As an educator for over 20 years, and especially while doing online drum lessons, the most asked question I get from parents is "What do I need to buy in order to get my child started?"
The first thing I say is get a practice pad and some sticks. This costs about $28, give or take, anywhere in America. IF you can afford a drum set as well, never pay more than $200 for a fully equipped drum set for children up to 10 years old. $300 for 11 and up. You can even buy an electronic drum set for around $150.
I can't tell you how many times i've seen parents buy their beginner student a $300 - $600 drum set in the hopes that the "Best" equipment will give their child the best advantage in learning to play well. That is just not the case. Playing a $1,000 drum set, before one can properly hold a stick, could lead to improper technique which becomes extremely hard to undo, or fix later on as a drummer.
Why?
Well, like any instrument, there is a right and wrong way to play the drums to get a good or bad sound. Using technique and muscle memory practices, the drummer learns to strike each drum and each cymbal with precision, to get the perfect sound that drum or cymbal can produce. Extremely expensive drum sets are designed to make a great sound with less effort and technique; Basically to sound great, no matter what. Sure a professional drummer will make that same set sound even better, but the subtle differences can easily be lost on a beginning drummer.
Getting that practice pad is the most important part because it forces the student to continually work on technique and stick feel alone. After that, moving to a set that forces you to have to use terrific technique in order to get even a fairly decent sound out of it, almost guarantees that your student is practicing and internalizing great technique, and above average feel as they grow into intermediate, and advanced playing.
I put together a list of some of my favorite cheap drums and sites for students ready for a new set.
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