Rack Toms for Beginners: A Complete Guide

What Rack Toms Do in a Kit

Rack toms are the mounted drums above the bass drum — they sit higher than the floor tom and form the mid-pitched voice of the kit. Most five-piece setups include two: a smaller one (commonly 10 inches) and a larger one (commonly 12 inches). You use them for fills — the rhythmic transitions between sections of a song — and for rolls that carry movement across the kit. They are not used as much as the snare or bass drum in most styles, but they define the character of fills and are the drums that get the most attention in a performance.

As a beginner, you do not need to worry about having every possible size. Two is the standard starting point. Many professional drummers play with just two mounted toms throughout their entire career.

Understanding Sizes

Rack tom sizes are measured by diameter and depth in inches. A 10-inch diameter tom sits in a higher pitch range; a 12-inch sits lower. Depth affects sustain — a 10×10 drum has more body than a 10×8, which is shallower and faster-decaying. For beginners, the kit you buy will almost certainly come with the standard sizing already chosen — you do not need to customise this early on.

What matters more at the start is learning to tune them. A well-tuned 10-inch tom sounds better than a poorly tuned 12-inch every time. Tuning is a skill, and it takes time, but it is learnable.

How to Tune Your Toms

Tuning rack toms starts with the batter head — the top head you strike with the stick. Begin by hand-tightening all the lugs evenly, then use a drum key to bring the tension up in a star pattern: tighten one lug, then the lug directly opposite, then rotate 90 degrees and repeat. This keeps the tension even across the head, which is what produces a clean, musical note.

Tap the head about an inch from each lug with a finger or stick and listen for whether the pitch is consistent all the way around. If one spot is noticeably higher or lower, adjust just that lug. Once the top head is tuned, address the resonant (bottom) head the same way. Many beginners tune only the top head — always tune both for the best result.

If the drum sounds like it has a "wowing" or uneven wobble in the decay, the tension is uneven. If it sounds choked and dead, the tension may be too high or there is too much dampening. Start lower than you think you need and bring it up gradually.

Positioning for Comfortable Playing

Rack toms should be positioned so that moving from the snare to the toms and back again is natural and efficient. Angle them slightly toward you — tilting the near edge down — rather than laying them flat. This lets you strike the head squarely rather than at a glancing angle, which produces a cleaner sound and reduces unnecessary stick wear.

Height matters too. If the toms are mounted too high, your elbows rise and your arms tire faster. If they are too low, you lose power and control. A good starting point: the top of the nearest tom should sit at roughly the same height as the top of the snare drum. You can adjust from there once you are used to playing them.

Drumheads: What Comes on Kit and What to Upgrade To

Most budget drum kits ship with single-ply batter heads — thin, open and resonant. These are fine to learn on, but they dent easily and produce a lot of high-frequency ring that can be difficult to control in a practice space or early recording situation. When you are ready to upgrade, a two-ply coated or clear batter head (Remo Emperor or Evans G2 are the most widely available) gives you more durability, more control over overtones, and a more consistent tone.

You do not need to change the resonant heads early on. They wear slowly and the stock ones are usually adequate until you are comfortable with tuning and ready to hear the difference.

Dampening and Overtone Control

New drummers often reach for dampening as a first response to a tom that does not sound the way they expect. A moongel pad, a small piece of tape with a folded paper underneath, or a dampening ring can reduce excessive ring — but use as little as possible. Heavy dampening kills the drum's resonance and produces a flat, dead sound that has no life. Start with proper tuning, and only add dampening if specific overtones remain after the tension is even.

Frequently Asked Questions