kurt! YES....finally someone has questioned this.
why the hell does everyone set up with the bass drum dead straight? its so unatural. the reason weckl said in his videos "i like to play the pedal with my foot at an angle" is because its not really possible to play it straight!! you cant play the pedal straight up, unless your torso is facing left towards the hi-hat (which so many people do). they base their position around hi hat and snare, so when you go to the ride or any floor toms, your giving your torso stress because your having to bend round. very few people sit "central" at their drum set. if u look at pics a lot of people have their stool infront of the kick and snare to the left of that.....but the snare is the most important piece of the kit...the steering wheel if u like. the stool should be dead infront of the snare, with the double pedal and hi-hat (or just hi hat pedal) equally positioned either side of the snare, so your feet are at a 45 degree angle.
the only problem with having the bass drum angled this way is if you have your toms both mounted on the bass drum. this can be a problem. but the "standard" tom set up (i.e vinnie's kit set up) is also a little unatural. with the snare dead infront of you....your toms (if u have two) should sit on a stand either side of the snare....so, again, your central to them. if u have one tom its easier because u can hang it off a stand and place it anywhere. one other ajustment that has to be made, is that the hi-hat is more far away. this really took some getting used to....but actally its in a better place and a little higher.
these things mostly came from thomas....he taught me loads of stuff about this. and it took me about 2-3 months to sort out my set up. while there is no right or wrong way to set-up, these guidlines certainly helped me....and looking at nearly everyone elses kit....i just cant believe they sit that way...and that i used to. its as if everyone sets up wrong!! i saw a pic of dennis' kit and it made me gasp....his legs must be splayed everywhere.
i'll go find some pics and post so u can see what i mean.