The full family of drums and percussion — acoustic and electronic kits, hand drums, pitched mallet instruments, and everything in between.
- 118 topics
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Inside Drums & Percussion
All 118 topicsThe 12 most-searched of 118 topics. The full index is at the foot of the page.
Electronic Drum Kit
Electronic drum kits for quiet practice, recording and adaptable modern drumming.
5 topics
Xylophone
Xylophones are tuned wooden percussion instruments with a bright, articulate sound for schools, ensembles and performanc...
1 topic
Drum Kit
Choose a drum kit for practice, recording or live work, with acoustic and electronic options to suit every drummer.
14 topics
Claves
Bright, compact rhythm sticks that deliver a clear click for Latin grooves, ensemble work and classroom percussion.
Glockenspiel
Glockenspiels deliver bright, bell-like tuned percussion for orchestral, educational and studio use.
4 topics
Drum Sticks
Drum sticks shape feel, tone and control, with options for practice, performance and different playing styles.
1 topic
Chimes
Orchestral percussion for shimmering accents, dramatic swells and atmospheric colour in live or studio settings.
1 topic
Bongos
Add lively hand percussion to your setup with bongos for Latin grooves, teaching and live performance.
2 topics
Tambourine
Find tambourines for bright accents, rhythmic lift and versatile hand percussion across many styles.
2 topics
Tubular Bells
Tubular bells are pitched concert percussion instruments known for resonant, bell-like tones in orchestral and theatrica...
Maracas
Maracas add bright rhythmic texture and easy-to-use percussion colour for studio, school and live performance.
2 topics
Drums
Drums for every player, from complete kits to upgrade parts, with options for practice, recording and live performance.
26 topicsArticles on Drums & Percussion
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The Best Tama Drum Kits for the Money
The best picks from the Tama range at entry, mid and professional price points — chosen for value, build quality and what each level actually delivers in practice.
Crash Cymbal: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying a crash cymbal means knowing what to listen for. Here is how to approach the decision, what the variables mean, and how to avoid common mistakes.
The Best Percussion Instruments for the Money
Forget top-ten lists of specific products — here's how to work out the right category and tier of percussion instrument for what you actually need.
Everything You Need to Know About Instrument Agogo
Two metal bells and a beater, doing a surprisingly precise job. Here's what the agogo actually is, where it came from, and how it's played.
The Ultimate Guide to Instruments Tambourine
From ancient frame drum to folk-rock icon: a complete look at what a tambourine is, how it's built, and where it still turns up today.
Common Crash Cymbal Mistakes to Avoid
Most crash cymbal problems — cracking, poor sound, mounting failures — come from a short list of repeatable mistakes. Here is what to watch for and how to fix it.
Meinl Cymbals for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Starting out on the right series with the right setup habits saves money and builds better technique from day one — this guide covers everything a new drummer needs before their first session.
Double Bass Pedal for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Learning to use a two-footboard bass drum mechanism is a process that rewards patience. This guide covers setup, early technique and the exercises that build consistent results.
Everything You Need to Know About Guiro Music Instrument
Scrape a stick across a row of ridges and you've got the basic idea — here's why that simple design has held its place in Caribbean rhythm for centuries.
The Best Timbales for the Money
"Best for the money" isn't one fixed answer with timbales. Here's how to think about value at each tier, without pretending there's a single perfect set.
The Best Alesis Nitro Max for the Money
A feature-by-feature look at where the value in the Alesis Nitro Max actually comes from, and who benefits most.
The Best Cowbells for the Money
Which type and tier of cowbell actually earns its money for drum kit, Latin styles, a tight budget and the studio.
Handpan: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A handpan can look gorgeous in a photo and still be a poor build — here's exactly what to check before you pay.
Common Shaker Mistakes to Avoid
A genuinely simple instrument, which is exactly why the mistakes people make with it tend to be simple too. Here's what goes wrong, and the fix.
Guiro: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Material, ridge spacing and grip shape change how a guiro feels and carries. Here's what actually matters before you buy one, and what doesn't.
Drum Kit Explained: Features, Types and Tips
The Ultimate Guide to Claves
Two wooden sticks that organise a whole family of music: how to hold and strike claves, the difference between son and rumba clave, and what 3–2 and 2–3 really mean.
Ludwig Drum Kit for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Starting on a Ludwig drum kit is straightforward once you understand setup and practice fundamentals. Here is what a new player needs to know in the first few months.
Hang Music Instrument: A Complete Buyer's Guide
No shop full of handpans to try here — just patience, provenance and the right questions. Here's what actually matters before you buy one.
Sabian for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Starting out with your first Sabian set? Here's the calm, practical version of what actually matters before you worry about anything else.
The Best Agogo Bells for the Money
Classroom, bateria, studio or ceremony: here is a tier-by-tier look at agogo bells, what changes as you spend more, and which option genuinely suits each setting.
Percussion Instruments for Beginners: A Complete Guide
A grounded, no-pressure guide to starting out in percussion — where to begin, what to buy, and the basic skills everything else builds on.
How to Set Up and Use Alesis Drum Kit
A step-by-step setup guide for the Alesis electronic drum kit: frame assembly, pad and cymbal positioning, cable connection, and module configuration.
The Best Childrens Electronic Drum Kits for the Money
No single 'best' kit fits every child, so here's the market broken into tiers — tabletop, compact rack and full-size — and what each one is genuinely good for.
What Drums & Percussion Covers
Drums & percussion is the broadest family in music: it covers every instrument that produces sound by striking, shaking, scraping or setting a surface in vibration. The category divides into membranophones — instruments with a stretched skin or synthetic head, such as a snare drum or djembe — and idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself produces the sound, as with a xylophone, cowbell or claves.
Drum Kits: Acoustic and Electronic
The acoustic drum kit — bass drum, snare, tom-toms, hi-hats and cymbals — remains the foundation of rock, jazz and pop. Every component has its own page here, from choosing drum sticks and replacement heads to selecting the right cymbals for a given style. Electronic drum kits and percussion pads use triggers and sampled sounds, and are increasingly popular for practice, home recording and smaller venues where volume matters. Hybrid kits combine acoustic shells with electronic triggering, giving players the feel of real heads alongside the flexibility of on-board sound libraries.
Hand Percussion
Hand percussion spans dozens of world traditions. Congas, bongos and claves draw from Afro-Cuban music; the djembe comes from West Africa; the cajón from Peru; the bodhrán from Irish folk. Frame drums, goblet drums and shakers appear in folk, classical and popular music alike. When choosing a hand drum, the key considerations are playing technique, head material, tuning range, portability and whether it is intended for solo practice, ensemble playing or live performance.
Pitched Percussion
Pitched percussion instruments play identifiable notes and sit at the intersection of rhythm and melody. Xylophones, marimbas, vibraphones, glockenspiels, tubular bells and the celesta are all mallet instruments, found in orchestras, concert bands, musical theatre and studio production. The handpan — a relatively modern bowl-shaped idiophone — has attracted a dedicated following for its resonant, meditative tone.
Accessories and Smaller Percussion
The tambourine, triangle, cowbell, shaker and chimes might not anchor the rhythm section, but in the right moment they define a recording. This section also covers the accessories that hold everything together: drum sticks and mallets, beaters and brushes, mounting hardware, cymbal stands, drum pedals, replacement heads, cases and triggers.
All 118 topics in Drums & Percussion
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- Djembe
- Double Bass Pedal
- Dream Cymbals
- Drum Bags
- Drum Cases
- Drum Hardware
- Drum Hardware
- Drum Heads
- Drum Key
- Drum Kit
- Drum Mutes
- Drum Pad
- Drum Rack
- Drum Rug
- Drum Shells
- Drum Sticks
- Drum Throne
- Drums
- Drums & Percussion (General)
- Drums & Percussion — Other Brands
- Drums & Percussion — Pearl
- Drums & Percussion — Tama
- Drums & Percussion — Yamaha
- Dw Drum Kit
