If you’re putting together a drum kit for the first time, it’s easy to get carried away with all the obvious stuff – mainly drums and cymbals. You have to consider everything from your snare drum to your bass drum, floor toms, crash cymbals, bell cymbals, finger cymbals, and more.
True, these are the essentials of any good drum kit. But you wouldn’t even be able to carry a tune if it weren’t for all the accessories. This is the ultimate buying guide to the must-have accessories for any drum kit.
Double Bass Pedals
If you want the deep, powerful, resonant sound you hear in professionally recorded tracks, you need to learn how to play with double bass pedals. To do that, start by looking for the best double bass pedal.
Especially if you play anything under the rock and alternative umbrella, you need to invest in a good double bass pedal. It will give your kit that resonant tone and help with your bass rhythms.
Snare Wires
Sure, snare drums are important. But snare wires make the snare sound the way it does in the first place. If you flip it over, you’ll find a section of strands that stretch the length of the shell. These are the snare wires. These give the drum its recognizably crisp sound and twang.
It is a series of coiled wires that reach from one part of the drumhead, the bottom, to the other. When struck, they vibrate against the drum head, creating that distinct sound.
Altering the tension of your snare wires also can change the tuning. For beginners, it’s best to start with “finger tight” tuning, which is the tension you achieve when tightening with just your fingers.
Don’t sleep on your snare wires when outfitting your perfect kit. They can become old, snap, or need re-wiring over time.
Drum Rugs
The oldest drum goes back to 70,000 B.C. It’s safe to say people have been pounding on round instruments to create music for a while. They’ve put rugs under their kits for almost as long as that.
Drum rugs serve many functions. They help absorb some of the downward moving, tinny, and ringing sounds that can emanate from cymbals. They also keep your kit held in place. If you’re playing on a smooth, hard surface, there may be some slippage if you’re thrashing.
Drum rugs keep everything sounding perfectly attuned, and they keep your drums all in one place.
Practice Pads
How are you going to play well if you don’t practice? Research suggests that the adage, “practice makes perfect,” is true.
Practice pads are helpful little tools. They look like detached drumheads that make a resounding THUD when struck that resembles the sound of the real thing. Drummers will use them when warming up for a show, so they don’t have to wail unnecessarily away on their actual kits.
Perfectly Equipped
A drumkit is nothing without the right accessories. Load up on all the gear you need to achieve your perfect sound. You’ll be playing like a pro in no time.