What to consider when Choosing your first Drum Kit
The drums are literally the beating heart of the band, so you want to make sure your new kit is fit for purpose.
If this is your first kit, you definitely don’t need to run out and buy the biggest, most expensive kit, as there are lots of bits you won’t even know how to use yet. You want to start off with a standard kit and add to the kit as you progress.
BEGINNER DRUM KIT
Drum kits are pretty versatile and can be customised to suit the person who will be using them. Your first drum kit will be pared down and simplistic to start with, but as you develop your drumming skills, you will be able to add to your kit.
If your kit is for a child, you can buy an inexpensive junior kit that will have pretty much everything with it; that being said, you may want to upgrade the crash and ride cymbals, as they are sometimes not the best quality.
If you are buying a drum kit for an older learner, you can sometimes get everything you need in one package, but most of the time you will buy a kit with the main drums (shells) but then have to purchase the cymbals and such separately.
Any drum kit, whether it is junior or standard size, should consist of cymbal stands and cymbals, a drum stool, a bass pedal, then the drum shells: hi-tom, mid-tom, low-tom, bass, and snare.
DRUM KITS FOR KIDS
It’s always best to get your little drummers to try out a kit before you buy to decide if they need a junior kit or a standard size, especially if they are around 11 years old. If your child is starting out very young (between 5 & 8 years old), it’s a safe bet that a junior kit will be needed, as these are scaled down so that younger drummers can reach the pedals and comfortably ready the cymbals and drums.
Here are a few manufacturers to consider when buying your child’s first kit.
• Gammon Percussion
• GP Percussion
• DDrum
BEST BEGINNER DRUM KITS FOR TWEENS/ADULTS
There are plenty of different makes and models of adult drum kits that are cheap to buy for a tween/adult beginner
Here are a few manufacturers and models to consider when buying an adult kit.
BUYING DRUM KITS ONLINE
If you’re shopping online, be sure to read the list of what’s included. Some of these sets have more in the online photo than actually ship with the set.
1. As with most things, you purchase the price you pay is generally a good indication of its quality.
2. Lower-priced models will probably require you to upgrade the hardware (cymbals and stands) sooner rather than later, depending on how dedicated the drummer is. This being said, the shells will be perfectly adequate for quite some time.
3. Take a closer look at the hardware. When browsing online, make sure you can see that each of the three legs on the cymbal stands is made up of two pieces of metal. If you can only see one piece of metal, it probably won’t last too long.
4. You can get pretty inexpensive hardware and cymbal bundles; just make sure you look out for those legs, though.
BUYING DRUM KITS IN PERSON
We understand that you might want to surprise your child with a drum kit on their birthday or Christmas, but if they are at that tween stage, it might be best to go and try a few kits out first; you need to make sure your drummer can reach everything.
If you or your child is a beginner and you can’t decide between kits, there will be very obliging staff on hand who will be able to give you a demo at full force so you can hear the sound quality of each drum kit.
When you make your decision, make sure you ask the sales assistant if you’re getting a brand new kit already boxed up or if the kit is in the showroom. If it is the kit already in the showroom, check it over for scratches or damage.
Needless to say, a drum kit takes up quite a bit of space; make sure you have transportation big enough when you collect, and unless you’re already planning your first gig, you won’t need to buy drum cases just yet.
Choosing your first drum kit can be daunting; if you need any additional advice, please get in touch!
NEW VS. USED DRUM KITS
A used drum kit will offer big savings, but it’s very hard to know if that kit will be right for you or your child without a bit of expert guidance. Plus, if you get it home and there is a problem with it, you are not going to get after-sales support or warranties like with a new kit.
TYPES OF DRUM KITS
As far as colours, sizes, and hardware, there are many different configurations, but with respect to the types of drums, there are only two options. Electronic drum kits allow you to produce a wide range of sounds, including an acoustic drum kit, a fusion drum kit, and a standard drum kit.
Standard kits have larger tom diameters, which is perfect for rock music, as they produce a big sound. Fusion kits are good for all genres of music but produce sharper, punchier tones. Acoustic drums, whether standard or fusion, are easy to set up; they are made using wood and metal and give an authentic sound, but be warned, they can be very loud.
Electric drum kits are ideal if you don’t have somewhere out of the way to play as loud as you want; they have built-in headphone sockets and use rubber heads that dampen the external sound.
BEST WOOD FOR YOUR DRUM KITS
Believe it or not, the type of wood your acoustic drum kit is made of can affect the sound it produces. You don’t normally see the wood, as the drums are usually wrapped in vinyl, which protects the wood.
Birchwood will produce a loud and balanced sound, great for recording music.
Bubinga wood will give you punchy notes and a mid-range sound.
Maple wood offers highly versatile sound with warm and bright tones, and
Mahogany is pretty rare but will provide warm and dark tones.
Cheaper woods such as poplar are used on more inexpensive makes and models; it can be difficult to determine the sound they will individually produce.
MAKING AN ACOUSTIC DRUM KIT QUIETER
There are various silencers available; these can be placed over the drum head or cymbals to dampen the sound, which is particularly useful if you live in a smaller home or, let’s face it, if your kids just started to learn and it’s not sounding quite like a song yet. Here are a few options, but you can always ask your drum teacher or music shop assistant.
Drum mutes are neoprene rubber pads that are placed directly on top of the drumhead or cymbals; they do alter the feel slightly but are a quick solution to a noisy problem.
Damper pads or moon gel are gel pads that stick to the drumhead and absorb some of the vibrations
Mesh drumheads can be purchased to replace the original drumheads. They were originally created for electric drum kits, but work well with acoustic kits and don’t alter the feel when playing.
We hope you’ve found our guide on choosing your first drum kit useful; be sure to speak to our music tutors if you want any more pointers.
Award Winning Music Schools in The West Midlands
We offer a variety of music lessons in beautiful performance spaces where students can showcase their talent. With a relaxing waiting room where parents can wait for their children, plus easy, accessible parking.
It’s more than just a music school; it’s a place where we want to bring a sense of community and create great musicians. We teach Drum lessons in Rubery in Birmingham, two music schools in Sandwell and Dudley (Cradley Heath near Halesowen and Rowley Regis), Kingswinford, Boldmere near Sutton Coldfield and Olton in Solihull. We also have hundreds of pupils who learn online on live video with us from all over the world each week.
If you are seeking expert private drum tuition in the West Midlands?
We now have several music schools across the West Midlands. Our music schools are in Rubery in Birmingham, two music schools in Cradley Heath near Halesowen and Rowley Regis, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Solihull. We also have hundreds of pupils who learn online on live video with us from all over the world each week.
OVER 500 five star reviews on Google
Other music lessons we have to offer include:
Piano Lessons Drum Lessons | Guitar Lessons | Vocal Lessons | Woodwind and String
We offer individuals of all ages and abilities the opportunity to learn a musical instrument with one-on-one sessions or in group lessons. Our Music teachers are highly experienced and passionate about teaching. We teach adults and kids online from all over the world. For children, we teach from five years old, except in the case of woodwind instruments where we recommend eight as the minimum age.
