Buying drum kit online is no longer such an intimidating task as it once was. Many gear stores, like Sweetwater, have salesmen who make you feel at home when shopping for a drum set that will suit your needs. They can answer any questions you may have and also give advice on the best drums to buy based on your specific needs. If you are a beginner, they will recommend an all-in-one kit that includes all the essentials. However, beware that these kits are usually cheaper and less reliable than purchasing the components separately. The cymbals tend to be a bit flimsy and will most likely need replacing sooner than you would expect.
The biggest advantage to buying a kit is that it saves you time and money from having to search through various individual parts and find the perfect fit for your needs. You can also customize your drum set to fit your style and preference, which will help you stay motivated to practice. This is especially important for children who are just starting out. A good beginner’s kit will provide what they need to learn, and not distract them with additional hardware or cymbals that will only get in the way of their progress.
A good way to determine if a particular kit will work well for you is by going to a music store and playing it in person. Many of the larger music stores have staff that can play drums and will give you an idea of how a certain kit sounds when it is played at full capacity. If you are a beginner, you can also ask the salesperson to play the kit so you can hear what it will sound like at a normal volume.
Another great option for beginners is to buy the parts individually and assemble them yourself. This will take a little more time and effort, but it can be a lot cheaper than buying an all-inclusive kit and it allows you to choose from a variety of different brands and styles. Some of the bigger acoustic drum manufacturers have affordable sub-brands that are of decent quality, and the big cymbal names (Zildjian, Paiste) have a number of entry-level kits that are surprisingly good.
If you’re looking to level up your skills, there are several different drumming apps that can help. One of the more popular is the drum machine by OneMotion, which is browser based and offers a variety of different drum sounds and rhythms that can be created. This app is free to use and is accessible on desktop, mobile, or tablet devices.
Other popular options include Soundtrap, which is more geared towards production rather than just playing drums, but is still great for creating drum beats and acoustic rhythms. Drumbit is another excellent drumming app that lets you play a virtual drum kit using a keyboard, with each key representing a different hit. It also has a large selection of drum loops to choose from, which can be saved and exported as WAV or OGG files for use in other applications.