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A floor tom or low tom is a double-headed
A floor tom or low tom is a double-headed tom-tom drum
A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go a ...
which usually stands on the floor on three leg
A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element ca ...
s. However, they can also be attached to a cymbal stand
A cymbal stand is a stand designed primarily to support a suspended cymbal in a drum kit or percussion section.
There are many forms, including:
* Straight stands.
* Simple boom stands.
* Counterweighted boom stands.
* Zero-offset boom stands.
* ...
with a drum clamp
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a sh ...
, or supported by a rim mount. It is a cylindrical drum without snare wires, and tend to produce a booming, resonant sound which can vary in pitch.
The floor toms are the lowest tuned drums played with sticks on a regular drum set
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
. Common sizes are
* 16x16, that is, in both depth and diameter. This was the original size and is still most common.
* × 14 for jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
kits, and very occasionally with a 16x16 as well.
* 18x16; that is, in diameter and 16 in depth, the most common size for a second floor tom, used with a 16x16.
* 16x18, a rarer size sometimes used for a second floor tom, also with a 16 × 16.
Floor toms can be mounted:
* In the traditional manner, with three adjustable legs.
* On three legs but connected to them by means of a rim mount on the lower rim, the original floor tom rim mounting.
* Attached to a drum rack or a (very heavy duty) cymbal stand
A cymbal stand is a stand designed primarily to support a suspended cymbal in a drum kit or percussion section.
There are many forms, including:
* Straight stands.
* Simple boom stands.
* Counterweighted boom stands.
* Zero-offset boom stands.
* ...
by means of a rim mount on the top or bottom rim.
* Attached to a drum rack or a cymbal stand
A cymbal stand is a stand designed primarily to support a suspended cymbal in a drum kit or percussion section.
There are many forms, including:
* Straight stands.
* Simple boom stands.
* Counterweighted boom stands.
* Zero-offset boom stands.
* ...
by means of a standard hanging tom mount on the drum shell. This method is generally restricted to the smaller, 14x14 floor toms.
The floor tom was popularized by Gene Krupa
Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...
in the 1950s, using a 16x16.
The floor tom is also used as a small bass drum by some (mostly jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
) drummers. In that case it is mounted horizontally on a specially designed rack system. More recently, companies such as Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
have come out with "floor tom to bass drum conversion sets". These commonly consist of strategically shaped rods that one can put in place of the floor tom legs to stand it up horizontally. Under this method, it is fairly common that a drummer get appropriately sized bass drum hoops to complete the conversion process.
Floor toms are also used in music parades, often being carried and then lifted up and hit to add effect. It can also be used as a substitute for surdo
The surdo is a large bass drum used in many kinds of Brazilian music, such as Axé/Samba-reggae and samba, where it plays the lower parts from a percussion section. It is also notable for its association with the cucumbi genre of the Ancient Near ...
in samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...
and bossa eir
Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovati ...
. These drums are also found in a jazz band drum kit.
References