What kinds of drums are there?

Question

I'm 14 and my aunt is going to buy me a set of drums for my birthday but i dont know anything about drums , so can anyone help me with what kind of drums should i play and tell me moree about it? like what kind of brand is the best, the accessories that i'll need for the drums, and tips and advice about how to play it? maybe a link? (when i meant drums, i meant as in where the most of the rock songs are) thank you (: and a cheap price for a really good brand?

Answer 1

there are as many different kinds of drums as there are cars. how many car brands can you name? there are equally as many drum brands. i like to separate drum kits into 2 sets.... you got your brand names, and your "off-brand". your brand names are top of the line drum makers.... respected and professional drummers play them. these include (but not limited to) tama, pearl, ludwig, mapex, yamaha, pdp, DW, spaun, ocdp, truth.... i could go on. off brands are significantly cheaper and are kind of like "knock-offs". these are aimed at beginners on a small budget. brands include sonor, royce, gammon, pp, cb, pulse, first act..... again, i could go on. the beginner series of a nice brand will run you minimum of 500$. if you get a knockoff, you can pay more like 200-500 for a full set. which brand you choose really depends on your budget and also your personal preference.



as for choosing the kit itself.... just look for a standard, full-sized kit. get a 5-piece kit (which refers to the number of drums). so thats a snare, bass, and 3 toms. some kits are sold with cymbals and hardware/accessories, and some are not. you need to make sure to read the fine print. most drum kits above 500$ are sold as "shells only" meaning cymbals and hardware are NOT included. which means you will need to find your own hihat, crash, and ride cymbals, and stands to go with it, plus a bass drum pedal, throne (chair) and sticks.



i would advise buying used. you will get a LOT more for your money. dont be nervous about buying used drums. drums are designed to be hit with lots of force. so chances are, used drums can literally withstand a beating.



as for learning, youtube is the best place for free lessons. i would also check out the education link at www.vic-firth.com as they have lots of free videos and sheet music to use. if youre willing to pay a small fee for online lessons (20$ a month) check out www.mikeslessons.com. he is great for beginners and advanced players alike. for a sample, check out drumteacher76 on youtube.



there is a TON going on in this question and i could keep on going. but its too much to type and you need to provide more detail to narrow your question down and then i can make my answer more detailed. feel free to email me from my profile page if you need further help and id be glad to do what i can :)

Answer 2

Good instruments cost money. It's as simple as that. And it doesn't matter what kind of instrument you are talking about. Cheap instruments feel like cheap instruments and are harder to play thus they discourage beginner musicians. And as a beginner musician, this is the dilemma you face. I suggest looking for a used set. That's what you are talking about too, a drum set or as the British say a drum kit: Snare drum, two tom toms, bass or kick drum, high hat, crash and ride cymbals. That's your classic rock drum set. Another dilemma is that beginner musicians often quit after a short time. Music store owners make a killing because of this. They sell a guitar for $450, then a couple months later the parent of the kid who found it way harder than he / she expected brings it back to the music store and it is bought back for $100. Then the owner puts a $300 price tag on it to sell as a used guitar. Drum sets are not much different. It's not as easy as it looks. It takes coordination and skill. A whole lot of practice too. Two hours a day if you are serious - minimum. I don't mean to discourage you but you should know the nasty little truths.

I'm no expert on drums. The big brands have been Tama, Ludwig, Pearl. Most of the drummers I know have kits made up of several different brand names. Zildjian cymbals are preferred almost universally. The snare is often a different make than the toms and kick drum.

Another consideration: In the conservatory theory of percussion you do not start on a set. You start on the snare and develop a good snare technique first. You learn the "rudiments" then progress to the next level which could go in several directions, the set one of them. The best "drummers" are trained this way.

If you really want to do this right that is the way you will do it: Get a teacher, learn the snare, then progress from there. I know it's not as much fun but it will show if you are dedicated and talented enough to stick with it and in the long run you'll be that much better trained than all of the other "drummers" who started by banging their brains out on a full set and don't know a paradiddle from a parachute.

Answer 3

I like pearl brand and zildjian cymbals and have heard good things about mapex and dw. I would definitely try finding a used set if you just learning don't go out and buy a brand new set if your not even sure you would stay with it. Learn the rudiments!! You will be a better drummer by learning this and good technique. Try snare if you have a school marching band try it out and learn snare. You learn good tachnique and then move on you need to know the basics first.

Answer 4

I use Remo Fiberskyn for batter heads throughout, and Remo Clear Ambassadors for resonant heads. They're designed to approximate a calfskin sound, and I uncover they have got a circular, hot tone that I quite like - now not an excessive amount of assault, fairly damped. I uncover it flexible ample to play a large style of song. Check out Modern Drummer's April 2008 challenge. The duvet tale is on Levon Helm, of The Band. He makes use of Fiberskyn/Clear Ambassadors too. What style of song do you play ? What style of sound are you going for ?