How did you learn to play drums?

[volsball]

How and and at what age did you learn to play the drums? How young is too young to try to learn? My son is 5 and he ahs expressed interest in playing the drums, but I don't want to waste a bunch of money on them until I know that he will stick with it for at least a year or so.

[lumpy]

I always felt like the drums was gonna be my instrument. I played snare in the grade school band for three years starting when I was in 5th grade, so 11 years old. Some friends and I put our first garage band together in 8th grade, but I didn't have a drum set and ended up on lead vocals. About the only thing our drummer had going for him is that he did own a drumset. He had the worst sense of timing I've ever experienced. Timing is something you either have or you don't. Anyway this guy didn't have it. We we're fucking around with "Heartache Tonight" by The Eagles. That is about the most generic drum beat in history and this poor bastard just wasn't getting it. I got really pissed and sat down and showed him how to play the stupid song! I was the drummer from there on through our one gig. He got his feelings hurt and said I couldn't play his drums anymore! I finally saved up enough for a really beat old set of Rogers about two years later and have been playing since!

As far as my education; outside of grade school band and college music theory I have none. I am fortunate enough to have a cousin who played drums in a very popular regional act and I latched onto him as a mentor. He let me sit in during sound check if I helped him lug all his shit around.

All I can say is that if your kid really wants to play drums, go electric!

lump

[DogpitStudios]

My parents were the first ones to think I had rhythmic talent. I guess when I was young, I'd set up pots and pans outside in my old backyard in cambridge, and hit them as hard as I could. I didn't sound great, but my dad says to this day that I could always keep a beat. The neighbors didn't think so. My parents listened to a lot of reggae when I was younger and I think the solid back beat rubbed off on me or something. My sister brought the first set into the house. The set was the whore set of all the teenagers in town. It had probably been in 15 basements before ours, and has probably been in 50 since. I was in 3rd grade (9 years old) when she spent $200 on the 3 piece junkset. I sat down right away, and the friend who was giving her "lessons" said I had talent. I played every night by myself from there, and never took a lesson. when I was 11 I joined a band, and have been playing with them since (about 6 years). I guess I can say we all pretty much learned our instruments playing together. Even before we knew was music was, we were able to cover all the classic simple songs and make them sound alright. I guess we were always kinda tight.

Drums are something else. Every kid wants to hit a drum set as hard as he can at some point, but the instrument itself is not the easiest to pick up on. I've seen hundreds of kids play the drums for about a week, realize that its not all fun and games when you are learning the basics, and trash it right away (this happens a lot with guitar too).

Anyway, I hope you support your kid if he is serious about them. They are a truly incredible instrument.

Ben

[brandondrury]

All I can say is that if your kid really wants to play drums, go electric!

The electronc kits have came a long way. While you can snag a used drum kit for $200 without a problem if you look around, as a parent, I would 100% go wtih the electronic kit as well. No one wants to hear that absurd noise!! It'll shake the whole house.

Brandon

[Smidgelton]

It's a shame I always wanted drums to be my instrument. I bought a new lowgrade kit for 400 bucks when I was 18 and half the time it was sitting in my friend's trailer getting cigarette ashes and beer spilled on it. And now it doesn't fit in my apartment, so it's sitting in my parent's basement getting mold and cobwebs spilled on it. Ah, what burden the drummers' life must be!

[volsball]

Thanks for all the responses. I don't think he wants an electric set. I just found out yesterday that there is a consignment music store close to here, so I think I will get him a used set there and then if he is really into it, we may go for the electric ones later.

[phangeaux]

I am not a drummer, although I have drums that I will be using to record tracks along with other instrument tracks to produce completed works for my songwriting/composing objective.

Learning to play any musical instrument is great for any kid. (or most kids) The disciplines that are acquired will be usefull for other subjects in school asd well. Arithmetic is a good example, and the concentration skills that are developed will be helpful too. Knowlege gained from learning music will enhance ones appreciation not only for music and other arts but also for live in general. It is a rewarding experience. I always encourage parents in this direction and kids, even little ones are usually excited about making music.

I think it is important that he learns the fundamentals correctly from the beginning. This way he won't have to unlearn bad habits and relearn proper techniques later on when he gets in the school band, (usually around 3rd grade). Learning correctly is a discipline that requires practice and after the lesson practice sessions he can bang away and have fun doing whatever he wants, improving along the way.

Since I am not a trained drummer, I am not sure how to accomplish this teaching at home. Maybe a good DVD instruction or possibly a computer based instruction. I would ask around about that, but I think he should start out on the right foot so to speak. In the absense of formal instruction by a teacher a beginning student can probably learn a great deal from a DVD for beginners.

I would search the web and ask questions at local music stores or even call the school and ask the band/orchestra instructor what he or she thinks.

Oh yeah, what about size? I think there are smaller kits for smaller people.

You might try online auctions for used kits located near you, search Craigslist.org in the state where you live and possibly post a wanted ad there.

By the way, I have been in the frum room at a big guitar Center store in Seattle and watched kids play. They seem to love those electronic drumsets and they are pretty cool, as Lumpy mentioned. If your sone saw other people playing them he might really like them too. However, you have to start somewhere, whatever is available and convenient even if it is one or two pieces at a time rather than a whole complete kit. That is how I have been building my set, but it is very old vintage stuff (abt. 1939)

That is all I can think of. Good luck.

[phangeaux]

Drum Forum: This forum is dedicated to time keepers and also drummers.

I like your sense of humor, Brandon. '... and also drummers'

Or maybe you didn't intend it that way, or it was a Freudian slip

[volsball]

Thanks, I think I will maybe try to get him both kinds of drums. If I find some cheap enough, that is. I think he will have fun experimenting with them.

[xBTWATWDx]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

The electronc kits have came a long way. While you can snag a used drum kit for $200 without a problem if you look around, as a parent, I would 100% go wtih the electronic kit as well. No one wants to hear that absurd noise!! It'll shake the whole house.

Brandon

i started playing on yamaha DD50 drum pads and quickly got the basics. now i play a sweet Tama superstar 6 pice. The moral of the story is that the DD50 only cost me about $250 (new), it is filled with grooves that are great to learn with, and it is not very noisy. It is a great way to get a youngster started untill they are ready for the real thing.