E- Drums for kids

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It's my son's 8th birthday next month and h'se become really interested in music especially drumming, on tables and chairs and seats..you get the picture.  We've been thinking about getting him a little drum type unit to see if he takes to it.  Are the tabletop ones with 4 or so pads any use or would we better looking at cheaper, more traditional looking e-Kits?  There seems to be a lot of cheap looking things on Amazon etc but it's not something I have much experience of.

Ta
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Comments

  • WhistlerWhistler Frets: 322
    I found out the hard way that those table-top multi-pad drums (Yamaha DD-11) require a light touch, smething a 3 year old would have, so I would suggest you look more toward a more traditional looking and size kit.

    The range of sounds available from an e-kit could be a better choice for an 8 year old than the more realistic feel but muted sounds of a real kit adapted for home use.

    In my case I ended up getting real drums, replacing the heads with Remo Silentstroke and cutting out circles of thin carpet as mutes for the cymbals. Certainly, that would be less inspiring for a child but it may be the direction he will go if he takes to drumming.

    Which kit? It depends on your budget, obviously. If your budget stretches to at least having a mesh head for the snare that will be so much better than all rubber pads. The more mesh heads the better but that also means more expensive. Probably early inspiration will come from having songs to drum along to, whether that be provided by the drum kit or by you by, for example, plugging an MP3 player into the aux input.
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  • andypandyp Frets: 332
    I'm looking at the same thing just now and finding it quite tough to figure out what to do.

    Our younger son will be 5 this May and he really wants a drum kit, which I would be delighted to get him... but the size and type is not easy to figure out at all. I would probably rather he had "real" drums but I think the best bet is probably a traditionally laid out electronic set (if that makes sense) rather than a tabletop sort of thing.

    I should really do some more research and take him to a couple of shops to see what they have. It looks like it gets expensive quickly though!

    Andy

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  • cj73cj73 Frets: 1003
    Thanks Lads.  My gut reaction is to try and pick up a set of decent second hand e-drums ( and not just because I fancy having them, honest) but they take up a lot of space, although admittedly less than an acoustic kit.  In honesty though we're probably at the toy rather than instrument stage, if you know what I mean.  Quick googling throws up some tabletop  Alesis things that would maybe act as a bridge towards serious noise making 
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14320
    edited March 2019
    If space is the chief concern, consider https://aerodrums.com/home/


    andyp said:
    ... traditionally laid out electronic set ... rather than a tabletop sort of thing.
    I am not a drummer but I appreciate the importance of the physical positioning of the elements within a kit. The reaching movements go into muscle memory. 
    Be seeing you.
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  • WhistlerWhistler Frets: 322
    cj73, you know your son better than any of us and your plan makes sense.

    andyp and cj73, having travelled the table-top then e-drums and now real drums route I would say that a kit that requires you to use all four limbs will be the way to go, whether now or later.

    The secondhand market is a great way to get started without committing loads of money. If you see something and want to ask for advice or reassurance, feel free.
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  • FastEddieFastEddie Frets: 523
    We bought our young teen a second hand Roland set. He loved it and now has spend nearly £2k on a new Roland electronic set. He is a soldier so can't use acoustic drums in the block!

    The first set we bought are still going strong and are 6 year old is now going to have them set-up.

    Second hand quality has worked for us and I'm so please we didn't buy a cheap set brand new. 
    If I had talent, I'd be talented.
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  • andypandyp Frets: 332
    Useful info, thanks!


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  • NelsonPNelsonP Frets: 3347
    If space is the chief concern, consider https://aerodrums.com/home/


    andyp said:
    ... traditionally laid out electronic set ... rather than a tabletop sort of thing.
    I am not a drummer but I appreciate the importance of the physical positioning of the elements within a kit. The reaching movements go into muscle memory. 
    Do they also make an Airguitar? Now, that might catch on!

    Am watching these threads with interest as my son is also learning the drums.
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  • NelsonPNelsonP Frets: 3347
    So, what was the end result? Electronic kit? If so,  how is it working out?
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  • WhistlerWhistler Frets: 322
    edited September 2021
    @cj73 and @andyp

    Now two and a half years later, I am curious to know how your family drum experiences have gone, what you have discovered witn the experiences, what type of drum kits your children now play (or none) and what you would advise others in the positions you were in two and a half years back.
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  • StratavariousStratavarious Frets: 3595
    edited September 2021
    Alesis and Roland do cheap kits... can maybe get one second hand.   Was looking at them today.
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  • andypandyp Frets: 332
    @Whistler ; 

    Our younger son is now 7 and the drums are pretty much unused, but he does still play them at times. Covid is really the reason for this as his music school pretty much closed down (understandably) and his original teacher left in amongst that too.

    He got on great with the original teacher, but the change to Zoom lessons was hopeless for drums at his age and the extra bit of that also being with a new teacher just didn’t work unfortunately.

    I’m reasonably confident he will start up again at some stage, but I will really need to invest time in it too and encourage him.

    As an aside, the same goes for our 11 year old and his guitar lessons - exactly the same scenario as the drums. Zoom plus a new teacher didn’t work. I need to get my finger out and get them both back on track.

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  • andypandyp Frets: 332
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  • cj73cj73 Frets: 1003
    edited September 2021
    @Whistler   We ended up going with the 4 pad table top unit which he still enjoys using, albeit it in a more free form way.  

    Interestingly our local authority were running an introduction to drums class over the school hols and he went along to that,  He really enjoyed the more structured approach and, probably the important bit,  the big kit.    

    Once the hols were over they announced a longer stretch of group lessons which he has being going to and still enjoys.  If he continues to enjoy it and show interest we're looking at getting a set in the near future, most likely electronic due to space and noise considerations.   

    Would i have gone for the "real" kit 2 years ago with hindsight?  Not sure. As Andy said COVID put a damper on lessons so the interest may have passed.   If was being completely honest I don't think he'd have been ready for a really structured approach anyway back then.

      


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  • WhistlerWhistler Frets: 322
    edited September 2021
    andyp said:
    Thank you @andyp, I have seen and contributed to that thread.

    My question was really out of an interest in how children cope with starting to play drums and what type of drum kits seem to be more inspiring and which are more practical, given that everyone's situation is unique. I appreciate the replies you and @cj73 wrote.

    I had not thought about how Covid restrictions would be an obstacle to learning, so I have learned something new.

    All the best to both of you, your children and any forummer's child that may want to start playing drums in the future.
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  • andypandyp Frets: 332
    Cheers! Likewise. :)


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  • Whistler said:
    My question was really out of an interest in how children cope with starting to play drums and what type of drum kits seem to be more inspiring and which are more practical, given that everyone's situation is unique. 
    The first drummer* from the band I started in my late teens began drumming on pots and pans, using wooden spoons. He went on to work with three or four name bands before becoming a lecturer at Goldsmith's College and, more recently, Head Of Composition at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. He still fronts a percussion ensemble as an outlet for his collaborative compositions.




    * Shades of Spinal Tap.
    Be seeing you.
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