Begginer Questions

[Tragesty]

I got into drumming a few months back and lately I've been slowly upgrading my beginner kit.

First I bought a pack of Paiste PST3 cymbals (I'm aware that PST5 are apparently a lot better, but I didn't want to pay the extra 200 dollars for them, as I'm not aiming for amazing sounding cymbals, mainly just better upgrades to the ultra crappy ones that came with my kit).

They're sounding all good and well (to me, anyways) and I want to upgrade the heads that came with my kit, and I found a pack from a nearby drums-only music store that contains the following:

Remo Coated Pinstripe x3 (for my toms)
Remo Ambassador Snare Head
Remo Powerstroke 3 Bass Drum Head

I want to get this pack as it has all I need, as the heads that came with my kit aren't the best, but I want to make sure they're good heads, or if they're crap and I should aim for something else.

Another question I'd like to ask is, will upgrading the heads that came with my kit from the stock heads to the ones listed above make any noticeable difference? If most of the sound aspects come from the material my shells are made of (I'm not actually too sure what they're made of, nothing special. I didn't do my research when buying my beginner kit a while back, and I really regret that) then I might as well not upgrade.

Hope you guys understand xD I'm still a beginner, but I think I'm personally getting better, but I don't want to buy a whole new kit so I'm hoping to change a few things (such as the cymbals like I have) and soon the heads, so my kit will hopefully sound a bit better.

[Norske]

Hey Tragesty, Welcome to Drum Chat!!

The upgrade to your cymbals was a good one, and what's important is how the kit sounds to YOU, not to anyone else! Believe me I started with crappy no name cymbals many years ago, and was happy just to have some piece of crap to hit!

The heads you're referring to are excellent heads. They should wear well for you, and that's the first thing that's important. You can't afford to be replacing heads every week or month (and neither can I).

The tone of the drums is influenced primarily by the wood, the construction, the number of plies, and the tuning. What you'll notice the most is that you'll have a more "controlled" sound, instead of a lot of vibration and resonance. Your bass drum will THUMP instead of sounding like a vibrating piece of thick paper. Good heads and good tuning bring out and enhance the natural tone of the drums.

Once you get the heads and get them tuned up, let us know how much difference you hear. I will guarantee you'll be very pleased.

[bassist learning drums]

Welcome Tragesty!! I want to say from one novice to another that changing the heads will give you a real "high". Like Norske said, your drums will have a better voice. I have a few PST5 cymbals. I am somewhat happy with them. In time I will upgrade, but that is another story. Just take time learning your kit. DrumBum has some really good lessons. Everything from holding the sticks to complex rhythms. Just learn as much as you can, but don't overload your brain. I have learned so far that drumming takes TIME! Learn your rudiments! If you work everything at a slow speed, you will learn how to play correctly and there is always room to speed up. If you can find a good teacher, do it. They can help you a lot more than a dvd. Teachers can give you good feedback, where a dvd will just show how things are. I am not knocking DVDs. I have a few, and you may wish to get some, they are very informative. Good luck on your journey!

[kaosotis]

If your drums have cheap heads that came with them (usually inexpensive drums do), then upgrading to better heads will definitely give you a better sound. If you take a head off and it's really thin, then it's probably some no name single ply head.

While the shells, mounting hardware, construction, etc.. have a huge impact on sound, you can't change those! Good heads on even reasonably inexpensive drums will help a lot.