What NOT to Buy Drummers For Christmas

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.

A practice pad is ideal for practicing and perfecting rudiments. 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. These can then be translated over to a full kit. The 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/Drum 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 – so what? It’ll probably be looked at once before being absorbed into the assortment of other keys/key rings you have – joining your house keys, your car key, and those keys you’ve had for about five years, but still aren’t exactly sure what they unlock.

A drum key is a no-brainer though. This humble bit of kit is essential. After all, it helps drummers to tune their drums, replace 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 are ideal for ensuring that your sticks remain in your hands, especially during those particularly sweaty live shows. They provide this improved grip without being detrimental to your speed and feel. They also offer increased protection against splinters and prevent blisters from occurring (which can be a real problem for some people when they first start drumming regularly).

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 (see what I did there), Moongel Damper pads are the perfect alternative. 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 preferred sound. Moving them across a drum or cymbals surface will have a noticeable effect on their respective tone.

Moongel Damper Pads

Enjoyed This?

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We’ve also collated a bunch of other related articles for you below:

• Beginner’s Guide to Playing Drums
• Rubber Pads vs. Mesh Drum Heads – Which Are Better?
• Electronic Drums vs. Acoustic Drums For Practice