What do you need for drumming?

If you want to take up drumming, you might be asking yourself what you need to begin. In our blog How do I become a drummer?, we already established that determination, enthusiasm and lots of practise can take you a long way. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the drum gear you’ll need to get started as well as a few extras that always come in handy.

An acoustic drum kit

Naturally, you’ll need a drum kit. This could be a standard acoustic drum kit or an electronic drum kit. Let’s take a look at acoustic drum kits first. A complete kit consists of drums, cymbals and stands. You can put together your own kit by buying everything separately, but as a beginner, it’s easier to choose a pack that already has everything you need included. Drums come in lots of different sizes and colours so it may be a good idea to take a look at our drum kit buyer’s guide to help you narrow down your choice.

Drumsticks

You’ll need drumsticks to play your drum kit and the range of sticks you can choose from is surprisingly large. At first sight, you might think that there’s not much difference between them so how do you choose the ones that are right for you? The best way is by trying them out. Only after playing with a set of sticks for a while and then switching to new ones will you be able to appreciate the difference. To begin with, it’s probably best to choose a standard pair that are suitable for everything. For more information about drumsticks, take a look at our drumstick buyer’s guide.

Drum stool

Even if you’ve already invested a decent amount of money on a drum kit, there’s one more thing you need to buy. You can’t just sit on any old chair or kitchen stool when you’re drumming. Drum stools are specially designed for playing the drums. They help you to adopt the correct playing posture and don’t restrict your movement. This helps to prevent back problems and injuries that can otherwise occur.

Maintenance

If you’ve managed to get your hands on a second-hand drum kit, it may be in need of some maintenance. There are all sorts of parts that are replaceable and new drumheads usually make a big difference. Any drum kit, whether new or second-hand, will need to be tuned from time to time and for that you’ll need a drum key. Our How to tune your drum kit blog provides plenty of information and guides you through the tuning process.

An electronic drum kit

A lot of the same things apply to an electronic drum kit as they do to an acoustic drum kit. One of the main differences, however, is that electronic kits normally come with drum pads, cymbal pads, stands, a module and all the cables included. You’ll still need some drumsticks and a drum stool, of course. You’ll also need a set of headphones or an amplifier to hear the drum sounds. More information about choosing the right electronic drum kit can be found in our electronic drum kit buyer’s guide.

Accessories

A drum kit, drumsticks and a drum stool complete the basic setup, but there are many more things you can buy. Many drummers use a drum mat which prevents things from moving around while you’re playing and protects your floor too.

It can also be a good idea to check with those you live with and perhaps even your neighbours to find out how much they can hear when you’re playing. Things like drum mutes, mesh drumheads and practice pads can all help to reduce the noise level.

If you plan on taking your drum kit to lessons, rehearsals or gigs, it makes sense to buy bags or cases to transport your kit in safely. These not only protect your drums, but make them easier to carry too.

No matter how you’re learning to play the drums, there’s plenty of learning material available that will help you progress faster. There are books for drummers of all levels as well as ones that cover different playing styles and music genres.

Also see

Buyer’s guides

» Drum kit buyer’s guide
» Electronic drum kit buyer’s guide
» Drumstick buyer’s guide

Blogs

» How do I become a drummer?
» How to tune your drum kit

Products

» All drums & percussion
» Acoustic drum kits
» Drumsticks
» Drum stools
» Drumheads
» Drum keys
» Drum hardware
» Drum mats
» Drum books
» Drum cases & bags
» Drum mutes
» Mesh drumheads
» Practice pads

Drumsticks for an Electronic Kit: Which Ones Do You Need? My Kid Wants a Drum Kit. What Do I Do? 5 Tips To Keep Drum Noise To A Minimum The Four Most Important Drum Rhythms How to Hold Your Drumsticks How do I become a drummer?