After you have your shells, cymbals, and hardware, it’s important to focus on rounding out your drum kit with essential components that work with your drumming style to further enhance your sound and feel — whether you’re playing at home or performing onstage. The areas we’ll look at more closely are: drumsticks, drumheads, drum thrones, dampening devices, tuning tools, practice pads, and drum rugs. While there are myriad other, smaller accessories to acquire as you refine your sound, these seven categories are crucial to helping you establish a sense of sonic and physical comfort behind the kit so that you can groove right from the start. Let’s dive in!
If you haven’t yet found the right drum set and accompanying snare drum, then be sure to consult our “Acoustic Drums Buying Guide” and “Snare Drum Buying Guide” for a detailed road map toward your perfect kit!
- Drumsticks
- Drumheads
- Drum Thrones
- Drum & Cymbal Dampening Devices
- Drum Keys & Tuning Tools
- Practice Pads
- Drum Rugs
Drumsticks
The first mission of your drumming journey is finding a drumstick that feels good in hand and works with your playing style. Drumsticks can vary drastically in size, tip material and shape, wood type, and other qualities, so it’s important to understand the basic types you’ll see most often to help guide you in your search.
The three common sizes you’ll encounter are 7A, 5A, and 5B. The 7A stick is the narrowest, offering a featherweight feel and incredible ease of command, and is most popularly observed in jazz settings. Next is the 5A, which is by far the most popular and adaptable width. Tried and true models including the Vic Firth American Classic and our personal Sweetwater American Hickory sticks by Vater are extremely versatile 5A choices that will work great for a wide variety of genres, from raucous rock music to gentle country rhythms and everything between. Finally, the thicker 5B stick brings incredible heft to the table that perfectly suits heavier genres such as hard rock, metal, and the like. Similar to their 5A model, the Vic Firth American Classic is a highly popular pair that many 5B drummers at Sweetwater keep in their stick bags.
As for the tips of your sticks, wood tips will deliver a traditional tone that will work wonders in just about any genre. However, if brighter cymbal tones and greater durability is what you’re looking for, then the sharp attack of a nylon tip is the better route. Furthermore, the shape of the tip will yield slightly different results. Rely on the teardrop shape for a warm, classic sound; the acorn shape for a full, rich delivery; or the barrel shape for maximum impact and consistent volume.
If you want the option to extract more unique tones from your kit, then you can expand your arsenal of tools with various creative implements. Brushes, such as the Vic Firth Heritage pair, are a jazz player’s best friend, great for “stirring the soup” or when you need a light touch during acoustic sets and close-quarters performances where volume control is paramount. Dowel rods, such as Promark Hot Rods, are quieter than sticks but elicit more volume than brushes and add a distinct, percussive “chick” to each hit. Finally, mallets soften the attack of each strike, making them great for intros, outros, cymbal swells, and laid-back rhythms. Some sticks, such as the Vic Firth American Custom SD12 Swizzle, even come dual-ended for maximum performance versatility.
For a more detailed look at drumsticks and their functions, read our article “How to Choose Drumsticks” and check out our video linked below!
Drumheads
Drumheads are sonic ambassadors for the tones that your drum shells create. Similar to a set of guitar strings, you’ll want to change your drumheads regularly, depending on your preference. Just like drumsticks, there’s an enormous variety of drumheads to suit different playing intensities and tonal focus points. Your shells likely already came with a set of drumheads — which is a fine start. But let’s find out what type of drumheads are tailor-made for your sound!
Here’s a simple chart we use at Sweetwater to help people understand the characteristics of different drumheads.
First, the plied construction of each drumhead is represented by two categories: single-ply heads and double-ply heads. Single-ply options are brighter and more open with more prominent overtones and sustain at the expense of durability. The thin construction of single-ply heads promotes resonance and expression, making them fantastic for jazz players. Conversely, double-ply heads offer a deeper, more controlled sound with less prominent overtones but greater durability, which is perfect for hard-hitting genres such as rock, metal, and pop.
The second major sonic consideration is whether you want a set of clear or coated heads. Clear drumheads are brilliant and loud with terrific clarity and attack — an excellent choice for stage performances and busy mixes. If you prefer a more naturally muffled tone, then coated heads will yield a darker, more mellow sound with less resonance and attack, such as the Remo Ambassador. Coated heads are great for studio work — vital, in fact, if you’ll be playing with brushes — and come in a range of colors to choose from. For a deeper dive about clear vs. coated heads, check out our article, “What’s the Difference Between Coated and Clear Drumheads?”
If you’re interested in personalizing the look of your kick drum, then getting a colored resonant head is a great option. While most traditional coated heads are a classic white color, you can also get black drumheads; calfskin-style heads, such as the Evans Calftone or Remo Diplomat Classic Fiberskyn; or any color you prefer! Some heads, such as the Remo Powerstroke 77, even come fitted with focus rings or center dots to help shape the attack and response of every strike.
From here, there are many more directions you can take your drumhead search. If you want to dive even deeper into the details, read our “Why Drumheads Matter” article and get the whole breakdown! If you want to hear how big a difference the drumhead can make on your snare drum, check out this article: “Snare Heads Compared | Can You Hear the Difference?”
Drum Thrones
A vital element of your comfort behind the kit is the design of your seat, or drum throne. Most drum thrones are height-adjustable, giving players of all sizes the opportunity for comfortable command behind the skins. Thrones are typically padded foam with vinyl seat covers, and cushions range from about 2.5 to 5 inches thick. Aside from the shape of the seat, adjustment type is what matters most — and we offer multiple options: spindle, pneumatic, manual, or hydraulic. You can use the checkboxes in the left-hand navigation panel on our Drum Thrones page to find the perfect throne for you.
Thrones are usually found in two seat shapes: round and saddle. The round throne is a classic design and, while simple, provides exceptional maneuverability free from any limitations of a molded shape. An excellent example of the round-top style is the PDP PDDT710R. Round thrones can also be quite affordable; there are many available under $100, such as the Gibraltar 4608 Compact. However, saddle-style thrones offer superior comfort and allow better blood flow to the legs. These models, including the Roc-N-Soc Nitro, are much wider with softer seat surfaces and often come with pneumatic height adjustment.
For players in need of extra comfort and support while playing, check out our selection of premium backrest-equipped drum thones, including the Ahead Spinal-G, which features a cutout center channel that relieves pressure on the tailbone and comes either with or without a backrest.
Drum & Cymbal Dampening Devices
Ever since drums came on the scene, people (mostly nondrummers) have been trying to quiet them down. Today, there are more drum mutes and dampening devices to choose from than ever before to help timekeepers control their instrument’s attack and resonance. Below are some of our favorite examples to try out!
Gels are a tremendous starting point for dampening on a budget. Perfect for sticking onto batter heads and cymbals alike, these gelatinous pads help control overtones and excessive ringing of your drums. A time-tested favorite gel among Sweetwater drummers is the RTOM Moongel.
On your drumhead, other materials besides gels can yield more distinct tonal results. The full line of Snareweight products are excellent tone control dampeners. The clip-on Snareweight M80 uses a leather pad to control resonance while maintaining the brightness of your drum since the pad rises completely off the drumhead when you strike it. Other models are designed to cover nearly the entire surface of the drumhead, such as Steve’s Donut from Big Fat Snare Drum, a pitch-shift ring that keeps your snare tone beefy while creating a drier, more vintage-sounding “thud” by taming the vibrancy of the head. Even your bass drum can get in on the external dampening action with accessories such as the Evans EQ Pad and/or the Remo Sub Muff’l!
Maybe you want the attack and wash of your cymbals to more easily suit different performance spaces without having to haul a separate set of pies. If so, then Meinl Magnetic Cymbal Tuners are perfect for the job. Simply attaching both pieces to the top and underside of your cymbal not only reduces volume but also provides control over sustain and darkens your tone to match virtually any mood.
For DIY dampening methods and more, our article “Hardware Store Fixes for Your Drums” can help you achieve and keep the sound of your dreams without breaking the bank.
Drum Keys & Tuning Tools
Finding the right drumhead tension for your sound and keeping your heads in tune are imperative for achieving the best sound your kit has to offer — and optimized drum keys and tuning tools will help! While most kits come with a standard drum key, revolutionary models such as the Evans Torque Key allow you to set consistent tension across all tension rods.
Whether you’re setting up your instrument for a performance or you simply want all your shells resonating at the right intervals, check out the Overtone Labs Tune-Bot. From the thunder of the bass drum to the snap of the snare, this device offers detailed pitch measurement from lug to lug with savable presets for up to five 10-shell setups. And if you need to remove your drumheads with maximum efficiency, then the Ahead Drill Bit ADKDB easily attaches to power drills to unwind your tension rods for quick head changes.
Practice Pads
From green-room warm-ups to pastime playing on the couch, a practice pad allows you to master those tricky rudiments anywhere. Practice pads are often made from gum rubber, foam, or a multilayered design devised to accurately simulate the rebound of your drumheads. They’re also available in a wide range of configurations, from flippable solo pads to multi-tom arrangements, stands, and more. While it’s no substitute for the real deal, a practice pad can help you make remarkable improvements to your timekeeping.
If you’re on the hunt for a classic practice pad, then you can’t go wrong with the Evans RealFeel 2-sided model. With a comfortable diameter of 12 inches and dual striking surfaces, you’ve got one side that is quieter and bouncy like a standard drum set while the other side offers a hard, articulate marching-style feel to refine your chops with as much realism as you want.
Sometimes, practicing like you play yields better results and greater comfort when you get onstage. If this sounds like your path, then you’ll love how the DW Go Anywhere Practice Pad Set lays out an exceptional drum-set configuration. With four round pads, a kick pad, and an included adjustable stand, it’s the perfect quiet-time setup for remaining in a kit-oriented headspace. The TAMA True Touch 5-piece training kit offers mesh pads, and drummers like it because it yields a bit of drum “tone” when hit instead of just sounding like a stick hitting rubber. Sweetwater carries a variety of TAMA True Touch pads.
Drum Rugs
One of the final pieces of the percussion puzzle is a drum rug to ensure that the components of your kit don’t wander as you play and that you don’t damage a nice floor underneath. Most drum rugs are made with carpeted surfaces and nonslip undersides, keeping your hardware firmly in place on virtually any surface. Plus, drum rugs often come in cool designs to add a personalized touch to your practice space or stage riser!
The Drum N Base Vintage Persian-style Stage Rug offers a stylish old-school pattern with waterproof durability for daily dependability and a huge surface area to accommodate large setups. Models such as the Ludwig Drum Rug make storage and transport a breeze with integrated hook-and-loop fasteners. Or, you can sport your Drum Workshop spirit with the sleek and accommodating DW Large Drum Rug while ensuring floor and stage surfaces stay completely protected from spur scratches.
Find All Your Drum Essentials at Sweetwater!
As you sharpen your chops and your playing style evolves, maintaining your drum kit and exploring new rhythmic directions will always be on the horizon. Luckily, Sweetwater is here to make sure you never lose that creative momentum! From entire shell packs to the most specific and talked-about accessories in the industry, your personal gear aficionado Sales Engineer is just a phone call away — ready to talk about drums, gear, and where you want to take your sound! Give them a ring at (800) 222-4700 today!
