I’m thinking about learning to play drums for some time now and I have a question. If I’m a complete beginner should I still get a full drum set? I know you can buy a cheap electric set for like $300 but can I start with something smaller and simpler? Are there some kind of electric pads that would work for taking first steps and that would later let me progress to full drum set? It’s not that I don’t have space, I’m just not sure I will stick with it and I don’t want to be stack a big set I don’t use later. Or full set is actually the best way to start?
When i started (20 years ago), my parents just rented a set for the first little while to see of i would stick to it, i reccomend going this route.
I also reccomend a full size kit, be it electric or acoustic vs. Just getting a simple drum pad. The feeling of a full sized kit is vastly different in my opinion.
Electric: Can be loud or can be silent to the environment around you. Light weight. Customizable digital options for sound. Can usally find a kit the is of defent quality for a decent price.
Acoustic: no volume nob and no headphone output, so consider your playing environment. Feels different than electric, hitting skins and bare metal just feels better to me in general. Looks sexy AF. Decent kits are not cheap, and cheap bad kits sound like cheap bad kits.
Hi-hat, kick drum, snare, crash and/or ride cymbal, floor tom and 1 or 2x tom-toms would be my reccomendation. Electric you will have a wider selection of sounds, seeing you can usually program them for different usage.
Edit: just wanted to add, a drum pad is still a starting point, so if thats your best option go for it! Hell, even some different sized plastic buckets is a start worth pursuing.