September 2020

The world of drums is pretty vast. If drums are your passion and you are planning to take drum lessons, then you should definitely go through this guide. It will help you explore the world of drums. 

Let us take a look at various kinds of drums. 

1. Acoustic drum set: This is one of the most common drum set. There are a lot of variations in this type of drum sets in terms of size and configuration. 

1. • The Rock Drum Set has a deeper tone and more volume due to their large size. 
   • Fusion Drum Sets aren’t as loud and thunderous as a rock drum set, but they have a faster response time which allows quicker playing. 
   • Jazz Drum Sets are generally quick and light.

1. Electronic and Virtual Drum Sets: These type of drum sets gives you access to a wide range of sonic options. Electric Drums have pads which has one or more sensors that generate an electronic signal when struck. They are compatible to work with various software and apps which can not only give you a variety of songs but can even help you through your drum lessons.
2. Auxiliary Drum Sets: These drum sets are quite adventurous. They have everything, from bells, to blocks, to triangles and chimes. These drum sets are often used in addition to another drum set. 
3. Congas and Bongos: These are types of hand drums. Congas are long Cuban drums which come in groups of two or more. Bongos are Afro-Cuban. They are generally played alongside with Congas. They are smaller in size as compared to Congas. 
4. Tabla: It’s an Indian drum which can be played by using your hands and your fingertips. They come in a pair of two. It has two drums, one big and one small. The bigger drum is made of metal which is known as the dagga, on the other hand we have the smaller one which is made of wood and is called the tabla. 
5. Pandeiro: This Brazilian instrument is part of the frame drum family. It is played with fingers, thumbs and palms on the heads, along with fingers on its jingles which are the platinelas. 
6. Tambourine: This drum belongs to various regions. It has small jingles known as the zils. There might be single or a double row of jingles in a tambourine. 
7. Goblet Drums: These drums are named after their shape. They are indeed goblet shaped. Darbuka from the Middle-East is an example of a goblet drum. 
8. The African Family of drums: A wide range of drums comes from Africa. Let’s look at some well-known drums from this region. 

1. • Djembe: It is a very popular hand drum from West Africa. These can be rope tuned or mechanically tuned. Traditionally they have goatskin heads, but now synthetic heads are also being made. 
   •  Talking Drum: This instrument is played by putting it under your arm and then squeezing the rope while hitting the drum. A striker is used to alter the pitch. 
   • Udu: It is a clay-based drum that originated from Nigeria. Udu may have one or two chambers. It is played by striking the larger hole with your palm. 

These are some of the most famous types of drums that are played all across the world. It is indeed fascinating to see such variety of a single instrument. Even traditional drums are gaining popularity over the years. This guide gives an idea about a lot of different drums, if you want to take drum lessons then make sure you go through the entire article and then decide which one do you want to play. Choose the drum which suits your personality the most.