A lot of pupils ask our Jannali drum teachers which is better to buy and play on – the electric drum kit or the acoustic drum kit. The answer is that there are advantages and disadvantages to both! Let’s look at each of these separately:
Electric drum kits
Advantages:
- The most important advantage with electric drum kits is the fact that you can practice with earphones. In addition, electric drum kits give you the option to control the volume which means you won’t have the neighbours knocking on your door to tell you to stop making noise. This makes electric drum kits ideal for those living in apartments.
- In general, mid range quality electric drum kits are cheaper than the equivalent mid range acoustic kits.
- The majority of electric kits come with a library of drum kit sounds. These make it fun to experiment particularly when you are just starting to learn.
- Most electric drum kits come with a built-in metronome. You can put the metronome on and play along with it. This will help you keep time with the music.
- Drumsticks tend to last longer when played on electric drum kits. This is because you are not hitting real drum rims.
- Drumsticks bounce more on electric drum kits. This makes electric kits a little easier to play (particularly drum fills).
- Electronic drum kits don’t need tuning.
- It is easier to record electric drum kits than acoustic kits. They can be plugged straight into recording devices without the need for microphones.
- Electric kits fit into small rooms more easily. This is convenient not only for your home but also if you play in small stages Our Jannali drum teachers use a top of the range Roland electric kit which is fantastic.
Disadvantages:
- The biggest disadvantage of electric drum kits is that they don’t sound the same as acoustic drum kits. Furthermore, the feel is not quite the same in an electric drum kit.
- Electric drum kits will, at some point, stop working and you will need to replace parts such as pads and clamps.
Popular brands of electric drum kits are Roland and Yamaha.
Acoustic Drum Kits
Advantages:
- Dynamics means the ability to play from very soft to very loud. Acoustic kits allow the drummer to play with greater dynamic feel.
- When you buy a second hand acoustic kit, there is less risk of something going wrong with it than if you bought a second hand electric drum kit.
Disadvantages:
- Our Jannali drum teachers feel that the biggest issue with an acoustic kit is noise! Acoustic kits are loud. However you can vastly reduce the volume of your acoustic drum kit by adding rubber pads on the cymbals, toms and snare. You can also add bed sheets inside the bass drum to make it quitter.
- Because acoustic drum kits are so loud, your earring is at risk. Make sure to protect it by using ear lugs when you practice.
- Acoustic drum kits need to be tuned regularly. Inexperienced drummers may find this difficult to do.
Popular brands of acoustic drum kits are Tama and Mapex.
To summarize:
There are advantages and disadvantages to both electric and acoustic drum kits. In deciding which one to buy, you will have to consider what it is you want to use it for. However the main factor you will have to consider in your decision is the noise level. Please contact any of our Jannali drum teachers on 95892535 if you would like more advice on drum kits and/or drum lessons. Good luck with your choice and have fun!