What do you know about... drums?

Both my son (8 yrs old) and my daughter (15 in July) want to learn to play the drums. I know nothing about drums but off the top of my head I like the idea of the newer electronic sets - I assume they are relatively quiet and all or most have the option to use headphones?

We have a pretty nice (I guess) Roland setup at church but without doing any checking I'm assuming something like that is going to be out of our price range. Is there a good starter electronic set that can be expanded as skill improves and some signs of sticking with it are shown by the kiddos?

From the subject line, I thought this was going to be about drum brakes. A subject about which I know a fair bit. Musical instruments, however, are not a specialty of mine.

My wife bought one of the high end electronic drum kits from a music store. It is very high quality and was around one large, if I recall. Plug the headphones in and it won't bother everyone else around. We use a stereo for when she doesn't want the headphones on. I think that's the best way to go. It takes up less space than a regular kit, you can change the sounds to match any kind of drum you want whenever you want, the headphones are a BIG plus, especially if kids are involved.

Just buy them Rock Band.

VanillaSky wrote: Just buy them Rock Band.

I'm surprised it took so long for this response....

No thanks, looking for the real deal not a toy.

Real E-drums ain't cheap. You might be able to find some on CL.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/msg/1697245436.html

found this in my area. He only $100 for all great deal if it really works.

Acoustic drums are dirt-cheap on c-list. Of course, they're loud, take up a lot of room, and are usually harder to learn to play than most people expect.

petegossett wrote: Acoustic drums are dirt-cheap on c-list. Of course, they're loud, take up a lot of room, and are usually harder to learn to play than most people expect.

I play a little guitar (not well) and a little mandolin (even worse). I have utmost respect for good drummers-IMHO, the hardest instrument to play. Especially good drummers who can sing. Thats gotta be tough.

Even though I'm of the opinion that most good music has very little drums in it.

At first, they only need drum pads to learn the rudiments. They're just pieces of rubber attached to a small wood frame and cost just a few bucks. They're almost silent, yet have the same stick rebound characteristics as a drum head.

Start with a good teacher and the rudiments. If they get bored or don't want to learn the rudiments, then you only spent like 30 bucks and you can get at least half of it back on Craigslist. Matter of fact, I bet there's at least half a dozen slightly used drum pads on CL in your area.

If they're enjoying themselves and learning, then you can spring for the drums and feel good about it. You'll buy more time for yourself to learn about drums and what constitutes a good deal.

In reply to fastEddie:

As someone who didn't start messing with drums until his late 20s, my thoughts might not totally apply.

I started with an acoustic kit I got at Guitar Center for $130. Pretty bad drums (and terrible cymbals,) but a great investment. It got me really excited and was enough to start learning some things. It's great to be able to make some noise, too. I realized that a large part of the joy have of having them is that they're something most people never think they could own. A guitar or whatnot is one thing, but what parents in their right minds are going to buy their kid drums? So it's like finally getting to sleep with a supermodel.

Of course, I had my own house and no kids and a fairly understanding wife. Later I moved to Boston and have to live in an apartment and be more considerate of other people. I got a used Yamaha electronic kit, and it really is very good. I paid $600 and don't regret it at all. They're great for jamming out and I even record some music with them. The problem with them, though, and this is huge, is that the cymbals SUCK. They make a cymbal noise, but that's it. Real cymbals can make huge variety of noises. The high hat is particularly bad. I just can't do the things with the pedal that I could do with the real thing. I keep my acoustic set at my dad's house. We "jam" together, and it's a real pleasure to be able to play with them.

I'm not a musician. I'm just having fun at home. I don't really know how much of a detriment this would all be to someone who wanted to be a serious drummer. So maybe starting out with an electronic set to save YOUR sanity would be a good idea. If they like playing (they will) then you can build a sound-proof room for them. That's a lot more expense and hassle than the drums themselves.

BTW, it takes about 15 minutes to learn to do the basic rock beat, which was enough to get me hooked. They'll enjoy it a lot more if there's someone to play bass or guitar, though.

Jerry From LA wrote: At first, they only need drum pads to learn the rudiments. They're just pieces of rubber attached to a small wood frame and cost just a few bucks. They're almost silent, yet have the same stick rebound characteristics as a drum head. Start with a good teacher and the rudiments. If they get bored or don't want to learn the rudiments, then you only spent like 30 bucks and you can get at least half of it back on Craigslist. Matter of fact, I bet there's at least half a dozen slightly used drum pads on CL in your area. If they're enjoying themselves and learning, then you can spring for the drums and feel good about it. You'll buy more time for yourself to learn about drums and what constitutes a good deal.

I agree with Jerry's recommendations.

Practice pads and sticks are cheap and help develop disciplines. They are designed to closely mimic the response of real drum heads.

Lessons are a relatively cheap way to determine if either (or both) kids want to pursue their effort(s). Lessons will probably cost of about $30 per half-hour session, but it won't take many for a new student to make a decision.

Don't buy a set until you know that at least one of the kids want to dedicate his/her time.

And, a good percussionist don't always need some drums:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3zNANjJNio

It's a re-post, but a timely one!

I know you hit them with a stick...

My partner has a set that is constantly changing. Most of his come from the flea market for about $5 each. I can't help with the e type.

Depending on the size and sound dampening of your house, electric drums are still not quite. I would guess no worse then any other instrument, but my friend in highschool was in a band. When he moved it an apartment he got an electric set so he could still play and the neighbors STILL called in complaints (even with headphones). Should be no where near as bad as real drums, but the stick whacking noises can get pretty loud.

We have got noise complaints in my dorm playing Rockband.

I've got a brake shoe grinder in my shop if you're having trouble getting the linings to fit your worn drums properly.

Oh.. Wait..

I've been playing drums for about 18 years now. When I started off in 5th grade, I joined the school concert band and went from there. They start you off on a snare drum, and you learn the basics of how music works. From there, I leared how to play the bass drum, the cymbals, wood blocks, tubular bells, etc. I learned how to play each individual percussion element before moving onto the drum kit.

When 7th grade rolled around, I got my first drum kit: a cheap POS 5-drum set (2 toms, a floor tom, bass drum, and snare drum) and some cymbals (hi-hats, a couple of crash cymbals, and a ride cymbal). It was very much like a beater 1st car: I'd play it and parts would fall off and it constantly needed adjustments and parts thrown at it to work! I would pop some Led Zeppelin into the Walkman and try to emulate what John Bonham was doing. I would play for hours on end trying to figure out how to play those songs! I picked up some sheet music for the songs I had trouble with, and with the knowledge I got from concert band on how to read music, I would learn how to play the hard parts. Eventually, I got to be pretty decent behind the kit, and played in jazz band and in various garage bands throughout the years before all my learning culminated into playing for a regularly gigging band for about 6 years.

If I were you, enroll them in lessons. They will learn the basics first on a pad (like mentioned previously) before they move up to real drums. When that happens, the best way for them to really learn is to get a real kit. They make various dampers and pads for everything if you need to quiet the noise down when you need to. Forget the electronic stuff for now. Unless you spend megabucks on a high-end electronic kit, they just don't feel right. You can get a good quality beginner kit for cheap these days. I picked up a practice kit a few years ago that was light years ahead of my first kit for half the price my first "beater" kit cost me. Good luck!!!

Is there some reason drummers start to suck as they get more experienced?

Lars Ulrich went from playing some great stuff to seeing how fast he can bash the same drum over and over again.

Trans_Maro wrote: Is there some reason drummers start to suck as they get more experienced? Lars Ulrich went from playing some great stuff to seeing how fast he can bash the same drum over and over again.

"I'm making records

My fans they can't wait

They write me letters

Tell me I'm great"

volvoclearinghouse wrote: From the subject line, I thought this was going to be about drum brakes. A subject about which I know a fair bit. Musical instruments, however, are not a specialty of mine.

Me, too...I was going to mention to be sure to back off the adjusters before trying to pull them off...

I know a lot about drums. I work in a chemical plant.

Whatcha need to know??

(Sorry- carry on)

angusmf wrote:

Trans_Maro wrote: Is there some reason drummers start to suck as they get more experienced? Lars Ulrich went from playing some great stuff to seeing how fast he can bash the same drum over and over again.

"I'm making records My fans they can't wait They write me letters Tell me I'm great"

No he played guitar and is actually great, Don Henley is the one to ignore.

oldsaw wrote: And, a good percussionist don't always need some drums:

to a carpenter with hammer in hand, all the world is a nail...

the same can be said for a drummer...just ask any marching band snare player!

Trans_Maro wrote: Is there some reason drummers start to suck as they get more experienced? Lars Ulrich went from playing some great stuff to seeing how fast he can bash the same drum over and over again.

ummm...Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy disagree wholeheartedly...

At first, they only need drum pads to learn the rudiments.

See also: Rock Band. Call it a 'toy' if you want. Then try playing anything on expert...or even playing on 'medium' and just keeping your hands and feet seperate. Knock it if you want. It's cheap and it'll teach them some fundamentals.

IMHO, I'd start there if they already have a game system. You can pick up the game/gear cheap as dirt used. If they don't like playing Rock Band, they're not going to like playing "real" drums. No sense in spending hundreds of dollars on something that's going to sit in the corner and collect dust.

I started out playing a horrible no-name hand-me-down acoustic guitar with old strings that cut into my fingers. A year or so later, when I could actually play songs, my folks figured I was serious enough to warrant a used electric and little practice amp for christmas. Later, I played with a few different bands (playing 'real' gigs) during and after highschool.

In the last couple years, my nephew got a real-deal no BS (not a squire) strat for xmas. After hearing him make a bunch of noise (nothing wrong with that,) I tried to show him the basics. He got bored/frustrated/"that hurts my fingers" after about 10 minutes, and said "I'm just going to play my own 'songs.'" His guitar (which is nicer than Uncle Mike's) sits in a corner and collects dust. Pisses me off.

Or...see also: "What Jerry from LA said."