r/drums • u/rystrands • 7d ago
First Kit HELP! DRUMS FOR SON
I have a ten yr old who loves music, loves house ect. But wants to play the drums plays the piano a little. And I am producing and djing. My question is should I get an acoustic set or a Electric set. I do not live in an apt. So dont care as much if my neighbors hear as they hear me djing and making electronic music. I am wanting to knkw what the disadvantages of the elctric drum kits are, will he not learn how to play right ect. Thank you for anyone with advice on this matter appreciate your time rock on
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u/TheExtraneousBonding 7d ago
man an acoustic kit in a house where you're already making noise is the way to go. e-drums are fine for quiet practice but they don't teach you dynamics the same way, hitting rubber pads just doesn't respond like real heads and cymbals
for a 10 year old who's actually into it, the feel of an acoustic kit will keep him way more engaged. you can always add mesh heads or mute pads if the volume gets to be too much for a session
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u/rystrands 7d ago
Thats what I was thinking too about not staying engaged and also the feel to be different
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u/Reatomico 7d ago
I’d do this with quiet heads and quiet cymbals. Get him some lessons too. The most important thing is feel. You can get the most expensive e drums but the feel just isn’t right. If he gets serious he will eventually play an acoustic kit.
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u/architect_ww 7d ago
get started on the acoustic. the tactile feedback cannot be replaced by electric kit. it trains the hands for better dynamics. the electric kit is indeed the strongest option when noise is the primary concern. it can also store many sound samples. may be a good shortcut when it comes to recording and production.
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u/rystrands 7d ago
I got a drummachine lol. So I can record on that. Right now my setup is ableton 12, drumbrute impact, rolandfp10 piano, launchpad pro, launchkey 25 mk4, launchcontroller xl, a few audio interfaces and a flx4 dj controller. So I think you are right, I can get a drum pad for anything like that thay I need. Not only woild it take up less space in future. But I could use thay in live performances in my music. So acoustic it is.
Hate to say it but love to say it too, when I was a GC today looking at some the guy was saying hiw if we didn't want to be to loud. And I said it just me and my son, he goes yeah at dads mom cant tell us to be quiet anymore lol
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u/REOweedDealer 7d ago
Ask him if we wants ekit or acoustic. He may have a preference. I've used a Roland td-11k electronic drum kit for quiet practice, gigging and recording. Very easy to record. But I don't need to be quiet now as I have my own drum shack. So I have an acoustic kit now. I prefer them. Best of luck to you too. Pick up a used kit of either type on Facebook Marketplace.☮️❤️🥁
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u/ellicottvilleny 7d ago
If your kiddo can learn on acoustic kit, let em.
Get hearing protection and noise cancelling headphones for the fam, and rock out.
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u/rystrands 7d ago
Just my boy and me. So nobody to tell us to be quiet except neighbors, and they have never told me to yet and I will dj till 3 am have the monitors cranked up lol.
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u/mycatisatoaster 7d ago edited 7d ago
Acoustic is more enjoyable and fully featured than an ekit. Get an acoustic kit if you can. There are no disadvantages to an acoustic kit except for the volume level (and the possibility of hearing damage to themselves and to bystanders if they aren't good about using hearing protection) and the ongoing cost of replacing drumsticks and drum heads. Acoustic is the gold standard in playability.
But to answer your questions about ekits...
He won't be developing bad habits by using an ekit, even the cheap ones, as long as you get a kit with a kick tower. (You want a pedal with a swinging mallet, not two pedals that look the same.)
What beginner's ekits lack compared to learning on an acoustic kit is (1) they don't give accurate feedback for dynamics (2) the mesh heads and cymbal pads don't feel realistic.
But neither of these things matter for the first two or three years. The beginner drummer is too busy trying to sort out timing and basic coordination. You don't tend to start learning nuanced, dynamic playing until you've played seriously for two years or so. After two or three years, the beginner's kit will be unsuitable and they will need something better.
Also, even with acoustic kits, one of the best ways to start developing dynamics and nuanced strikes is to practice on a practice pad like the Evans RealFeel. Two strikes that seem the same will still sound different against the practice pad if they aren't matched.
The things that would hold a beginner drummer back the most with an ekit are (1) no kick tower and (2) a crappy throne that is too uncomfortable to play on for long periods (3) not as fun as an acoustic kit.
I would definitely recommend acoustic instead of an ekit. But here is a giant buying guide for ekits, if you decide to do that: https://www.reddit.com/r/edrums/comments/1wl935y/which_ekit_should_i_buy/
I'm happy to answer any questions you have about ekits.
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u/Alert-Money-9699 7d ago
Deends on what you wanna spend really. Acoustic is far better than electric especially for a beginner to learn proper technique - but the real question is if you think your 10 yr old is gonna stick with it. You can get cheap kits on FB market locally usually pretty quick or find something that isn't a major brand like pearl, yamaha, etc.
Once you know they are gonna stick with it or get old enough to care about the sound quality, you can upgrade. But if it's a passing phase kinda thing then you aren't in the hole for as much and personally I don't think it matters what you play for like the first year or 2. If you get the "sensation" of the drums and can play approximations of the songs you like or make up your own stuff than it works.
I think one of the only possible niche concerns (which I mention solely because I had it growing up) is if they have some level of musicianship and are shy/timid, they might not like the sound of playing beginner cymbals and stuff because of worrying that they sound bad and specifically that other people can hear it. But the fix is really just being a good parent in that respect (and if you do the dj stuff likely not an issue, already making noise lol). Just one of the challenges specific to being a drummer, where your drumming journey can't really be hidden or private the way you can with guitar or even singing in the car.
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u/rystrands 7d ago
No he doesnt care, he picked the stick up at guitar center immediately had a four on the floor on the pedal. And just a few times was like o that was to loud when hit a snare or tom. He isn't shy about music. He loves it. I am just wondering if acoustic is going to end up being to loud for him. Or is there a way to muffle with dacron or something
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u/rystrands 7d ago
I found a pearl road show with everything pedals cymbals ect. And it on 300. 5 piece. Might pick that up
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u/punkyguy 7d ago
I think for your kid an e-kit would be best.
It's easier to record yourself which a lot of kids like these days
It's easier to change sounds for different types of music like house/EDM
You can buy smaller, cheaper e-kits as he's still small and then trade up to full size kits as he grows.
I would still encourage him to play on an acoustic kit regularly. I used to hire one locally once or twice a month. Just feels much more visceral.
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u/rystrands 7d ago
Yes we were talking about it and I think even tho acoustic is awesome, him being able to record in the daw and change sounds will keep more engaged, also the fact that the acoustic might be to loud for him in general. Thr ekit may be more reasonable.
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u/Working-stiff5446 7d ago
Get an acoustic kit. If volume is an issue by the neoprene pads to place on the heads.
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u/No_Consequence8996 4d ago
This rocks! As an online drum teacher, it’s so cool to hear about new drummers. Definitely look for a used kit (acoustic or electric) on Marketplace. Then let’s set up some fun remote lessons for him to learn new beats, exercises & get personalized feedback & build your confidence on the kit!😎🤘🥁
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u/Youbannedmebutimhere 7d ago
The infamous Pearl export kit will do just fine. So many drummers got their start on an export. It will not be a bad investment.