Don’t get me wrong; I love playing with full percussion large drums!
But there is just something about small drum kit that makes me want to hold them in my hands. Well, the fact that they are small is perhaps the most fundamental reason anyone would want them.
Having a portable drum kit means portability. You can carry it anywhere you want and fit it in any corner. And the best part is the sound tone just as impressive as a large set of drums.
In this guide, we are going to share some of the best small snare drum kits sound on the market today. Continue reading.
What is a small drum called?
Perhaps you have already guessed what a small bass drum kit sound is all about. In simple terms, it is a mobile a version of a full-size kit.
Smalls, just like big ones, come in varying sizes, collapsibility, and sound. They are all referred to as portable drums.
One of the significant advantages of the mini drum kit is that they are cheap as they are quality. You can get a little drumming set at less than $100 with all features of a full drumming kit.
Advantages of a small portable drum kit
Why would you want to but a mini drum kit? Consider the following benefits.
Easy to transport
If you are a band, you will realize carrying other items like
guitar, keyboard, and vocals are easy to carry. But someone like me, whose life
is drumming, it can be had moving with a bass drum set around my neck.
This is one of the reasons I have always disliked going to gigs.
Even though carrying a guitar and other items may be a bit uncomfortable too,
you cannot compare to a large drums kit.
A small kit is designed to be carried around with ease. The
parts used in them are made with the lightest materials.
They weigh less
The weight of portable drums is way lower than that of a larger bass drum kit. Note that, a full-size set is created with quality in mind, more
than weight.
For instance, you will get materials such as mahogany in a more
extensive set because they offer the best tone. But they are not great when
transportable.
A great portable kit is designed to be as light as possible.
Even a kid can carry them around with ease.
Good Sound quality
Hearing me talk about large drums being made with quality in mind, one can easily assume portable kits are weaker siblings. Well, it may seem so.
But you may be surprised at just how quality sound this small drum kit produce. There are different brands of these drums, like Sonor Safari, that are compatible with larger, more expensive kits.
Easy to fold
Unless you have enough space, a full kit with many pieces can take up a lot of room. But if you live in an average apartment, then finding space for your kit may be hard.
A portable drum kit solves this issue. They are easy to fold,just like an ironing board.
Price
When I was looking for my first mini drum kit, I was not sure if the quality matched with the price. They are way cheaper, and I had to doubt a little bit.
Well, they are just perfect. Besides, adult leaner may not want to spend a fortune on drums at first instance. Most travel kits are smaller and cheaper, suitable for any range of budgets.
Practicing
It is never easy to practice drumming, especially in a quiet neighborhood. And in my experience, constant practice is key to improving.
The issue is, large drums can be incredibly loud. This is much so when practicing for loud music like a rock.
Electronic bass drum kits offer a much easier approach. They are almost silent. The player only plugs the headphone sockets and play any time of the day. Anyone near you will only hear a thud. It is super convenient, right?
Types of portable kits
There are two major types of small drum kits. They include:
Acoustic
This is the main type of acoustic bass drum kits. There are many full-size kits for this type. The smaller kits start at 14 inches and extend to 18”.
Electronic
The electronic drums sets started appearing in the 1980s. The new wave and pop music made is famous, then the dance and electronic music of the 1990s made it more prominent. Electric rigs are much smaller. Some, like Tabletop electronic drums, come without legs. You can simply place them on the table, desk, oven your lap, and start playing; with either fingers or sticks.
Which mini Drum Set Is Best For Beginners?
Small drum kits, as I mentioned earlier, comes in different
shapes, brands, and prices. For a beginner, you may want to consider something
much cheaper yet good enough to get you there.
As long as it is not a toy, I would recommend the smallest bass drum kits for beginners. Here are my top recommendations though:
Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove
Ahmir Thomson, a.k.a Questlove is one of my favorite drummers of all time. The American percussionist plays with The Roots. As such, it is right to say; he understands the needs of drummers.
Perhaps because of constant moving, he decided to design a compact drum set portable enough to fit anywhere and light enough to move with through the subway.
The Ludwig Breakbeat is designed to fit in tight spaces. You can gig in coffeehouses, subways, and other corners of your subway.
The Ludwig Breakbeat is a ‘break-able’ 4-piece compact drum set for a gritty, raw downbeat. The 4-piece comes with a riser for vast reach and features a compact 14 x 16-inch bass, 7 x 10-inch tom, and 13 x 13-inch floor tom.
Hence, the floor tom kit is perfect for creating sculpting grooves in tight spaces. The floor tom is easy to set up and affordable for beginners. And since a pro designs it, you can be sure of getting the necessary experience for playing even a larger kit.
Pros:
- Very light tone
- Comes with a cymbal arm on the bass
- Features soft cases
Cons:
- Basswood
- shells create lower quality sound
- There
- is not kick pedal, stool, or hardware and cymbals
Pearl Black Gold Sparkle, inch (MDT764P/C701)
When it comes to building high-quality pocket-friendly drums
sets, I consider Pearl, a market leader. It is one of the companies that have
been consistent with creating the best compact drum kit.
Pearl Black Gold Sparkle is one of their products that I admire. It is a lightweight, highly portable kit with superb gigging features.
There are two choices of finishes on the covers. The first is the 6 Plywood (7.5mm) poplar shells, and the second is a matching 13 x 5.5 wood snare set drum kit.
One of its most exciting features is Pearl’s OptiLoc Suspension system. It makes it easy to set up. Apart from this is the best drum kit heads for any price.
This compact drum set is perfect for both expert players and beginners.
Pros:
- Excellent for beginners
- Popular shells mean high and low frequencies
- Pocket-friendly
- Opti-loc suspension
- Bass drum kit lift
- Remo snare drum heads
- Lifetime
Cons:
- It only comes in two finishes
- It is not as loud as other compact kits.
Yamaha Stage Custom Birch 18″ Kick, Natural Wood
Yamaha is one of my favorite manufacturers of acoustic and electric musical instruments. As such, you should have no doubt the Yamaha Stage Custom Birch 18″ Kick, Natural Wood is a great set. Quick features to note include:
Pros:
- Opti-loc suspension
- Bass drum kit lift
- Remo snare drum heads
- Lifetime resistance
Cons:
- Beginner-intermediate price point
- Low-mass lugs
- Hi-tension lugs
I really like this bass drum set and its sound and the versatility that it has. You can feel the proper tone when you play at home or on the stage. It is so easy to bring it around, and it is so versatile, that I feel that it is perfect for a beginner drummer or someone that is buying on a small budget but looking fo quality.
Yamaha DTX400K Electronic Drum Set
This is another great set produced by Yamaha. Quick features to note include:
- Floor
- requirements; 44 inches x 26 inches
- Type:
- Electric drum kit, compact drum set
This kit is a compact electronic drum kit. It is designed to take up a small space. The set features a flexible rack system allowing the drummer to adjust to their needs.
Yamaha offers a great variety of drum sets. The DTX400K is perfect for beginners because of its price. It is more affordable compared to others.
Constant practice is the key to becoming a great drummer. And with the Yamaha DTX400K Electronic Drum Set, you can practice even from your home without making noise for neighbors. It offers the experience of a full percussion drum kit.
If you’re planning to get this kind of drum but with a different brand, you might consider getting Carlsbro CSD120.
Pros:
- Electric, hence easy, you can play almost silent.
- Pocket-friendly.
- Easy to set-up.
Cons:
- Take up a bit much space than other portable drum sets.
PAXCESS 9 Pads Electronic Drum Set
Portability is key to getting the best beginner drum sets. And for this, no drum set offers better than desk or tabletop set.
The PAXCESS 9 Pads Electric Drum Set is one such product, a small electric drum that you bring with you everywhere you go.
Even though it looks like a kids drum kit (technically, it is),
it is perfect for adult beginners. It offers the feeling of a compact, full
drum kit.
It is fully portable that you can tap your rhythm even at the
campfire, BBG, or beach party. It comes with a built-in speaker; hence you can
play without connecting to external ones.
Pros:
- Great response and realistic effect.
- Features eight play-along demo songs.
- Rechargeable battery included.
Cons:
- Not suitable for serious performance.
- It comes out of the box with poor quality sticks.
What Is The Lowest Sounding Drum?
A basic drum set comes with three drums; a bigger drum, a mid-size shell pack drum, and a small one. Although a full small drum kit may have five-piece, in most cases, you will buy other pieces separately.
The bass drum, with is the biggest, like the double bass, makes
the lowest sound. It is designed like a huge snare shell pack, making it sound tone the lowest.
It is the bass thud you hear when someone is playing drums.
