Table of Contents
Introduction
Buying a drum set is an exciting time for any beginner drummer. If you are an experienced drummer and you want to make sure you have the material for the job, you probably already know exactly what you are looking to buy. You know the sound you like and the type of drums you need, as well as the band leader or music director. A trip to the Drum Set shop or a quick click on the computer and you are ready to make your purchase. It was a moment that changed my life.
When buying drums, a number of research needs to be done to make sure you buy the right product that meets your needs at the right price. Some of the options and terminology you will encounter may be a little confusing. Do not worry – Compsmag is here to help you simplify the process and give you practical tips on what to look for when buying your Drum Set.
A Multi-Purpose Drum Kit
When buying your first drum kit, you need to think about the style of music you play the most. I hope you learn to play all styles to be The Best musician possible, but most people have a favorite musical genre or find that they work more often than others on a particular music scene. One way to do this is to buy medium sized drums. A “fusion” kit could be a good choice. Fusion refers to a fusion of jazz and rock music styles. This type of kit can, therefore, include a 14 “snare drum or perhaps a 13” snare drum, toms ranging from 10 to 14 “and a 20” bass drum.
If you have the means to do so, you can also buy a big kit and use only the appropriate parts of the kit for the style of music you play at a given time. Suppose you find a massive kit with several toms ranging from 10 “to 18”, two bass drum, a 14 “snare drum and a 13” snare drum. If you are playing a jazz trio concert and you need a small drum kit, take the 10 “tom and a 14” floor tom and the 13 “side snare drum. Use a conversion kit to turn the 18-inch floor tom into a bass drum. You now have an excellent jazz kit ready for use.
Parts of Drum Set
With the wide variety of Drum Set available, how do you decide which drum kit is best for you? Before taking a look at how to choose your Drum, we will present the components it contains. These include the snare drum, the bass drum, one or more mounted toms and a floor tom. The other two essential components that complement the contemporary drum game are cymbals and hardware. We will discuss them both.
At first, we will examine the different Drum Set configurations available. If you’re a beginner or an amateur and want to play in a band or play with a friend, use a 4-way drums drum, tom mounted alone and tom floor provides you with all the basic sounds. Ringo Starr made this setup famous with the Beatles. A set of 4 pieces takes up a minimum of space, is easily transportable and offers a sound well suited to jazz, blues and rock styles.
Drum Hardware
The Drum alone is not Drum Set manufacture: the material is another essential component that constitutes a complete kit. Unless you buy a shell pack, a Drum will come with the necessary hardware to assemble and play it. Essential drum equipment includes the bass drum pedal, the snare drum stand, the hi-hat stand, and one or more cymbal stands.
Keep in mind that even though a complete Drum Set includes enough equipment to allow you to play, the material provided varies from game to game. An economical hardware pack is an excellent solution for low budget drummers. These are grouped collections of stands, pedals, and thrones that save you money on the cost of separately purchased drum equipment.
Bass Drum Pedals
Nowadays, there is an amazing selection of bass drum pedals. They range from simple, inexpensive single-pedal models to the sophisticated double pedals preferred by rock, metal and fusion drummers. You’ll find dual-drum pedals for use with a single kick drum, double pedal with a single drummer for double bass drum kits, and dozens of other setups.
Selecting the right drum sizes
Starter Drum Set is typically made up of five pieces and come in what we call Rock, Fusion or Hybrid sizes. The Rock drum kits have slightly larger drums, with a 22-inch diameter bass drum, toms 12, 13 and 16 inches in diameter (the 16-inch tom is usually floor-mounted with legs) and a 14-inch snare drum.
Fusion drum kits come with a 20- or 22-inch bass drum and 10, 12 and 14-inch diameter toms (the 14-inch tom can have feet or a stand to attach to a cymbal stand) . “suspended tom”) and a 14-inch snare drum. Hybrid sets often have a bass drum of 20 or 22 inches, toms of 10, 12 and 16 inches (again, the 16 inches will usually have legs) and a snare of 14 inches. The current trend is more oriented towards fusion and hybrid sizes because the drums can be closer and more compact while maintaining a good adjustment range.
The Case for Buying Cases
You will also need to ask how often you intend to move the drum kit. The drums can easily scratch, especially if the finish is “natural” wood instead of beaded trim. A guitarist will rarely carry a beautiful guitar without his holster, but you will often see the drummers doing it. If you do not play live concerts or do not bring the kit to school duties, buying a good set of crates may be delayed, but as your game improves, you’ll be asked to move more and more the Drum Set. Hard cases offer The Best protection, but a good set of quilted bags will do the trick. The Best advice here is to spend a little less on the Drum Set and to include a series of holsters with your purchase.
Tips on buying acoustic drums
If you are a beginner and you buy your first drum kit, consider buying a used drum kit. There are two things to remember:
- Always check the drum kit you buy, especially if you buy on the internet. Ask the seller to send you detailed photos and get a list of what is included in the sale. Preferably, go to where the drum kit is sold and see it for yourself.
- When comparing prices with other drum kits, remember that new kits are not usually sold with cymbals. Therefore, check if what you plan to buy is a shell pack.
- Familiarize yourself with brands and familiarize yourself with the type of price you expect to pay for the new and used Drum Set model.
Drum Thrones
Most drum sets do not include a drum throne. It is not recommended to use a drum throne, thrones allow height adjustment, are compact, disassemble for easy transport and include padding for a comfortable gaming experience. A well-designed drum stool can help you play better with its superior ergonomics.
Drum and Cymbal Stands and Racks
There is support for mounting virtually any drum, percussion instrument or cymbal known to man. Choosing The Best drum, percussion, or cymbal stand depends on how you set up your drum kit, its components, and your budget. Some modern drum sets offer an alternative to mounting drums and cymbals on stands, using a frame-like structure called a Drum Rack. The racks can also be purchased separately and provide a compact way to mount multiple toms and cymbals using as little space as possible.
Snare Drums
The clear voice of the snare drum lets out any mix, leaving the groove in motion, adding accents and interacting with the soloists. The distinctive sound of this drum comes from the wires, or traps, which are held in place against the thin lower head of the drum using a device called filter, mounted on the hull. Snare drums can be released for a serious or timpani sound. Snare drums are traditionally made of metal or wood.
Snare drums made of metal, steel, brass, aluminum and other alloys offer an exceptionally brilliant cutting sound. Many drummers prefer the warmer and softer sound of a wooden snare drum. Snare drums typically have a 14 “diameter and a depth of 3-1 / 2” to 8 “, but today there are many sizes and specialty snare materials.
Electronic Drums
An Electronic Drum Set (sometimes called an electric Drum) has unique advantages. You can plug in headphones for almost silent practice. In the recording studio, you can send a signal directly from the electronic drum module to the mixer, making it easier and faster to get a good sound from the drums. Another advantage of an electronic drum is the ability to call hundreds of different drum and percussion sounds.
Electronic kits use rubber or mesh pads to trigger a variety of sounds in a digital drum module. Acoustic drummers who prefer an acoustic ensemble but want to be able to produce alternative sounds can do so by using drum triggers. These small sensors attach to your drum heads and trigger the sounds of an external electronic drum module.
New vs Second-Hand drum kits
The purchase of a new drum kit has advantages and disadvantages. The main benefit of buying at a reputable Drum store is that you have all the usual statutory rights associated with purchasing a new item. This means that there is some degree of protection and guarantees that what you are thinking of buying is what you will get when you unpack the boxes.
With second-hand goods, you are more likely to be misled, or worse, to be deceived. Fortunately, most people are decent and do not try to fool you. Buying a used Drum Set can generate significant savings on the cost of the Drum Set.