What NOT To Buy Drummers For Christmas

• Don’t Buy: Drumstick Pencils
• Don’t Buy: Finger Drums
• Don’t Buy: A Drum Kit Keyring
• Don’t Buy: Regular Gloves
• Don’t Buy: A Mug with a Drum Slogan

Picture the scene: it’s Christmas day and your gran has just given out her third Lynx Africa deodorant set. Not to be outdone, your uncle’s phoned it in again by providing the extended family with yet another pair of socks (he’s been doing it since 1992). You don’t want to develop your own reputation for infamous gift giving now, do you?

To save you from any potential present-based awkwardness, we’ve put together this handy guide. Musicians (in this case drummers) are always after a gift that’s practical, rather than something that’s a gimmick. And because of this, we’ve rounded up a list of not-so-good drum-related products and suggested a much better alternative for each — just in time for the big day.

Don’t Buy: Drumstick Pencils

Do Buy: Drumsticks

Drumstick pencils may seem fun and zany at first, but trust us, this wears off after about five minutes. They’ll most likely be consigned forever to the back of a stationary drawer, never to see the light of day again. Not to mention the fact that they’ll annoy pretty much everyone in their office if they decide to use them for a desk-based rendition of “In The Air Tonight”.

That’s why with a pair of drumsticks, you literally can’t go wrong. Every single drummer needs them to play their instrument. Simply find out which brand they prefer — be it Promark, Vic Firth or Zildjian — and ask them which weight/size they regularly use. If you’re still confused, you can find out loads more with our guide to drumsticks. Just know that a drummer can never have too many sticks, no matter what they might say!

Drumsticks

Don’t Buy: Finger Drums

Do Buy: A Practice Pad

What’s that tinny, grating, highly-compressed sound? That’s the sound of a set of finger drums. They might be great for kids, but if you’re searching for a gift for a serious drummer who’s committed to improving their chops, then you’re going to want to steer well clear.

Practice pads are ideal for practicing and perfecting rudiments, and they’d get way more out of one of these. On a basic level, rudiments are a series of patterns that are seen as drumming building blocks. Each rudiment consists of a unique pattern which is performed using both hands, and these can then be translated over to a full kit. But the biggest benefit of a pad is that you can practice anywhere, anytime!

Practice Pads

Don’t Buy: A Drum Kit Keyring

Do Buy: A Drum Key/Multi-Tool

Nobody is underestimating the usefulness of a keyring, but if there’s something that people don’t need more of, it’s them. “But it’s in the shape of a drum kit”, one part of your brain exclaims. Yeah, it is — but so what?

A drum key, on the other hand, is a no-brainer. This humble bit of kit is essential. After all, it helps drummers tune their drums, replace drum heads, and change the height and positioning of their hardware. It’s an important tool for every single percussionist out there. And if you want something that’s even more heavy-duty, why not get a multi-tool? These are pretty much the Swiss-Army Knife equivalent of drums, making repairs and adjustments an absolute breeze.

Drum Keys & Multi-Tools

Don’t Buy: Regular Gloves

Do Buy: Drum Gloves

It’s fair to say that the drummer you’re buying a present for probably already owns about five pairs of different bog-standard gloves. But they may not have any drummers gloves.

These drum accessories ideal for keeping your sticks in your hands, especially during those particularly sweaty live shows. They offer this improved grip without being detrimental to your speed and feel too. And they can also offer help prevent blisters from forming, which can be a real problem for some people when they first start drumming.

Drum Gloves

Don’t Buy: A Mug with a Drum Slogan

Do Buy: Moongel Damper Pads

A quick Google search throws up hundreds of mugs featuring cringey drum-related slogans emblazoned across them. This will likely get relegated to the back of the kitchen cupboard after one cuppa, preventing any further embarrassment for all involved. And you don’t want to put a dampener on Christmas day, after all…

Speaking of dampening, Moongel damper pads are the perfect alternative. See what we did there? These simple pieces of soft gel attach to the surface of both regular drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments, and are used to remove unwanted resonance. This gives drummers even more control over their sound, and moving them across a drum or cymbals surface will have a noticeable effect on their respective tone.

Moongel Damper Pads

Crackers for more content?

Check out the rest of our learn articles for even more drumming tips and tricks. Or head over to the Christmas page on our website for extra shopping advice. Our best gift ideas for drummers guide is a great shout, featuring electronic drum kits, cajons and other drum accessories.