Turn it up and lay it down drum play along CDs

These RhythmTech Turn It Up and Lay It Down CDs offer hours of drum tracks from blues to rock to Latin to even Metal! If you want to learn how to keep time, put down your metronome and pick up some Turn It Up and Lay It Down drum instruction CDs. They include: Fill and groove suggestions, Helpful hints and tips, music play along and more. These drummer play along CDs allow you to be as creative as you want to be and develop your own drumming style and develop a sense of playing “deep inside the pocket.”

Rating:
I’ve played with some of these types of cds before and have to say they’re fun and help you progress with fills and keeping time better in general. They’re high quality in sound and there’s a wide variety of them to choose from, from metal to jazz…

Yamaha Gigmaker 5-Piece Shell Pack

This Gigmaker 5-Piece Shell Pack is the perfect solution for the beginning or intermediate player who wants the quality of a Yamaha kit, without the hefty price tag.

The Gigmaker kick drum shell is 7 plies of basswood/poplar, and the floor toms, rack toms, and snare drum shells are 6 plies of basswood/poplar. Each drum features triple-flange, 1.6mm steel hoops and pro-quality lugs—eight on the kick and snare, six on the rack and floor toms. The springless design of these popular lugs utilizes a structure that effectively eliminates unwanted noise.

Hardware and cymbals not included.

Yamaha Gigmaker 5-Piece Shell Pack Features:

* Drum sizes included:
* 22″x 16″ kick drum
* 13″ x 9-1/2″ and 12″x 9″ mounted toms
* 16″ x 16″ floor tom
* 14″ x 5-1/2″ wood snare

Shell Construction:
* Kick drum is 7-ply basswood/poplar
* Floor toms, rack toms, and snare drum are 6-ply basswood/poplar
* 8 lugs on kick drum and snare drum
* 6 lugs on toms and floor tom
* 1.6mm steel triple-flange hoops
* Includes tom holder

Hardware and cymbals not included

Surprise yourself with the high quality of this inexpensive shell pack.

Rating:
Solid drum set. The Yamaha Gigmaker drum set is a great first step for the beginner drummer and even intermediate drummers alike. Yamaha shells are high quality, which means even their lower priced drum sets like this one can get some good sound projection. Change out the factory heads and really open them up. Having played a few different Yamaha entry level kits, I can definitely say that these kits make for a sound investment. Set yourself up with a low price cymbal pack and some low priced, Sound Percussion drum hardware, and your in the whole set up for cheap.

And, other colors to choose from…

Tama Imperialstar 5-Piece Standard Drum Set with Cymbals

With over 40 years of experience, Tama knows what drummers really want. Which is why, no matter how long you’ve been playing the drums, no matter what budget you have to work with, Tama has the set you need, want, and can afford. Now Tama has launched the most affordable kit to ever incorporate so many high-end features—Imperialstar. Every aspect of the modern drum kit was exhaustively examined and reexamined and then improved before it was accepted as part of the Imperialstar design. Which is why, if you start playing Imperialstar now as a beginner, you’ll still enjoy playing it when you’ve achieved pro-status. That’s how good these groundbreaking new drums are.

Only Tama Imperialstar comes with a complete set of genuine Meinl HCS cymbals. These high-quality brass cymbals are made in Germany and are sonically matched so they sound great together. They are even lathed for a more refined tonal character. The set includes 14″ hi-hats, 16″ crash cymbal and 20″ ride cymbal.

Shells:100% poplar 6-ply/7.5mm
Poplar wood has been used in making drum shells for over 50 years. It offers a full, warm tone combined with medium attack.

Precise Bearing Edges
A drum’s bearing edge is one of the most important components in drum sound. Tama’s advanced edge-cutting process provides extremely precise bearing edges—which allow Tama shells to ring openly and fully, and provide a wide range of tuneability, sensitivity, and response.

100% Glued Finishes
Some drum companies only affix their wraps to the drum shell by taping the finish at “selected contact points.” At Tama, all wrapped finishes are glued to the shell 100% to eliminate warping, buzzing, or lifting. This process allows the shell to resonate fully and consistently. It’s more work, but Tama feels the extra effort is worth it, for a difference you can see and hear.

Original Small Lugs
Imperialstar lugs are 10% smaller than the lugs of Tama’s previous Swingstar Series for even greater shell resonance.

Drum Heads
Batter-side heads are made of clear 250 microns-thick film for richer tone and greater durability. Ring mufflers on bass drum heads remove the need for additional internal muffling.

Accu-Tune Bass Drum Hoops
A special-formulation hi-tech material offers lighter weight and faster, more stable, tuning than traditional metal hoops. In addition, since Accu-Tune hoops use tension bolts instead of clawhooks and T-rods, head changes and packing up are a breeze.

Spur Brackets
Imperialstar spur bracket features the same look and style as Tama’s high-end Starclassic drums and provides maximum durability and stability.

Tom Holder
Tama L-Rod and Omnisphere tom holder systems have received acclaim from drummers for over 25 years. These systems offer easy positioning, maximum flexibility, stability, and greater sound than standard designs which penetrate the shell interior and can inhibit resonance.

Tom Brackets The eye-bolt structure is rock solid, holding the toms in place securely.

Tama Imperialstar 5-Piece Standard Drum Set with Cymbals And Free 10″ Splash Features:

* 100% poplar 6-ply/7.5mm shells
* Precise bearing edges
* 100% glued finishes
* Original small lugs
* Drum heads
* Accu-tune bass drum hoops
* Spur brackets
* Tom holder
* Tom brackets

Drum sizes include:
* 22″ x 18″ Kick Drum (ISB22E)
* 12″ x 9″ Tom Tom (IST12A)
* 13″ x 10″ Tom Tom (IST13A)
* 16″ x 16″ Floor Tom (ISF16D)
* 14″ x 5-1/2″ Snare Drum (IWS55)

Hardware includes:
* Double Tom Holder (MTH600)
* Straight Cymbal Stand (HC32W)
* Boom Cymbal Stand (HC33BW)
* Snare Stand (HS30W)
* Hi-Hat Stand (HH35W)
* Drum Pedal (HP30)
* Drum Throne (HT25)
* Cymbal holder

Cymbals included:
* Meinl HCS 20″ ride
* Meinl HCS 16″ crash
* Meinl HCS 14″ hi-hat pair

Royally rock out on this fully loaded Imperialstar kit.

Rating:
Killer deal, great brand name, comes with a complete set of Meinl HCS cymbals and even a bonus splash…This is a great deal, period. Perfect set up for beginning drummers who want a set that will grow them for a while. I’ve had a chance to play some Tama drums and one of the things I liked most about the sets were the hardware. Tama has some great innovations in that area. They’re a trusted name and make great kits for people of all budget levels…I don’t know what it is, but the bronze and Midnight Mist colors just do it for me. It’s unique. If you’re in the market for a full kit set up, this is one to put at the top of the list.

Ludwig Accent 5-Piece Drum Kit

Includes a free throne

Ludwig Accent 5-Piece Combo Drum Set
Famous Ludwig quality and select wood shells including a matching wood snare drum. The drum shells feature wrapped finishes. 22″ x 16″ bass, 12″ x 10″ and 13″ x 11″ toms, 16″ x 16″ floor tom, and a 6-1/2″ x 14″ snare. Hardware includes LA214FP bass pedal, snare stand, and straight cymbal and hi-hat stands. Includes throne.

Ludwig Accent 5-Piece Drum Kit Features:

* Famous Ludwig quality
* Select wood shells
* Matching wood snare
* Wrapped finishes
* 22″ x 16″ bass
* 12″ x 10″ and 13″ x 11″ toms
* 16″ x 16″ floor tom
* 6-1/2″ x 14″ snare
* Bass pedal
* Snare stand
* Straight cymbal and hi-hat stands
* Free throne

This is a drum set that’ll serve you well for many years.

Rating:
Here’s a Ludwig Accent 5 piece set that is just a great, all-around entry-level kit. Ludwig has been around for a long time and they make quality kits. Hardware is good and it holds up to some abuse. Great sound capabilities–Get some new heads after beating the stock ones around a bit to really make it open up. The price point on this drum set is amazing.

Practice Drum Pad-Simmons SD1 Electronic drum practice pad

The Simmons SD1 Electronic Practice Drum Pad makes practice fun or adds tons of sounds to your kit. Plug in headphones for quiet practice on your timing, dynamics, and speed, then, plug into an amp and use the many different drum sounds to add color to your kit without having to buy all the actual instruments.

With an arsenal of 65 different drum sounds, 6 different metronome sounds, built in warm up exercises, record and playback modes you will want to bring it with you everywhere.

As a drummer, you are the backbone that the other musicians depend on, and if you aren’t on time, the whole band isn’t. This practice drum pad features functions that will help you develop better time, dynamics, consistency, and over-all better performance.

The Functions:
• The Beat Check Trainer function will check your timing and make sure you are on, and playing in perfect time
• Stroke Balance Trainer helps you develop dynamic consistency so you play more musically and articulate
• The 6 different metronome sounds enable you to select the right sound for your practicing comfort
• The Record and Playback function provides you with the opportunity to actually hear what you are playing and shows you if you are on or not. A feature not found in many practice drum pads.

Rating:
Great, solid practice drum pad to help you keep your chops in time. What’s cool about this practice drum pad is that it comes with foot pedals as well. Very intuitive and easy to use to get you up and running in no time. Great for warming up before a gig, and it’s portable to make that possible. Simmons has made electronic drums for as long as I can remember. They know what they’re doing in the electronics side of percussion instruments. This high quality practice drum pad is sure to please and will help any drummer advance their drumming skills.

Check out this large selection of practice drum pads from Musician’s Friend.