• 19 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Drum Set

A five-piece drum set from the drummer's seat, then the kick drum up close and a drumstick.

Parts of a Drum Set

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Bass drum
  2. Snare drum
  3. Tom-toms
  4. Floor tom
  5. Hi-hat
  6. Crash cymbal
  7. Ride cymbal
  8. Bass drum pedal
  9. Hi-hat pedal
  10. Batter head
  11. Resonant head
  12. Port
  13. Shell
  14. Hoop
  15. Lug
  16. Tension rod
  17. Tip
  18. Shaft
  19. Butt

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-23. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

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All 19 parts on the diagram

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The whole kit 9

  1. Bass drum The lowest drum, played with the right foot through a pedal.
  2. Snare drum Wires under it give the sharp crack. Usually played by the left hand.
  3. Tom-toms Mounted on the bass drum; the smaller one sounds higher.
  4. Floor tom A tom with its own legs, standing on the floor. The lowest tom.
  5. Hi-hat Two cymbals facing each other, opened and closed by a pedal.
  6. Crash cymbal Struck for accents.
  7. Ride cymbal The large cymbal for a steady pattern.
  8. Bass drum pedal The right foot presses it; a beater strikes the bass drum.
  9. Hi-hat pedal The left foot presses it to close the hi-hat cymbals.

Kick drum 7

  1. Batter head The head that is struck. On a bass drum it faces the drummer.
  2. Resonant head The head that is not struck. On a bass drum it faces the audience.
  3. Port A hole in the front head. It sharpens the attack of the kick.
  4. Shell The body of the drum; the heads are stretched over its ends.
  5. Hoop Holds the head on the shell; also called the rim.
  6. Lug Fixed to the shell; the tension rods screw into it.
  7. Tension rod Tightening it pulls the hoop down and raises the pitch.

Drumstick 3

  1. Tip The end that strikes the drum or cymbal; round or pointed.
  2. Shaft The body of the stick, where you hold it.
  3. Butt The heavy end; turned round, it gives a fatter sound.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-23. (1) A maker's musical instrument guide, drum pages: https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/drums/mechanism/ (the five-piece kit: two tom-toms, floor tom, bass drum and snare drum; ride, crash and hi-hat cymbals; drums from high at the left to low at the right), .../mechanism/mechanism002.html (shell, head, batter head, front head and the hole cut in it, hoop or rim, tuning bolt, lug; toms mounted on the bass drum), .../play/ (right foot on the bass drum pedal, left foot on the hi-hat pedal), .../selection/ (the tip and shaft of a drumstick, and playing with its other end). (2) Wikipedia, Drum kit, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_kit: the same pieces; the bass drum struck by a beater that a pedal moves; the hi-hat's two cymbals, one upside down; a small hole in the resonant head. (3) Wikipedia, Snare drum, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snare_drum and Drumhead, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumhead: batter and resonant heads, rim or counterhoop, tension rods, lugs, shell. (4) Wikipedia, Drum stick, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_stick: tip, shoulder, shaft and butt. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-23. Licence: own work

How it works

A drum set, or drum kit, is drums and cymbals that one player works with two sticks and two feet: bass drum, snare drum, two tom-toms, floor tom, hi-hat, crash and ride cymbals.

Read the full guide

The kit, piece by piece

Seen from the seat, the drums step down in pitch from left to right: the tom-toms on the bass drum, then the floor tom. The right foot works the bass drum pedal and the left foot the hi-hat pedal, which closes its two cymbals.

Parts of a kick drum

Every drum has a shell with a head held over each end by a hoop. Tension rods run from the hoop to lugs on the shell. The batter head faces the drummer; the resonant head faces the room, often with a port cut in it.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a drum set called?

Bass (kick) drum, snare drum, tom-toms, floor tom, hi-hat with its pedal, crash and ride cymbals, and the bass drum pedal: the usual five-piece kit of five drums and three cymbals.

What are the parts of a drumstick?

The tip, or bead, strikes the drum; the shaft is the long body you hold; the butt is the thick opposite end. Between the shaft and the tip, the shoulder tapers down.

What is the hole in a bass drum for?

It is a port cut in the resonant (front) head. It sharpens the attack of the kick and gives a microphone a way in; many rock kits have one and many jazz kits do not.

What is the difference between a tom-tom and a floor tom?

A tom-tom is mounted, usually on the bass drum or a stand. A floor tom is a larger tom-tom that stands on its own legs, and it sounds lower.

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