I am thinking about paying for my son to take drum lessons starting in the spring, or close to that. I get my tax return in February so I was thinking I could pre-pay for some lessons then. Anyway, I need to buy him a drum kit. He is only four years old, so it has to be a junior one, but I want one of decent quality that he can take serious lessons with. Any suggestions? Since I am doing this when I get my tax return (and I'm expecting a fucking nice tax return) money isn't really an object. I mean, I can't spend more than 5-600$, but that's still plenty, right?
im not a drummer, im a guitarist, but i can tell you that 600 for a junior kit is more than you will ever need to spend. i recommend this kit: http://www.zzounds.com/item--LUDLJR106 its decent quality for the price. since he's four thats the way to go. when he gets to about 9 you could get him a real size one; until then, anything bigger than a junior will just be too big for the kid.
Ive been playing drums since 5th grade. You could even get him a snare to start off with and get used to and then buy him a basic set, maybe just a basic pearl export 5 piece or something like that. Just find a good teacher to mold him into a drummer, I think drums are the easiest instrument to learn, you just gotta get down the rhythm and coordination.
I've been playing for almost 6 years. I was in my high schools marching band all 4 years and was on drum-line playing the snare all 4 years. Also, I've been playing set since 6th grade. I agree with what bro above me said lol i jsut forgot to quote him. It might be safest to jsut start with a snare so he can learn basic rudiments and such, that's the best place to start 'cause any good drummer has progressed from there. In short, I wouldn't spring for the whole set yet 'cause they can get pricey. I hate to break it to ya, but that much cash play won't get you very far as far as full sets go. Well decent ones that is. You could get him a full set, but it wouldn't be to great of quality cause I know you can buy decent sets to but they rip ya cause then they supply you with shitty heads and cymbals (I speak from experience). Ok wow, I'm rambling lol... I'd stick with a nice snare for now... Ludwig, Pearl, Sonor, PDP, etc. OH! brainstorm... I'f you wanted you could swing for the new rock band coming out. I only say this because the drumset that comes with it doubles as an actual electric drumset, and that'd be good cause then he can pop headphones into and you won't have to hear him banging away at it. In fact... maybe I'll invest in one myself, 'cause they're only gonna be a few hundred. Plus! he gets an awesome video game outa it. Win, win situation if you ask me! Ok, done... haha let me know if you wanna ask more!
I've been playing drums since I was 10 and I started out with a Mapex drumset myself. http://drums-percussion.musiciansfriend.com/product/Mapex-QR-Voyager-5Piece-Drum-Set?sku=508172 That one there is a five-piece Mapex kit priced at $399.99...its pretty much in your price range, is a great beginner drumset (Mapex brand also makes high-end quality drumsets) and is a five-piece, which is a great perk. I did exactly what your son will do- parents bought me a drumset, took lessons and within no time I was playing the drums with ease. Having a full drumset opposed to a snare drum at home is a great idea- it allows for practicing and just playing around and will surely be great fun for your son. Hope I helped and good luck with the search! EDIT: Just realized you need a junior-size kit...Mapex makes some pretty small drumkits as mine was pretty tiny when I got it. Search around and I'm sure you'll find the perfect one
Personally I started off with piano lessons at age 7 (I'm now 20) and then moved onto percussion in middle school band. From there I did four years of drumline (tenor drums) and picked up drumset along the way. I bought my own set my senior year of high school. Different paths for different drummers... get him a set if you want, 4 years old seems a little young though. No matter what you do, make sure you put him in school band immediately. He will learn so much in notation/theory/technique and will probably get private lessons through the school.
whatever you make your son into, just make sure he shows up for band practice. most drummers in my experience are well...unreliable asses haha. but on a serious note, i began playing guitar when i was 12. music can be a great thing in childhood, but dont make it too confining for him. i know so many kids in my school that i always try to chill with but they have orchestra every day. its a good thing for teens i guess but at the tender age of four, your gunna need alot of patience....oh and some earplugs.
I agree 100% the best drummers ive ever jammed with were ones that took percussion in school. off topic but i LOVE flapjack...and chowder.
Yep. If you skip school band, odds are you'll develop with bad drumming habits. Not everyone is this way, but you really learn so much in school... plus you get free lessons.
His dad started playing the drums when he was younger than our son. Seriously, my son wants to be just like his daddy (heaven only knows why ) and he (my son) has been playing with drum sticks and play drums since he was old enough to hold them. Thanks for the help, everyone! I had already planned on putting him in band and school lessons, but he's so excited about it that I wanted him to start learning now while he's still really interested.
And don't get me wrong, the set is a good idea. Teachers always say the earlier you can expose kids to music, the better. I'm sure your husband will give him tips too. The set experience, no matter how small, will definitely make him more advanced for school band.
Every good musician I know around me started with the piano at a young age. They can pretty much pick up any instrument and play it by ear.
I bought him a marching drum set for Christmas. Just a small, tuneable drum, two sticks (which he already notched the hell up) and two handheld cymbals. He loves it and he's having fun banging away at them and making up silly songs at the top of his lungs. I'm going to go with the kit later when he's a little older.
The set Kushman Linked to (http://www.zzounds.com/item--LUDLJR106) isn't that bad at all. Ludwig makes some good quality sets. That rocks your getting him some drums & Lessons. When you do get him the set, make sure you pick up a few sets of sticks (They break). And for the first year or two....
It's really sweet that he wants to learn so badly. One piece of advice from experience, though. Make sure he listens to a lot of music on his own, or encourage him too. I remember when I was really young and starting taking lessons, I just learned a bunch of technical stuff and then had no direction to go in because I didn't really know what I wanted to play. If I had been listening to music, I could have had an idea of what to play.