How Many Drums Do I Need?
That mainly depends on whether you've got a sports car or a van. Moving your drums is probably a bigger issue than how many you've got.
Big-time rock drummers sometimes have drum sets so large that you wonder how the other musicians fit on the stage. But just because their equipment fills an entire semi trailer, do you also need 30 drums or 25 cymbals? When you're starting out, the basics of drumming can be mastered on a much smaller set. This is good because a simple kit is less expensive, won't take up your entire garage or basement, and will keep you more focused until you get your skills together.
In reality, you only need a snare drum, a bass drum, a hi-hat, and one cymbal to start learning how to play a drum set. However, you can easily end up paying more for individual drums than you would if you were to purchase a five-piece starter kit, which consists of a snare drum, a bass drum, and three tom-toms. If hardware and cymbals aren't included, add to this a hardware pack (with a snare stand, hi-hat, cymbal stands and throne) and a cymbal pack (with a ride cymbal, a crash cymbal, and hi-hat cymbals), and you're ready to start playing a kit.The whole package should be in the $600 to $900 range for a good-quality name brand kit. Your local music store should be able to help you to pick out the best kit for your budget.
Okay, you need a pair of sticks, too.
By purchasing an all-in-one set, are you getting low-quality equipment that won't stand up as well as "pro" drums? No. These entry-level kits are usually full-size drums with good-quality hardware. In addition, the drums themselves are better than many higher-priced, professional-quality drums from just 10 or 20 years ago. Technology is in your corner here! Smaller drums may be cheaper, but they aren't often up to the task of growing with you, both physically and technically. Part of the investment is in long life for the drum kit. If you're starting out in junior high school, you could still be using it when you're in college and beyond. Assuming you stay with drumming, you may eventually want a new set for other reasons or you may want to add to the set with more drums, cymbals, and other percussion instruments. But for now, you're covered with as much of a drum set as you could need.