$280

Hey guys, thanks for providing a great service. My kid seems to have developed an interest in percussion and I'm thinking about getting him a starter kit. Are there any recommendations of what to get/stay away from? Should I get a regular kit, or something like a cocktail rig? Are there some brands that are better than others for the beginner category? What kind of price range would I be looking at for everything, out the door? And how about lessons? Do I start him on that right away? Or let him beat on them for a while just to see if the interest is there for real?

I'm not a drummer, but I have dealt with school music programs for years and may be able to help. If a real drummer wants to chime in, that's even better.

School programs begin kids around 4th grade on snare drum only, and for the past few years many have been adding to the snare a concert bell kit, which allows the player to also learn to read musical notation and play melody. The snare kits come with a stand and a rubber pad that covers the top of the drum. It's important to start with rudiments, which means single stroke studies alternating hands and building up to rolls. I don't know of any teachers who will start a new player on a kit because it takes independence -- that is, the hands and feet must play independently of each other, and that takes time to develop.

Many music stores have snare drum kits that sell for less than $150, including the pad and the stand and sticks. An alternative might be to rent a snare kit from a music store with rental money going toward purchase of a full kit down the road. I know kids who have played kits from age 7, but they are the exception. I think the snare is a good way to go because although it may not be as much fun as bashing multiple drums and cymbals, it will determine if your son has the discipline and interest necessary to continue.

Although I taught myself how to play bass, I recommend lessons for any instrument because it's important to establish good habits from day one, and a good teacher will come up with a lesson plan tailored to the player.

I know many players who are happy with Yamaha and Ludwig kits. A basic kit will include a bass drum, snare, one or two mounted toms, maybe a floor tom, hit-hat cymbals and a crash/ride cymbal and bass drum pedal. I'd say $500 is an average price to pay for these kits.

I agree with Laklander on the snare/bell concert percussion kit. Even beginner kits can become quite pricey. If you are set on focusing on drumset there is something to keep in mind; are you looking for short term or long term.

Short Term

CB Junior Drumset
CB built this kit specifically for underage rockers,(3-6), and includes a snare, two mounted toms, floor tom, kick, hi-hat, crash cymbal, kick pedal, throne and cymbal stands. This kit will set you back around $450.00. The CB kit has decent shells, decent heads to begin with and the tone is perfect for a beginner.

DeRosa Bridgecraft 522 Beginner Drumset
A little bit bigger than the CB kit, the DeRosa Bridgcraft comes with a snare, two mounted toms, floor tom, kick, hi-hat, ride cymbal, pedal, throne and cymbal stands. This kit will set you back $250-300. The DeRosa has a poor shells, poor heads
and the tone is very bland.

Sunlight Fusion-Sized Kids Drumset
The Sunlight is a step up from the beginners kits targeted to ages 8-Teens. It has the same included hardware as the CB and DeRosa kits and will set you back around $350-400. The Sunlight has average shells, average heads and the tone is average.

Long Term
With long term drumset choice, keep in mind that you can always add on to your kit. Whether it be new heads, more cymbals, additional drums, or accessories the options are unlimited.

Pearl Forum
The Forum is Pearl's mid priced kit and includes all the hardware the other kits do and this kit will set you back about $700-800. The Forum has great shells, great heads, and a really warm rich tone. This kit is great for teens-adults.

Tama ImperialStar
The ImperialStar is Tama's mid sized kit and includes all the hardware the previous kits do, plus one cymbal and cymbal stand. This kit will set you back about $650-750. The ImperialStar has great shells, great heads, and a bright, rich, warm tone. Tama offers a noticeably heavier construction in their drum shells and in their hardware. The Tama is a great all around drumset.

Ludwig Accent Custom Elite
Another mid-sized kit, the Custom Elite offers the same hardware as the ImperialStar and will set you back around $750-800. The Custom Elite has great shells, great heads, and a lighter bright tone.

As for lessons, most instructors will build a custom learning plan specific for your child. Included in the lesson plan will be beginner drumset focusing on timing and independence through the feet and hands, beginning rudiments, and beginning notation. The lessons are great if your child is serious and your willing to invest the time and money as well. To begin with and see if the interest is there, buy a beginner bare bones kit, plug some head phones into either an mp3 player or cd player and let them choose their own tunes and let the little rocker cut loose.

If a serious interest develops definitely pursue lessons. More often than not most drum instructors will ask for a prepared piece during their tutelage and starting your child off rocking to their own stuff will give them an advantage when preparing and learning new genres and fills.

Wow, this is a fantastic guide, Dave. You should probably consider putting that up as a how-to or part of a percussion buyer's guide for the site. It'd be great to have a source like that available for everyone who gets on here. I'll be taking a copy of this to the studio where I work as well. Thanks for the help!

I agree Shack. Dave, nice work. Maybe you can incorporate parts of this into the MGR Drums Buying Guide.

Lemme work on that!

I appreciate the support and praise guys! I definitely will work that into the Drums Buying Guide for sure. As a younger musician and instructor, I always get incredibly excited when I hear of young ones becoming interested in percussion, and in fact most of my student load is young rockers.

Too many Daves in here, hahaha..

Never too many Daves.:) I was once in a four-piece band with two other Daves. Luckily, they both had nicknames.

haha, yeah, I could imagine that would get a little confusing at times..