Lesson 1: What You Need

A drum-set consists of four elements: drums, cymbals, hardware (stands, mounting devices and pedals) and a stool or "throne." For your first set, you will need at least the following:

Snare

A relatively small drum, characterised by snares (almost always wire) stretched across the bottom head. A lever on the side of the drum releases or engages the snares.

Tom

A mid-sized drum, pitched somewhere between the snare and bass. It is not highly preferable, though not essential, to have at least two toms: one mounted on the bass drum and the other, larger one a "floor tom", which usually has self-contained hardware. (Another practical way to mount toms are on a rack.)

Kick Bass

The largest drum, which sits on the floor and is played with a pedal.

Cymbals

Consist Of

Ride

A large, relatively thick cymbal (19 to 22 inches in diameter).

Crash

A mid-sized cymbal (16 to 18 inches in diameter) with a quick response and often a rather quick decay when struck hard. If your budget does not allow for this cymbal, you may get by without it, but it will be sorely missed and should be added at the first opportunity.

Hi-Hat

A set of two rather small cymbals (13 to 15 inches in diameter) which can vary in weight/thickness, depending on the desired sound. Sometimes the bottom cymbal is slightly thicker than the top.