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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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Persistent and inconsistent guitar player.
A lefty, hence a fog of permanent frustration
Not enough guitars, pedals, and cricket bats.
USA Deluxe Strat - Martyn Booth Special - Electromatic
FX Plex - Cornell Romany
Am watching these threads with interest as my son is also learning the drums.
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.
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.
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/149577/kids-drum-kits
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.
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.
* Shades of Spinal Tap.