A recent study conducted by the Medical Science Monitor states that those who play musical instruments experience less stress on a genomic level. Besides that obvious health benefit, an instrument will increase an individual’s rhythm, creativity and overall well-being.

But which instrument is the best? There are obvious benefits to every one¬–but the choice always comes down to personal taste. Strings (guitars, violins, cellos) are good for beginning musicians because they are light and beginner-models are relatively-inexpensive. Woodwinds and brass (oboes, clarinets, tubas, trumpets) create beautiful sounds, but require many hours of practice before they sound great. Drums are probably the most immediately-accessible instruments because they satisfy our primal urges to hit things with sticks and make noise.

The ability to rock out is certainly one of drums’ attractive qualities, but it doesn’t attest to the beauty and skill required to play the instrument. Drumming requires heightened levels of speed, stamina and ambidexterity; producing a basic beat often stumps beginning students because they’re not used to their limbs moving so differently!

A standard, 5-piece drum set includes a snare drum, bass drum, two toms and one floor tom–hi-hats and cymbals are auxiliary pieces. Most companies will offer a 5-piece set for beginners who are considering taking up the instrument. Drums are a very expensive investment and players should consider renting a set to make sure that it’s something they want to stick with.

Of all the musical instruments, drums tend to fit kids’ personalities the best. Children love the noise and physical activity associated with drumming (the exact same reasons why parents don’t like drums as much). Many companies like CB offer standard beginner sets for kids to get the idea of what it’s like to be behind a set. These models are also relatively cheap–around $500, which is a comparatively affordable outlet for a child to develop creativity.

There are many notable companies that specialize in making quality drums. Perhaps the most well known are DW, Ludwig, Yamaha and Pearl–all of which make models that cater to the rock, jazz or fusion drummer. Once students become acquainted with their instrument, they should upgrade from a beginner set to one that’s specialized to their preferred playing-style. For example, a jazz set will sound completely different than one intended for rock and roll.

Electronic drums are becoming are a very popular–albeit expensive–alternative to acoustic drums. When something (like a drumstick) strikes the head, it changes the voltage–sending a signal to a receiver. The receiver translates these signals into digital waveforms, which become the desired percussive sound assigned to each drum pad. Players can then broadcast the sounds via amplifiers for a live performance or listen in on headphones–which means that they are the perfect musical instruments for players who live in close proximity to others.