Instruments, and Buying Tips
Hey, Be Encouraged! You don’t “need” anything. But when you’re ready to buy your first drums and percussion, this page should be a great help.
Contents:
Gallery of Instruments Often Used at Drum Circles
All About Buying, and About Brands
Crafts People, Makers, Drum Makers, Powwows, etc.
Your Local Consignment Shops and Pawn Shops
Used & Online
Online Sellers List
Some Popular and Reputable Brands
If your main reason for looking into buying is to take instruments to drum circles for musical, social enjoyment, here are just some instruments for you to look for and listen to before making your choices. (You may ask someone at a circle if you can try their drum for a minute too.) Keep in mind that some circles are best for unpitched drums and percussion only, but many include the occasional wind instrument too. Also keep in mind that you already have instruments in your house! You’ll see all kinds of household items at drum circles, and they sound great! (I will add to your knowledge base in Chill Peeps videos as I’m not even close to showing you all that’s out there!)
Gallery of Instruments Often Used at Drum Circles
Intro to Buying, and Brands
Know this first... You can create rhythm using anything, including your own body and voice, buckets and sticks, things from your garage or yard - anything!
This being said, let's explore the world of drums and percussion as it (often) pertains to drum circles.
The following resources are not affiliated with nor endorsed by Earth Intern/Chill Peeps ect., though we have used and do use some of them. It is not uncommon to use more than one resource when you're really into music! After a while, you get the feel of who carries what.
The list below is here in answer to some questions that came up in our Earth Rhythm Wellness Workshops. It is not comprehensive! But it's a start.
Tip: Thoroughly explore a company or source and check reviews before you purchase from them. Reputable companies, sellers, and crafts people care about protecting their reputations.
Tip: Learn all about an instrument before buying it: how to store it and what temperature it likes, how to carry or transport it, if it will need to be tuned and how to do it or what it will cost, if parts need to eventually be replaced, and more.
Tip: When searching inventory for common instruments used in drum circles or for meditation, search under the "world percussion" category first!
Crafts People, Makers, Drum Makers, Powwows, etc.
If you follow drum circle communities on social media, you will surely find makers of drums and percussion near you. They probably really care about their product and need to be known for a good product! Drum making / instrument making is a very spiritual act to a lot of people. It should be easy to see what their customers have to say. Check them out.
Keep in mind that the cost may be higher than a mass produced product, but not always. Either way, you will likely be purchasing a very well-made, quality product.
You may find their (makers) products at local festivals. And other great resources for wind instruments, shakers, percussion, and drum-making supplies are powwows! Try searching "powwow near me" especially before the weather gets warm, so you know when to get tickets.
Local Consignment Shops and Pawn Shops
You can always try finding instruments at resale shops. Keep in mind that store owners cater to what most of their local clientele would buy. So, you might need to explore out of town if their clientele likes pocket books and jewelry more than musical instruments. I can't recommend buying used drums until you really know how to spot drum issues -or- you're up for a learning experience. But you may find other gear, carrying cases, parts, and small percussion instruments as well as all kinds of other instruments there too.
If you'd like to try rebuilding instruments or drum making, etc, these places might be great for you to find parts or projects!
Used and Online
You can buy used instruments online. Sometimes it works out great, and sometimes it doesn't - thus the planter. (I bough some bongos that pretty much crumbled into dust, and I bought a djembe that needed repairs that I wasn't willing to pay for until over a year later!)
A good idea is to learn a lot about the instrument that you intend to purchase and know what to look for, what issues to look for in the used version, and what to ask the seller. (Some reputable sellers of new instruments offer a used stock as well, and the criteria to sell used instruments is strict. But please don't buy drums from online thrift stores.) There are usually plenty of videos on YouTube to help you understand what to look for! But if you can't examine it (and smell it) in person, you're still taking a risk. Still, that rare and amazing find is fun when it happens! Your best bet is to buy (new or used) from a reputable seller or from someone you know.
Online Sellers List (A good start)
There are a few tried and true seller suggestions, and special interest sellers to explore if you're just getting started. Know that not all sellers may sell every popular brand, so if there's a brand that you like, scroll to the brands below and look at their online sellers lists!
Sweetwater Sound (since 1979) https://www.sweetwater.com
Note: Many of my workshop participants live in apartments. I tell them that Sweetwater offers shipping to an alternate (FedEx) location, and other cool stuff. Good to know in case you don't want your new gear sitting outside in a semi-public place after delivery. If you use Sweetwater, please tell them I sent you! 😀
*Artdrum Percussion Store (local / referenced in an above pic) https://www.artdrum.com/
Guitar Center (since 1959 / First founded as The Organ Center) https://www.guitarcenter.com
Note: Contrary to it's name, it's not only about guitars.
West Music (since 1941 / First founded as Peterson-West Music) https://www.westmusic.com
Steve Weiss Music (since 1961) https://www.steveweissmusic.com
Music & Arts (since 1952) https://www.musicarts.com
Note: Several Physical Store Locations in NJ, and also Online
Elderly Instruments (since 1972) https://www.elderly.com
Note: No, these are not instruments specifically made for the elderly, lol. They have new, used, and vinatage instruments.
X8 Drums (since 2007) https://www.x8drums.com
Wula Drum (See below because Wula creates and sells their own stuff.)
Some Popular and Reputable Brands
The following brands are "just some" that are popular at drum circles.
Most brands do not sell from their own site, and they instead provide a distributor's (sellers) list. Check the list to see where you can buy their products, and learn what you can at the brand's site. (No matter how great your favorite distributor may be, not all online stores carry "all" the brands!)
Remo (since 1957) https://remo.com
I can't tell you how many times I've heard somebody say, "Don't worry - it's a Remo. Remo parts (especially drum heads/skins) are often a part of of other manufacturers' products.
Meinl (since 1951) https://meinlpercussion.com/en/home
Note: Access all of Meinl's brands from here.
LP / aka Latin Percussion (since 1964) https://www.lpmusic.com
Toca Percussion (since 1993) https://tocapercussion.com
X8 Drums (since 2007) https://www.x8drums.com
Pearl Drums (since 1946) https://pearldrum.com/en
Wula Drum (since 2006) https://wuladrum.com
Note: High quality and *heavy* authentic wood djembes, and more. (These are not lightweight travel drums.)
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Note: To find other popular brands (there are a lot), you can "search by brand" at online stores, and a list of all the brands from which to choose will come up!
Remember to look for "world percussion!"
