everytime we go to the music store my 6 year old son always likes to play on the drums. no biggie, he forgets about it right away. the last 2 times we went (yesterday & today) he was really into them and asked me to get him a set. he wants to start playing. ok, this is good. but ive got some ?s
what is a good age to start? what kind of set should i get him? should i get a toy set or a cheaper kid set from the store? thanx for any help.....

either:
a) try finding a drum workshop in your area for kids these are great to start of on and often involve some percussive workshops
ie banging on drums tambourines using shakers etc..always a good foundation for a beginner whatever age

b) get him a couple of lessons, a drum pad and some sticks (lightweight to practice on) before investing in a kit make sure he will use it

as far as his age is concerned the earlier the better i teach my bass player's five year old son at the moment and it's amazing how much faster he picks things up than some of the older students that i teach (15,21 and 25!!)

Well, i suggest getting a good set, that way, when he's older, he doesn't have to worry about having a good one and saving all that money up day after day of hard work, (i remember it like it was yesterday)... not too expensive though because (i don't know how your son is) he might not handle them properly... i might be wrong though, i started pretty young

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I make world class music, I just forget to write it down...

i saw a groove percusion set in sam ash that was 200$. it was smaller, like meant for a kid. i didnt know if this was an ok set for him or not.

Also, make sure he wears ear protection (like foam ear plugs, which are cheap and easy to use). I played for quite a while without wearing any protection and I'm lucky that I only have slight tinnitus and very little hearing loss in my left ear.

very good point from ihategarybettman, i also have lost the top end range in my left ear and now use doc's pro plugs,
BTW who is gary bettman??

also as far as kit is concerned, i teach Luke (5) on a floor tom converted to a kick drum a snare and hi hats, i really would recommend using a similar set up as i do for all new students there is no point in owning a huge kit until you master the basics of kick snare and hi hat
good luck and let us know how the little fella is getting on!

MK1, Gary Bettman is the commissioner and destroyer of the NHL (along with Bob Goodenow, head of the NHL Players Association). My hearing loss is also in my left ear, which is no surprise because my most-often-used crash cymbal is ear level and on my left.

MK1, you make alot of sense. im going to look into that this weekend. thank you....

I got a used TAMA kit for my son when he was 7. He's been taking lessons for alsmost 4 years and he's gotten good enough to sit in with my band at gigs sometimes. We got him new heads and some good cymbals and his teacher tunes up the kit when he comes over.

I say go for it. If parents don't actively encourage kids to study instruments there won't be any musicians someday. There are too many other distractions that are luring kids away from making music.

We also found some other kids that play and we have something we call "The Sunday Music Club" at my studio. This has been going on for over 2 years and the kids have performed many times at school and community events. They were even on local cable TV. My son likes to perform in front of an audience which is unusual I think but this has given him a lot of confidence in himself. Learning the instrument in itself has been a lesson in life. He has seen how a long term commitment to work leads to accomplishment and reward. This is worth everything to me. He'll always have this no matter what he decides to do with his life.

hopefully he can do this....

drummer boy

-d. gauss

And it is always better for everybody to give your son an instrument instead of a nintendo ...