Thomas Lang and Benny Greb's drum setups in pictures

Thomas Lang and Benny Greb's drum setups

Thomas Lang and Benny Greb have raised the bar for drummers everywhere by possessing that most enviable of abilities to turn their hands (and feet) to near-enough every musical style - from jazz and fusion to rock and pop - without breaking so much as bead of sweat.

Rhythm magazine caught up with the technical masters to find out the secrets of their technique, get some handy advice that we can all apply to our drumming and, of course, take a closer look at the pairs’ kits.

You can already read the full interview - Thomas Lang and Benny Greb: 50 pro drumming tips and tricks - but here we’re concentrating purely on gear.

• Find your next setup with our guide to the best drum kits

First up: Thomas Lang shows off his kit

Thomas Lang's kit

What's the most common mistake people make when setting up their drums?

Thomas Lang: "To set the drums up for the viewer so it looks cool from the front rather than for yourself. I know a lot of young drummers make that mistake."

Next: Thomas's snares

Snares

"Number two would be to set the drums up so that the bass drum is facing the audience straight on, rather than being off to the right if you are a right-handed drummer, because the bass drum is not the centre of the drumset."

Next: cymbals

Cymbals

"Number three is to try to make the drumset perfectly symmetrical."

Next: more cymbals

Cymbals cont.

"Another is to sit too low or too high, or to set up the cymbals too far away from the player so you have to play with your arm completely stretched - I see that a lot."

Next: hardware

Hardware

"Whatever you do with your body mechanically has to be within a spherical space. It's not a straight plane, you are moving within a spherical space and your set-up has to reflect that…"

Next: heads

Heads

"…so whatever is higher on the drumset has to be closer to you."

Next: Benny Greb's kit

Benny Greb's kit

Benny Greb: "I would say it's that they don't really set it up, bit by bit, in relation to how they sit and to their body, but they set up their kit then sit behind it and see whether it feels right."

Next: Benny's snares

Snares

"What creates great results is to take your stool, adjust it so it is cool for you, which normally means there is more than a 90° angle between your legs and your spine and between your upper legs and lower legs.”

Next: cymbals

Cymbals

"Then you set up the snare drum so it is comfortable, then a bass drum where the foot really sits, then a hi-hat where the foot really sits, and so on…"

Next: hardware

Hardware

"…if you let students do this, it really results in a very natural set-up."

Next: heads

Heads

For more advice from these two technical masters, check out Thomas Lang and Benny Greb: 5 pro drumming tips and tricks. And for more from Rhythm magazine, check out the current issue 188 fronted by drum pioneer and all-round legend Phil Collins, or subscribe to Rhythm for a monthly dose of new gear reviews, kit buying guides, pro drum lessons and all-star interviews.

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