Want to play drums but not sure what you need to get started? Obviously you need a drum kit – but you also need sticks… and eventually you’ll want a whole bunch of other stuff. Have a look through this handy check list of drumming essentials.
Vic Firth 5A Drum Sticks
I have personally used Vic Firth 5A sticks for most of my drumming life. I’m not sponsored or endorsed by Vic Firth – they’re just good drum stick and 5A is one of the most popular sizes. If you’re not sure what size to go for 5A is a great starting point – not too big and not too small. Expect to pay around £10 for a decent pair of drum sticks.
Ear Defenders!
If you’re planning on playing the drums you need to protect your hearing! You can either splash out on expensive branded ear defenders… or just use some decent builders’ ear defenders for a fraction of the price.
Drum Stick Bag
You need somewhere to keep your drum sticks and associated paraphernalia. The pic shown above is a Stagg stick bag – generally decent quality. Worth picking one up or asking for one from Santa. Very handy!
Music Stand
You’ll really need a music stand. You can only get away with balancing sheet music on piles of books for so long. You can either get the annoying, flimsy, fold-up type or something a bit more industrial like this from Unho.
Drum Keys
You can never have too many drum keys! They easily get lost and without them you’ve got a problem. This set includes 3 standard ones and a ‘winder’ one which is handy for rapid changes of drum heads.
Sound Isolating Headphones
I’ve been using Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones for many years. They’re generally regarded as ‘THE’ drummer headphones thanks to their high levels of noise isolation and superb sound quality. Yes they’re expensive but as an added bonus, you know when your on a plane and you can’t hear your music / movies / podcasts due to all the background noise. These fix that. Also consider fancy new sound isolating ear buds.
Vic Firth Practice Tips
Practice tips are awesome. They slide over the tips of your existing drum sticks and you can then practice on any solid surface. Cheaper and smaller than a practice pad!
Moongel Damper Pads
Are your drums ringing too much? Moongel is basically a blue gooey pad that sticks on your drum heads to reduce unwanted ringing. They can really improve the sound quality of your kit! Cheap and worth a try before you replace your entire drum kit.
Pearl Drum Stool
You need something to sit on and this Pearl drum stool is top quality. Don’t skimp when it comes to your drum stool – cheaper ones just break.
12″ Practice Pad
Having a nice big practice pad is handy for your day-to-day practice routine. The 12″ one can fit in to a normal snare drum stand (smaller ones can’t). Expect to pay £30-40 for a larger practice pad.
