including traditional wood-made sticks, brushes and mallets. Second, different percussion instruments can be mounted on stands alongside the traditional parts of the set. For instance, a tambourine can be mounted on top of the hi-hat stand for extra rhythmic color. Likewise, metal beads can be draped around the ride cymbal to create a more sustained tone when the cymbal is struck.
  
  

Other Features

• While the traditional drum set features a kick, snare, three toms and three cymbals, any drum set can be configured to a drummer's own liking. For instance, some sets feature two kick drums (often used in heavy metal music), two snares (each tuned differently), and multiple toms and cymbals. Conversely, a spare jazz drum set might feature only one rack tom and one ride cymbal. The genre of music often determines the type of drum set.