Parts of a Hi Hat Stand – Labeled Diagram With Clutch

All 15 parts on the diagram

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The whole stand 11

Top cymbal It is fixed to the pull rod by the clutch. So it moves down onto the bottom cymbal when the footboard is pressed.
Bottom cymbal It does not move. It rests on a felt on the cymbal seat, at the top of the upper tube, facing the top cymbal.
Pull rod The footboard pulls it down. It carries the top cymbal and runs down inside the tubes.
Upper tube It slides up and down in the lower tube. This sets the height of the bottom cymbal. The pull rod runs inside it.
Memory lock A clamp that marks the height. The stand then goes back to the same setting each time it is set up. Some makers call it a position clamp.
Spring tension adjuster It sets the tension of the spring inside the stand. That changes how the pedal responds.
Legs They swing outward to stand the hi-hat on the floor. This stand has two legs and also rests on its base frame.
Rubber feet They stop the stand creeping across the floor while it is played.
Base frame Joins the foot of the stand to the heel of the footboard.
Spurs Pointed screws in the frame. They can be wound out to grip the floor covering and stop the stand slipping. Some makers call them spikes.
Footboard Pressing it pulls the pull rod down and closes the cymbals. Letting it up opens them again.

Clutch and seat 4

Clutch It grips the pull rod and holds the top cymbal to it. Tightening its wing bolt fixes the height of the top cymbal on the rod.
Lock nuts Two rings tightened against each other above the cymbal. Set close to the felt they give a tight sound; backed off, a loose one.
Felts The top cymbal sits between them. How hard the lock nuts press on the upper felt changes the sound.
Cymbal seat The bottom cymbal rests here on a felt. A bolt under the seat tilts the bottom cymbal a little. Some makers call it the cymbal support plate.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it. (1) Two unrelated drum hardware makers' instruction manuals for hi-hat stands, read as full text on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6666827 and https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6534546, one maker (upper pull rod, hi-hat clutch, cymbal seat, upper tube, memory lock, tension adjuster, base frame, footboard, legs, rubber padded feet, spike, lock nut, felt, top and bottom cymbals); and https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-224085 (hi-hat clutch, wing bolt, clutch felts, lock nuts, upper pull rod, cymbal support plate, position clamp, spring tension knob, footboard, frame, rubber feet, spurs, legs, top and bottom cymbals). (2) Wikipedia, text only: Hi-hat (two cymbals and a pedal on a stand, the rod, the clutch with a pair of knurled rings) and Drum hardware (memory locks, legs). The percussion society glossary named in the plan was not found without a search engine. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's stand, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a hi hat in two views: the whole stand from the side, with both cymbals and the pedal, and the top of the stand enlarged, with the clutch pulled apart and the cymbal seat.

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From the cymbals down, then the clutch

Numbers 1 to 3 are at the top: the two cymbals and the pull rod through them. Numbers 4 to 6 are on the tubes: the upper tube, the memory lock and the spring tension adjuster. Numbers 7 to 11 are on the floor: legs, rubber feet, base frame, spurs and footboard. Numbers 12 to 15 are in the enlarged view: the clutch, its lock nuts and felts, and the cymbal seat under the bottom cymbal.

Only the top cymbal moves. The bottom cymbal stays on its seat.
To fit the top cymbal, take the clutch off the pull rod, put the cymbal between the two felts, and tighten it back on.

Questions and answers

What is the clutch on a hi-hat stand?

The clutch fastens the top cymbal to the pull rod. The cymbal sits between two felts on the clutch, and a wing bolt clamps the clutch to the rod at the height you choose.

How does a hi-hat stand work?

The bottom cymbal is fixed on top of the stand. The top cymbal hangs on a rod that runs down inside the tubes to the pedal. Pressing the pedal pulls the rod down and brings the top cymbal onto the bottom one.

What are the parts of a hi hat?

A hi-hat is two cymbals and a pedal mounted on a stand, joined by a rod mechanism. Drummers sometimes use the word for the two cymbals alone.

What is a memory lock on a hi-hat stand?

A small clamp that stays tightened on the upper tube. It marks the height the stand was set to, so it goes back to the same setting next time and cannot slip while it is played.