Pinelands Music Academy offers private one-on-one drum lessons on site at our location in Medford Lakes, NJ
At what age should an individual begin studying drums?
Due to its outward simplicity, the drum set is often considered by parents of young children interested in learning an instrument. However, the spatial arrangement of the drums and the ambidextrous nature of multi-limbed playing means that many children may not be ready for the demands of the drum set until ages 8-10. While plenty of students have had success starting at a younger age, it’s more challenging to implement proper technique and posture and develop good coordination when the child is less physically developed.
Are there physical issues that can occur with drums? If so, what & how can I prevent them?
While it’s common to hear about cramps, blisters, and other physical ailments, there are a number of easy remedies and preventative measures one can take. Depending on personal preference and hand size, finding the proper stick can go a long way. The student can also expect calluses to form over time in the areas where friction may cause initial discomfort.
Drums are loud! How can I make them quieter?
When possible, placing the drum set in an isolated space in the house will yield the best volume control results, but there are also various sound reducing drum heads available. One example is the Silent Stroke head by Remo which reduces over 70 to 80% of the acoustic drum set’s sound. You can also get cymbal mutes or low volume cymbals to address the higher frequencies. Alternatively, one may consider going digital with an electronic drum kit to have direct control over the output levels.
What drum set should I buy?
While there are plenty of student drum sets out there, there are also smaller club size kits that are very affordable and check all the boxes for a beginning drummer. Three great inexpensive options are Sound Percussion, Ludwig Accent, & Tama Metro Jam. Some beginner sets are more expensive due to their inclusion of hardware (cymbal stands, tom mounts, bass drum pedals, etc.) and cymbals. These kits are the most desirable as they will have everything the student needs to both play drum set and rudimentary snare drum.