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Just because you are a musician doesn’t mean that you would be knowledgeable about everything you need to know before buying musical instruments. Forget about beginners and learners; even professionals sometimes need to figure out what they need to know before shopping. In other words, they need to read a buyer’s guide. And today, we are going to discuss the question many ask: What do I need to know before buying a drum set?
What Do I Need To Know Before Buying A Drum Set? A Basic Buyer’s Guide:
Components Of A Drum Set:
First, you need to know the components of a drum set. Those who had drum sets before can skip this part, but for the beginners who are going to buy their first drum set, this is an extremely important topic.
Here is a list of all the components of a drum set.
Drums:
- Snare drum: the essential part of the set; it sounds different from other drums.
- Bass drum: the giant drum in the set played by foot. It produces a low sound.
- Floor tom: it is one of the tom drums. It is enormous and makes a low, boomy sound, but not as low as a bass drum.
- Rack toms/high toms: the smaller tom drums produce a boomy but high pitched sound. You will have 1-2 of these types of drums.
Cymbals:
There are three cymbals; hi-hat cymbals, ride cymbals, and crash cymbals.
Hardware:
Hardware includes the following components:
- Stands for drums and cymbals
- Throne: the seat or stool where the drummer can sit
- The bass pedal is used to play the bass drum.
All In One Package, Or A Shell Pack?
Shell pack refers to the drum set that comes with drums only. There are no cymbals or hardware; that has to be bought separately. On the other hand, one package comes with all the equipment associated with a drum set. It saves a lot of money that you would need to spend to buy the remaining components. The problem with the latter is that all in one package are usually entry-level drum sets.
If you want to customize your drum set, choose the shell pack, as it provides you the flexibility of choosing whatever you want. But if you are a beginner, stick to the all-in-one drum set.
Size Of Drums:
Determining what size of drums you should buy depends on the genre of music, you will use them for. The 22” (diameter) bass drum, 10” and 12” high toms, a 16” floor tom, and a 14″ snare drum are suitable for most the genres. But if you are a jazz player, stick to a smaller size; 18” bass drum, a 12” high tom, a 14” floor tom, and a 14” snare drum. For heavy genres like rock, more giant bass drums like 24″ bass drum sound great.
Quality Of Drum Set:
Obviously, high-quality material would be preferred. Check for solid hardware. When shopping online, zoom in on the picture to get a good look at the set.
Playing Skills And Your Budget:
Ultimately, the final price depends on what you are looking for. For professionals, the customization and freedom to buy the components separately matter a lot; thus, they can spend more. But for beginners, it is best to stick to the affordable options, especially those all in one package. An average drum set can cost anywhere from $300 to $1000. So you need to look at your own budget to decide what you can afford.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Are drums hard to learn?
Ans: Actually, they are considered to be one of the most challenging instruments to learn. But with enough practice and dedication, you can learn to play drums, although you would need to be patient.
Q: What is a good brand for a drum set?
Ans: Here is a list of the best brands of drum sets so far.
- Tama
- DW (Drum Workshop)
- Yamaha
- Sonor
- Pearl
- Ludwig
- Gretsch
- Canopus
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