Getting Started with Drums
The fact is that good drummers are almost always great musicians. They understand the role of every instrument in the band and know how to drive the group with rhythm.
Drummers are a different breed, but that's only because they see more detail in the music than guitar players and singers do. The more you learn about drumming, the more you get sucked into the whole drum world. Drums are one of the most fun instruments to play and there's more to learn about percussion than just about any other instrument.
Drum Basics
You wanna hit something? Go ahead. Hit some drums. A lot of new
musicians want to be drummers, and who can blame them? Drumming is fun,
it's physical, and you can't get a groove on without it. Even though
the drummer is usually behind the singers, guitarists, and bass players
onstage, everyone in the audience pays attention to the drummer. Arms
are flailing, feet are stomping, cymbals are swinging. Plus, the drum
set is like a motorcycle plunked right down on the stage: It's big,
loud, and has a lot of color and metal.
You don't need a lot of drums to whack on to make music, Big sets are expensive and aren't any louder than smaller sets. You can add to a basic drum set with some other percussion instrument (including something electronic). Check out these options:
Drums
You can learn to play drums on a single drum or a drum set. Taking
lessons is always a good idea and getting a practice pad and a pair of
sticks is a good first move. Every pro drummer we know has a practice
pad and sticks within easy reach. They can get a groove on in the
subway, in the park, in a car ... anywhere. If you only get one drum,
get a snare drum. You'll learn most of the basics on the snare and it's
the heart of your drum kit. A basic drum kit is called a "five-piece
kit" because it has 5 drums -- snare, bass, two mounted, or rack toms
and a floor tom. You'll need hardware to set the kit up -- a snare
stand, bass drum pedal, hi-hat and one or more cymbal stands. The
hardware may or may not be included in the kit. You can get a basic
five-piece kit from just about every major manufacturer. Complete with
all the necessary hardware and cymbals, expect to pay about $600 to
$700.
Electronic Drums
Electronic drum kits were introduced a couple of decades ago and have
evolved into practical, good sounding instruments, even though they're
a bit on the expensive side. A complete electronic kit will start at
almost $1000 and go up from there. Most of them look like framework
with practice pads where the real drums ought to be. The pads are
connected to a "brain" that can produce the sound of a snare, tom,
bass, and even cymbals.You play the pads just like drums and the sound
comes out of the brain. You can plug in headphones and practice, or
plug into an amplifier and crank it up for everyone to hear.
Drum Machines
The drum machine, as it used to be called, has evolved to the point
where the sounds are so realistic and the programming so simplified
that you can put together some great drum lines by pushing buttons. You
won't get a lot of exercise by playing one of these, but you will get
satisfaction, and you may make yourself a vital part of a band. Most
feature a click function, which acts like a metronome, so that you can
listen to the beat and add your own parts. Get your chops together, and
if you have a friend who scratches with a turntable, you could have a
two-person band that's not only cool, but very, very portable.
Percussion
If you want to be more mobile and not sit behind a drum set, consider
playing percussion instruments. Percussion adds more to music than most
people realize. There are literally thousands of different kinds of
percussion instruments, so you should be able to find one that you
enjoy playing and which fits your budget. Best still, you can play all
sorts of percussion instruments and collect and use as many as you want
or can afford. Shaker eggs, timbales, cowbells, bongos, conga drums,
tambourines, you name it. You have to learn many of the same basics as
a drummer. You just won't have to deal with a big drum set (unless you
want to play both drums and other percussion!).