Getting Started - What You Need

Essential items (things you need today to start learning)

• Drumsticks: Make sure you get some that suit you and that they're not too heavy nor too light. Drumsticks have their own sizing "number". 5A drumsticks are a standard stick that would suit almost anybody (to start off with) and for smaller hands (younger school students) I would recommend smaller sticks like a 7A size;

• A SURFACE: you don't have to have a drumset/drumkit (either acoustic or electronic) to learn but it would be preferable. The most important thing is that you have something to practice on. For this purpose you could use just a snare or practice pad/s. If you haven't got anything at the moment even a pillow will do. Some other ideas include - carpet, a mouse pad or rubber mat. These will be mainly for rudimental and reading work (single surface rhythms). Obviously it is harder to emulate the whole kit with one of these. We will look at tips on getting a drumkit or a practice "set-up" which may mean going "electronic".
  

Non essential items (some of these will be essential, just not today)

• Metronome: This is really important as it will form a big part of your practice routine. A metronome is a device that plays the beat (by producing a "bleep" sound - depending on the metronome) or pulse at a certain tempo to help you practice in time. There are mechanical metronomes that sound out a lout "tock" sound (sort of like a clock) to the electronic type that are more common and accurate. You won't need one of these straight away, but it might help to have one in the near future.
  
• Mallets, brushes, rods, etc: These are other kinds of hitting implements (other kinds of "sticks" except some are not actually sticks). They are used to get different sounds on the drum kit. Later we will look at examples of these and learn some techniques for using these.
  
• Stick bag: Used to hold your sticks - keeps all your sticks in one place. This will become your stick "kit" bag which will carry your other types of sticks like mallets, brushes and rods etc.
  
• Notebook/Folder: it's a good idea to put any notes that you have (say some printouts of this site) in a folder or notepad of some sort. An A4 folder with plastic sleeves is a good idea or you can just hole punch your notes and put them straight in. When you decide to get private lessons from a drum teacher/instructor you can also use this for any notes he/she mat give you.
  
• Earplugs: If you're practicing on an acoustic kit or playing live regularly, you'll definitely want to invest in a pair of these. I will take you through some options at a later date.