Your Drum Kit, Explained: Names, Materials and Sticks
The names of the drums and cymbals, what shells are made of, the makers you’ll see on every kit, and how to read a drumstick size like 5A or 7A.
Ant JamesOctober 21Authors
Ant James
Drum teacher, 22 years
Ant has taught drums for 22 years. The Learn To Speak Drum method treats drumming as a language, so you understand what you play rather than copying it.
Most recent articles by Ant James
Ant JamesOctober 21How to Set Up Your Drum Kit (and Tune It)
Set up your drum kit around your body, in the right order, then tune each drum so it has a clear note. A step-by-step guide for new drummers.
Ant JamesOctober 21Choosing Drum Sounds for a Style: Tuning, Cymbals, Sticks
How tuning, damping, cymbal weight and stick choice point the same kit at jazz, funk, rock or metal, and how to match them to the room.
Ant JamesOctober 21A 30-Minute Drum Practice Routine in 10-Minute Blocks
A drum practice routine for adults who already play: 10-minute blocks, one goal each, and a simple check that tells you it’s working.
Ant JamesOctober 15The Paradiddle: What It Is and How to Play It on the Kit
What a paradiddle is, how to play it evenly, and three ways to use it on the drum kit: on the pad, as a groove and as a fill. With playable notation.
Ant JamesOctober 13Drum Beats: The Four Grooves Behind Almost Every Song
You don’t need a thousand drum beats. Four families cover most songs: the backbeat, four on the floor, funk and the shuffle. Hear and play each one.
Ant JamesOctober 13Simple Drum Beats: 6 Grooves, Each One Step Harder
Six simple drum beats in order, each changing one thing from the last. Play along with the notation and drum kit view and find your level.
Ant JamesOctober 13Drum Fills: What They Are and How to Build Your Own
What a drum fill is, why yours might not land, and how to build fills from one sticking — one beat long, then two, then round the kit. Playable examples.
Ant JamesOctober 13Drum Polyrhythms: 3 Over 2 and 4 Over 3, Made Simple
What a polyrhythm is on the drums, how to hear 3 over 2, 3 over 4 and 4 over 3, and how to turn one into a groove. Playable notation and drum kit view.
Ant JamesOctober 13Stop Practicing Drums Like This (It's Ruining Your Groove)
Playing a groove for hours is not the same as learning it. The difference between performance and learning, and how to structure practice so it sticks.
Ant JamesSeptember 20
