What to Know Before You Buy Drums

What to Know Before You Buy Drums What You Should Know Before Buying Drums ChaptersDifferent Types of DrumsWhat Are the Best Drumsticks?What Are the Best Drum Kits to Buy?How Much Does a Drum Kit Cost?How to Tune a Drum KitA Guide to Drum Kit MaintenanceMaybe you were one of the lucky ones who got to see Rush in concert before Neil Peart retired.Or perhaps you’ve read the discussion boards of whether Lars Ullrich is or is not a good drummer.It could be that you or someone you know is taking drum lessons!In any of these cases, your fascination with percussion is evident.What Superprof is going to do is feed it a meal of facts, figures and fabled drummers, all with the intent to help you finally get the kit you’ve always dreamed of.Do you have a concrete idea of the kit you want? Then maybe Superprof can help you flesh out your drum set; maybe with eclectic percussion instruments or perhaps by helping you choose the right stick.drum mimics human speech.Gongs of AsiaIn Asia is where the cymbal came to prominence. Sure, they had their drums: war drums in Ch ina, ceremonial drums in Japan...You might say that the drums complement the cymbals! Or is it the other way around...?Either way, gongs and cymbals take centre stage in traditional Asian music.Today, the Asian influence prevails in the name of the Big Three cymbal companies, all of which originated in Asia:Zildjian â€" over 400 years in the business!Sabian: an offshoot of Zildjian, founded in Canada by the brother of Armand, who became CEO of the companyRobert nevertheless made use of the Zildjian technique for cymbal-making!Paiste: an Indo-European company founded in EstoniaAnd, of course, some of the finest cymbals on the market, the Istanbul Mehmets, are made in Turkey!Naturally, we have to include Meinl in the big cymbal names, but this company got its start less than 100 years ago, in Germany.Drumming in EuropeThe art of drumming remained essentially unchanged for over a thousand years until the snare drum was created in the 15th century.Its use, particularly by the military, revolutionised drum making and drum playing!Drum rudiments, the paradiddle and the drag among them, seem to have developed with the snare drum.As military campaigns became further-reaching, so too did the influence of snare drums, until they became ubiquitous.Today, they are essential for any jazz, rock or marching band!What are you going to beat yours with?The type of drumstick you play with will affect your sound and your playing Source: Pixabay Credit: PexelsWhat Are the Best Drumsticks?Categorising anything as best is, in principle, a subjective affair.And when it comes to drumsticks... so many variables go into the choice of sticks you use to beat your kit with!What type of music do you play?What level player are you: beginner, intermediate... advanced?What size are you? â€" nothing implied in that question; stick diameter and weight is important in selecting the right stickWhat sound are you looking for?What kind of kit do you have?A good drummer would have a stick bag replete with an assortment of drumsticks: oval heads and round ones; teardrop-shaped and barrel-shaped. Nylon-coated or pure wood...Each of these tips, along with the anatomy of the drumstick will affect what sound your drums make and how they respond to your playing.Furthermore: most sticks are made of either hickory wood, oak or maple; each type of wood brings its own properties to your sound.You can drum quickly with maple sticks because they are light, but they would not stand up to heavy rock drumming, for example.The rule of thumb for beginners is to learn to play with a set of 5A hickory sticks. They are of average weight and mid-sized diameter, and absorb vibration well.From there, you may opt to go for a heavier stick or one made out of nylon-coated graphite â€" a much lighter material that helps forestall fatigue.And then, you might experiment with brushes and mallets, just to see what kind of sound you can coax from your kit!time and patience.While some instrument techs advocate tuning your snare and bass drum first and then ranging the toms within that pitch spectrum, others insist you should start with the smallest drum and work your way through the sizes, finishing with the kick drum.Either way, you will start with your snare!One important distinction between tuning this drum and the rest of your kit is that you will tune the batter head first, and then the resonant head.With the other drums, that order is reversed.When tuning your drums, remember that you are tuning the heads to the tone and pitch of the shell â€" see what we mean by needing a good ear?You should tap the side of the drum with a stick as often as necessary to internalise its tone, and then, using the drum key, turn the tension rods in quarter-turn increments until the drum head makes a complementary sound.Always remember to work diagonally: work with the tension rod closest to you first, and then the one opposite to it.Never travel the circumference of the drum, loosening or tightening as you go, unless you are replacing the drum head!The best drummers agree that you should tune your drums before you play them, whenever there is a change in condition â€" from hot to cold or after they travel; and whenever you change the drum head.In fact, tuning should be a part of your regular drum maintenance!A drum key is vital to the proper tuning of your drums! Source: Wikipedia Credit: AlnoA Guide to Drum Kit MaintenanceAlthough drums exist for the purpose of getting beat on, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t treat them with loving care!Some drummers seldom/never bother to take on extensive drum maintenance and we daresay that big-name professional drummers hire instrument techs to take care of their drums.We urge you to not be one of those drummers who only wipe the dust off the heads prior to playing!With a bit of care, your drums and all of the drum accessories you kitted it out with, could last a good long time.Cleaning Your KitAbout once a year, you should totall y tear down your drums, removing everything, down to the lugs. Cover the badge up with masking tape and...Do not use household cleaners on them!T-Cut colourfast scratch remover would be the ticket to cleaning and restoring your shells’ lustre. If, after buffing them out, you feel like they need a coat of wax, apply it sparingly and let it dry before polishing them.Now the CymbalsThe most important thing when cleaning them is to work with the lathing!Cleaning them from the bell to the edge is sure to affect the tonal grooves, meaning your cymbal won’t sound the same.While there is substantial debate on what exactly should be used to clean them, Brasso or some other metal polish, experts advocate for Groove Juice, a mildly acidic cleanser.If your cymbal’s label is important to you, be careful of where you spray said Juice: being acidic, it will eat the brand name away!Acoustic drum sets and electronic drums are an investment: of money, of time and of your passion.Choosing the ri ght drum set, the right drum heads and the right drumsticks; even down to your selection of drum throne will all impact your love and ability to play the drums.Taking care of your investment through regular tuning and proper maintenance, from the drum hoops to the drum hardware means that you will have it to play on for a long time to come.Sure, you could upgrade your kit, but once you’ve found the one you want...Happy playing to you!