Drums & Percussion Instruments: Buyers Guide

Here you will find drum sets, electronic drums, and percussion accessories for every level of player.

Introduction to Drums & Percussion Instruments

Drums & Percussion Instruments are the most ancient instruments of all, known to mankind from the earliest days of civilization. It may not have been used for entertainment then, but today, Drums are an important part of human culture and used in all kind of music around the world.

Percussion Instruments include many more instruments besides drums. In fact, any instrument that produces sound because of beating or striking it is considered to be part of the percussion family. There are many who also consider piano to be part of the percussion family because the sound is produced by the hammers striking the strings.

Percussion instruments are also great for introducing children to the wonderful world of music.

Drum Categories

• Acoustic Drum Sets: Set the perfect musical mood with the strong back beat of acoustic drums.
• Compact Drum Sets: Designed and developed for the younger players.
• Electronic Drum Kit: The best ones deliver great performance and realism.
• Snare Drums: Your snare sound is the most important part of your drum set, reflecting your style and musicality. With infinite sound possibilities, snare drums allow you to express your own unique voice.
• Apps: You can access apps that will help you learn to play drums as well as enhance/customize electronic drums.

The drum kit consists of a mix of drums, with the snare drum mounted on a stand and placed between the players knees. A bass drum played by a pedal is operated by the foot. One or two tom drums are usually mounted above the bass drum and one or more cymbals are also part of the drum kit. Drums may be played with either sticks (wooden or bamboo) or brushes (steel or nylon). A complete drum set includes bass pedal, the cymbal stand, the high hat stand, and the snare stand. In addition, you will also need to buy drum sticks, cymbals/high hat cymbals and a seat/throne.

Electronic Drum Sets

Thanks to electronic drum sets, more parents are now willing to get a drum set for their growing child; these drum sets allow you to practice without rattling the whole house.

These sets have volume control, and you can also plug in headphones so that you can play at odd hours and not wak up your neighbors. These drum sets are best to experience a quiet percussion session where only you’re listening to the sound.

Electronic drums make ideal beginning sets, so students who are a little shy to practice out loud can just play to themselves. An extra benefit of electric drum sets is that some come equipped with built-in metronomes to keep you on time.

Read: Reviews of the best electronic drums

Drum Sets for Juniors

You get good drum sets for kids that are smaller in size but fully functional (these are not toys) and are designed for the junior drummer.

Read: Drum Sets for Juniors

If you’re looking for drum toys, for your toddler, here are some good options – Drum sets for toddlers.

Complete Drum Sets

Looking for complete drum sets for the drummer in your life? You’ll feel like a king when you sit at the throne of a new five-piece drum set from one of the industry’s most popular brands, such as Pearl, Tama, Mapex, and more. We even offer all the extra bells and whistles so you can start rocking away.

Find all the drum accessories you need, from double bass pedals, cymbals, and triangles, to replacement drum heads, drum stools, and stands. When you need more cow bell, or your intense, gut-busting, around-the-world drum fills break the heads off of your sticks, be sure to stock up on replacement sticks and other drum accessories.

Complete Drum Sets on zZounds.

Traditional Hand Drums

Want something more traditional? Choose from a range of traditional hand drums available from all over the world.

• Djembes are rich-sounding, African drums that can produce a variety of tones.
• Arabic drums, usually made of metal, provide crisp, melodic cracks and pops.
• Hand drums and other handheld percussions, like tambourines and shakers, are great for impromptu jam sessions and for kids to learn basic rhythms.
• Bongos are perfect for lively musical traditions like salsa or samba.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up your favorite drums or percussion instrument and start making some beautiful rhythms.

As compared to the traditional retail stores, drum kits (including the electronic ones) are offered at cheaper prices online, have reasonable return policy, and you can order from the comfort of your own home.

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Drum & Percussion Accessories

Having the right set of accessories is important for any drummer in order to achieve the desired sound and elevate your performance to a higher level.

For example:

• Cymbal stands and drum thrones help provide stability and comfort during performance.
• Drum pedals are important for control, and to get the right sounds during a performance.
• Drumsticks and brushes help achieve different sounds and textures.
• Drumheads and dampeners can be used to adjust the tone and sustain of the drums

Cymbal stands, drum thrones, bass drum pedals are just a few essential drum accessories that every drummer needs. Additionally, you may also require drumsticks, brushes, drumheads, dampeners, and more.

For your drum sticks, you get cases, carriers and bags which you can use to keep the sticks in a safe place where they won’t get broken or damaged. Besides the drum sticks (the most commonly used accessory), there are other useful accessories that you may require, in case you’re a serious drummer.

Bass Drum Pedals

A drum pedal (also known as a bass drum pedal) is a pedal for the bass drum and you use it to strike the drum with a beater. you can adjust the pedal to customize it as per your preference and playing style.

The bass drum (along with the snare) gets used the most and is crucial to your drum kit’s sound, so you require good foot technique and also a good pedal.

Footboard is part of the bass drum pedal that you press using your foot. Footboard can be shortboard (regular) and longboard (longer). A shortboard bass drum pedal comes with a heel plate (this part doesn’t move). Shortboard is the more common footboard type, available on most pedals. For huge feet, a longboard will be more comfortable. A shortboard may be suitable for those who prefer the heel-down technique. You also get pedals that let you switch between a longboard and a shortboard. You can also buy footboards separately, to convert between longboard and shortboard without having to replace the whole pedal.

The best bass drum pedals feel rugged yet provide smooth operation, and stay put in place. Top brands that make drum bass pedals include Yamaha, DW, Pearl, Tama; these brands offer a wide range of drums and percussion.

DW 5000 Series Bass Drum Pedal

Experienced drummers prefer to use this pedal; its more of an industry standard and arguably the best single bass drum pedal for gigging drummers.

Available in two variants, the Turbo (more consistent and less aggressive) and the Accelerator version (more velocity/momentum).

The pedal grips better and provides a stronger connection between the drummer and kick drum. operates smoothly. The Accelerator version increases the velocity of the pedal and is recommended for situations that require increased speed and sensitivity.

Irrespective of what you buy, these pedals offer better performance & durability.

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Pearl P930 Single Bass Pedal

Pearl P-930 is a single-chain drive pedal, with a Demon Style Powershifter longboard. It’s fast and responsive and an excellent budget pedal under $100 (offers great value for money).

This is a great choice for a beginner, or even for experienced players who are looking for a reliable backup. Well, at this price, you don’t get as much flexibility and bells & whistles as the top ones, but you’ll be surprised to see its performance.

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Yamaha FP9500C Pedal

The YAMAHA FP-9500C is suited for heavy players. It’s a double chain drive single pedal and includes a woven nylon strap that can be installed using a drum key.

It is extremely smooth and easy to play with, especially with the strap connection (the double chains seem to add weight to the feel). The rubber used on the clamping area is a nice touch – no more hoop rash if you have a nicely finished bass drum hoop. The pedal plate has rubber on the bottom (it doesn’t use velcro and that is a relief).

Depending on the kind of music you play, you can easily switch between the double chain and the nylon strap. More and more drummers are now opting for the nylon strap because it’s quiet and has a light, quick feel to it.

The FP-9500C is also very adjustable – you can adjust the beater angle, footboard angle, and spring tension.

The two-way beater Yamaha uses is also much lighter than what its competitors make. If you like to use different beaters, you may have to readjust your spring tension, beater angle, footboard angle.

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Drum Sticks & Stick Holders

Vic Firth American Classic 5A Drum Sticks: Top quality drumsticks for playing in any genre – rock, jazz, country, pop, etc.

Promark H-RODS Hot Rods Drum Stick: Top quality drumsticks available from the world’s largest manufacturer of drumsticks, mallets, and percussion accessories.

On Stage DA100 Drum Stick Holder: Easily keep up to 8 pairs of sticks, and easily attaches to most stands and hardware.

Practice Pads

Evans 2-Sided Practice Pad: The 12 Inches 2-sided pad has a large playing surface that fits inside a standard snare basket. A natural feel on one side for a realistic rebound, and a harder recycled rubber surface on the other for a real workout.

Drum Heads

Evans Clear 300 Snare Side Drum Head: A versatile snare side head that yields a wide dynamic range and controlled snare response at all dynamic levels.

Evans Genera HD Dry Drum Head: Aggressive rimshot and balanced response, ideal for the studio. Small vents around the perimeter eliminate additional overtones and create a more focused sound.

Buying Links

• Drum Accessories on zZounds

Cymbals

Cymbals are a common percussion instrument used in many ensembles ranging from the orchestra, percussion ensembles, jazz bands, heavy metal bands, and marching groups. Cymbals are an important part of any drum kit.

Drummers use cymbals to crash, smash and splash. Besides adding accents to your playing style, they can also help maintain the pace for your band. Without a quality set of cymbals, you’ll surely miss out on the fun part of playing drums.

Cymbals consist of thin, round plates (made of various alloys).

The three primary kinds of drum set cymbals are hi-hat, crash and ride. Then there are other types of “effect” cymbals – splash, china, swish, sizzle and more (these are more for the serious drummers).

Most drum kits usually incorporate at least a crash, ride or crash/ride, and a pair of hi-hat cymbals. You will have four cymbals: hi hat on the far left, ride cymbal on the right, two crash cymbals above, left and right.

HI-HAT CYMBALS

Hi-hat cymbals are a must for a drum set; these come in pairs and are mounted on your hi-hat stand. Hi-hat cymbals provide the steady rhythm that you can hear in every kind of popular music. Hi-hat cymbals are typically 14 inches, but 13-inch is also very common.

RIDE CYMBALS

Next to the hi-hats, the ride cymbal is the most important cymbal. The ride cymbal plays the steady rhythm, when it’s not being played on the hi-hats. In fact, in jazz, its as important as the hi-hat. A standard ride cymbal is 20 or 22 inches. Beginner kits have 18-inch cymbal and some even use a 16-inch cymbal.

CRASH CYMBALS

Standard crash cymbal sizes are 16 and 18 inch, but you can get them in both bigger and smaller sizes.

You do get CYMBAL PACKS that has all the cymbals you need to get started.

Cymbal Racks Storage

There are some drummers who store cymbals in a case or bag, although its not a real solution as it doesn’t offer much convenience to them. Ideally the cymbals have to be easily accessible (while out of the way) so that they can be tapped for a quick sound check.

Before purchasing cymbals, consider these things:

• Drummers in louder bands usually use larger cymbals (generates more volume).
• Jazz drummers prefer thinner cymbal, sounds crisp and pleasing (when played lightly).

At minimum, a beginner drum set should have a pair of hi-hat cymbals and a crash/ride cymbal. If you can afford it, you should replace the crash/ride with a crash and a ride.

If you are a student or beginning drummer, checkout our collection of basic 2- and 3-piece cymbal sets that will have you up and playing in no time. More experienced drummers may consider specialized cymbals designed to help expand and amplify your sound.

Popular brands that make good quality cymbals include Zildjian, Sabian, Wuhan, Paiste, Meinl and others. There are some amazing cymbals out there for all drumming styles. Make sure you pick the right cymbals taking your own preferences into consideration.

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Drum Set Isolation Booth

This is what experienced drummers use, an isolation booth that lets you play to your heart’s content without getting worried about disturbing others. This also works for vocalists and other instruments.

Drum booths are easy set up and some even completely enclose the drummer (you find such booths in recording studios). It reduces noise levels by over 15 decibels, which is quite a significant reduction. It works for drums, vocalists, and other instruments as well.

So now you can completely express yourself or perfect your percussion techniques without disturbing others around you, using this drum set isolation booth.

Drum Shields & Booths serve a couple of purposes:

• When on stage, these prevent the drums from drowning other musicians onstage. it also prevents the drums from interfering with the other microphones placed onstage. These work great in studio settings as well.
• At home, these reduce the overall volume of the drums so that others in the house and neighbors are not disturbed.

Drum Shields: Construction
An engineer usually sets up a drum shield/s as per the demands of the setup (live or studio), depending on where the other musicians are seated and the various other mics positioned.

• Drum shield includes a screen/shield usually made from thick acrylic material that acts as sound barriers. The material is transparent so that the drummer is clearly visible.Most drum shield setups include three panels (some pro setups may completely cover the drummer).
• Because panels are usually reflective (do not absorb sound), drum shields are often paired with sound-absorbent materials (such as foam) from the inside. These acoustic treatment materials reduce the reflections bouncing off the screens (and coming back to the drummer and interfering with his mic).

You can buy single absorption panels (called baffles) – or packages (of three baffles), which also includes support bars, replacement hinges, everything you require for a professional shield setup.