I use a few basics pieces of equipment and technology in my lessons.

First, I use, and recommend for all my students, Vater drumsticks, brushes, and specialty sticks. The importance of straight sticks of consistent density cannot be over-stated, especially when learning proper technique. It’s easy to skimp on sticks, seeing their variation as unimportant, but there is nothing more important to a drummer than a good pair of sticks; they’re the thing that connects the drummer to the drum, after all, and what could more important than that? I use the West Side model stick, as I find it a comfortable fit in my hand and it has a nice balance between a light feel for speed and a good heft for volume. I urge students to take some time finding a stick that is comfortable in their hands and has a good feel. When first learning, it is often intuitive to gravitate to a smaller, lighter stick. I believe that beginners are actually better suited to slightly larger sticks (5B or larger) because it can take some time to develop a proper fulcrum. The bigger sticks are more forgiving of an unsure technique.

A drum pad is an essential part of the learning process. I prefer the soft gum rubber types of pads. These have a good bounce and are especially helpful in the early stages of learning the proper technique of bouncing the sticks. This type of pad does have more rebound than most drums, but is similar in feel to a tightly tuned snare drum. Many students begin drum lessons with only sticks and a drum pad. While this is not an ideal situation, as the drum set requires many skill requirements that simply cannot be approximated on a single surface, it is acceptable for a time at the beginning of study as there are many lessons that can be learned by focusing on theory and hand technique.

A metronome is also an important tool for the drum student. I use several metronomes both in my own study and my lessons. I prefer the  Korg Beatlab, which is now unfortunately discontinued. The Beatlab has two lights which represent the right and left hands and has the basic rudiment patterns programmed in, so a student can follow the blinking lights to be sure they are playing each rudiment accurately at any tempo. The Roland DB-90 is my current top recommended metronome, as it is highly programmable and has several click sounds to choose from including a human voice speaking the counts (“1, 2, 3, 4″ etc). Both of these metronomes are over $100, and that can be a strain especially on a new student. There are many less expensive options. Some of my students are using metronome apps on their iPhones, and while they seem not perfectly accurate, they are a good start. A very good, and accurate, Korg metronome can be had for around $18.

A drum set is, of course, truly required to study the instrument. It needn’t be an expensive top-of-the-line kit, but it should have a snare drum, bass drum, two toms, and three cymbals (hi-hat, ride, and crash) to really provide and adequate platform on which to build. I use five piece kits, and find that to be a great teaching tool. Of course, no matter what a student owns and practices on, playing on my teaching kits gives them valuable experience in playing on an alternate kit. Even if the differences are as simple as the feel of the bass drum pedal, it is beneficial experience. Often, parents are reluctant to invest in a drum set when they start their child in private lessons. I believe this creates a dilemma for the student; they have to somehow prove that they will take the instrument seriously when they’re only getting to play on the instrument once a week during their lesson. Practicing some of the elements from their lesson is, if not completely impossible, frustrating at best. It is possible to begin lessons with just a pair of sticks and a pad, and there is much to learn in just the area of hand technique and rudimental study. However, to truly study the drum set, it is necessary for the student to have access to the instrument every day. It is self-defeating to begin lessons without the student being able to have an instrument to call their own.