My son Hao Haoma has risen to the third grade of elementary school.
From kindergarten to now, whether it is the school's after-school club classes or outside interest classes, we have also taken a lot of classes: art for 4 years, drum kit for more than 3 years, martial arts for 1 year, calligraphy, street dance, etc.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: The son is practicing martial arts downstairs
Since entering the second semester of the second grade, my son's schoolwork has become obviously nervous, and we have to consider subtracting the interest class.
After all the trade-offs, we ended up keeping only the drum kit. However, we didn't plan to take the exam or take the professional path when we learned the drums, it was purely because my son liked it.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: My son beats a drum kit in a club class
In the past few years when my son has been learning to play drums, he has encountered difficulties and gained a lot.
In today's article, I would like to share with you my son's experience of learning a drum kit and some common problems in learning a drum kit, hoping to bring some help to interested friends~
When my son was 5 years old,
By chance, I started to learn the drum kit
In the summer vacation when Hao Hao was 5 years old, he went to live at his aunt's house for a while. At that time, my aunt's daughter was learning to play the flute, and she came back to say that the teacher of the training class had opened a new short-term class for children's drums.
After listening to it, I was a little moved, in addition to wanting my son to try some fun to pass the time, I also had a trace of anticipation:
On the one hand, playing the drums requires the coordination of the hands and feet, which can develop the child's physical coordination and sense of rhythm, and on the other hand, the son has a more reserved personality, and learning a musical instrument may develop self-confidence.
With Haohao's consent, I took him to the trial class the next day.
It may be that a child is naturally fond of these percussive instruments, and after a lesson, he will like them very much. So we paid the fee on the spot, 20 classes, enough for Hao Hao to have a summer vacation.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: My son has just started to learn the drums
The drum kit started quickly, and after learning a few sections, my son beat it decently. He also learned to read drum notation, sometimes "moving and beating" and "moving and beating" to read out loud.
After a summer vacation, Hao Hao learned 4 songs, namely "Two Tigers", "Five Little Ducks", "Doll and Bear Dancing" and "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle", but the rhythm is relatively simple.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: After learning a few sections, it looks like a decent one
The teachers of the summer class mainly teach nursery rhymes, and when the children follow the songs completely, they have a sense of accomplishment and are very suitable for cultivating interest in the early stage.
At the end of the lesson, the teacher took the children to the amusement park to participate in the large-scale performance, and Hao Hao was both nervous and excited, and saw that the gathered audience was beating more energetically.
After the performance, each of the children who participated in the performance was rewarded with an all-you-can-go ticket, which was the first time that the son received a reward for his own efforts.
👆 Courtesy of the author: Performing on the stage of a playground
That year, due to the epidemic, the school was postponed for a month after the summer vacation, so we went back to our hometown in the countryside.
My son had nothing to do in his hometown, so I thought about it and bought a set of drums to play in the yard. The rural yard is big, and the neighbors are far away, so you don't have to worry about noisy others.
I ordered a drum kit with 5 drums and 3 cymbals online, including drumsticks, music stands, etc., and a small Bluetooth speaker, so you can play at home at any time.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: The drum kit and giveaways I bought online
My son was soon not satisfied with the songs he learned during the summer vacation, so I found other drum scores and teaching videos on the Internet, and he actually knocked out songs such as "Treading Mountains and Rivers" and "Jingle Bells" along with the rhythm.
Sitting in front of the drum kit, his eyes sparkled, and he beat along with the music, and he was also very energetic.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: Playing a drum kit in my hometown
After returning from our hometown, we continued to go out to enroll in classes.
When my son went to elementary school, we found out that the school wind orchestra happened to have a club class for opening drums, so we transferred to school, so that my son could go directly to learn drums after school, and I didn't have to pick them up and drop them off.
In this way, my son began to learn drums at the age of 5 and has continued to do so until now. At present, it is still guaranteed that there will be one class a week, and Hao Hao will also knock on the score by himself in addition to studying, as a relaxation.
Some frequently asked questions about drum kits
Since Hao Hao learned to drum, we often have friends come to ask us about the drum kit, and I have compiled some frequently asked questions for your reference.
1. At what age can I start learning a drum kit?
Most of the enrollment age for drum kit training classes is 4 years old and above, and children who want to take the professional route may start earlier.
Hao Hao has a drum teacher who has trained his children since he was a child, and her son is already playing well at the age of 4. There is an environment, there are people to teach, and age is not a big issue.
However, I personally think that for amateurs like us, it is better to start after 5 years old:
On the one hand, because the drum kit is very loud, it may have an impact on children whose eardrums are not yet fully developed (although some children choose to wear noise-canceling earplugs).
On the other hand, in terms of the height of the drum kit, if the height is not enough, it is not comfortable for the child to sit and beat the drum. When Hao Hao was more than 5 years old, we adjusted the height of the military drum to the lowest and the stool to the highest, which was just right for him.
👆 Photo provided by the author: More than 5 years old sitting in front of the drum kit, just the right height
2. Is a drum kit easy to learn?
Drum kits are easy to get started, but hard to get started.
After two or three lessons, Hao Hao learned to "move and hit times" in four beats, and he was able to knock a simple children's song like "Two Tigers".
"Move" is to step on the kick drum with your feet, "times" is to hit the cymbal with your right hand, and "beat" is to beat the snare drum with your left hand (usually this is the case, but it may change when adding flowers). As long as the movements are linked and the beat of the music is aligned, a simple tune can be struck.
👆 Source: Xiaohongshu @Jambala
However, once you are exposed to medium-to-high difficult pieces, you need to master complex rhythms and combination techniques, which require a lot of practice. Therefore, Haohao's current teachers pay great attention to basic skills training.
There are several main ways to practice in our daily life:
1. Practice single, double, and compound jumps with a dumb drum pad:
"Single jump" is to click on the drum surface with the drumstick and hit it with one hand and perform it continuously, "Double jump" is to double click and hit twice with one hand, and "compound jump" is a combination of click and double click, there are many combinations, and it needs to be trained repeatedly.
2. Follow the metronome and train the rhythm and speed:
The metronome can help you practice your sense of rhythm, you can start slower, you can keep up steadily, and then gradually accelerate.
3. Break down movements and exercise hand and foot coordination:
The drum kit requires "hands and feet" (different movements with both hands and feet), so coordination is important, and you can break down the movements and practice them slowly......
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: My dumb drum pad and metronome
Haohao's teachers will regularly teach drum scores of different difficulties, and after a certain stage of training is completed, they will arrange corresponding songs to practice and consolidate.
After a lot of basic training, I can really feel that Hao Hao has made rapid progress, his movements are smoother, and he can quickly pick up new songs. However, at present, the songs he practices are still of medium difficulty, such as "Change Yourself", "The Lonely Brave", "Glider" and so on.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: Practice basic skills in club classes
3. Which is more important, basic skills or learning songs?
Haohao's introductory teacher mainly teaches songs, and he learned 4 songs in a month. Later teachers paid more attention to basic exercises, and learned no more than 10 songs in the past 2 years (of course, the difficulty is not the same).
I sometimes wonder why the teachers teach so differently.
I checked on the Internet and saw an interesting statement: most of the teachers who focus on teaching songs are self-taught or from music training schools, while most of the teachers who focus on basic skills are from conservatories.
I compared Haohao's teachers with each other, and found that this was really the case.
Which teaching is better?
As far as Hao Hao is concerned, he first learned songs from his teacher, which directly ignited his enthusiasm for learning drums. If you practice the basic skills as soon as you come up, you don't know what kind of state it will be.
But for children who have already started and want to advance, it is very important to practice basic skills.
In the past few years of practicing basic skills, Hao Hao has retreated, saying that "it is too difficult" and "the teacher is demanding...... But his level is indeed quite impressive. Every time he gritted his teeth and insisted on practicing unfamiliar movements to proficiency, he immediately gained self-confidence again.
However, the psychology of children who like to learn songs can also be understood, after all, fun is not boring, fortunately, the school club is a combination of songs and basic skills, I hope he can persevere.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: Practice basic skills in club classes
As a little selfishness of my mother, I hope that Hao Hao can practice the basic skills steadily in the past few years, so that even if we don't have time to register for classes in the future, he can also practice by himself or learn from the video. After all, some problems of basic skills can really only be pointed out by professional teachers.
4. Do you want to buy a drum kit, which is better, real drum or electronic drum?
Sometimes, in order to make the movement less quiet in class, the teacher will take Haohao to beat the electronic drum.
The material of the electronic drum percussion surface is mostly rubber or mesh, the volume is small, and the volume can also be adjusted, which is actually quite suitable for home use, and it is a good choice for children who practice drums in the city.
👆 Photo provided by the author: The electric drum is relatively small and can be adjusted in volume
Still, we didn't hesitate to buy the real drums. The feel and sound quality of the real drum are completely different from the electric drum, and the electric drum does have a little less flavor.
If you decide to buy a drum, it is best to take your child to the offline store to see and knock on it, and then choose the most suitable one according to your budget and preferences.
5. How can I practice at home if the noise is too loud?
If you have a big yard in the countryside, you don't have to worry about noise. However, I only go back to my hometown for a few days a year, and I spend most of my time living in high-rise communities in the city, and sound insulation is a big problem.
Hao Hao has a classmate, and he has specially prepared a drum room at home to do professional soundproofing.
However, my family does not have this plan, on the one hand, the cost is relatively high, on the other hand, there is really no extra room at home. So if we practice the homework assigned by the teacher at home, we all use the dumb drum pad to complete it.
The dumb drum pad is specially used to practice basic skills, which is actually a rubber plate, which has no noise and can be used instead of the snare drum for practice.
My dumb drum pad was purchased by the teacher, 12 inches, and there is also a stand. Carpeting under the drum rack minimizes noise and does not disturb the neighbors.
And the drum pad is also very convenient to carry, sometimes we go to the park on the weekend, and we can also take a few exercises along the way.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: Practice at home with a dumb drum pad
What did my son gain from learning to play drums?
Some people say that learning to play a drum kit is pure fun, and it is true.
In some places, there is a bonus point policy for students with artistic specialties in the high school entrance examination (for example, my niece is learning the flute, which is to take this into account), but the drum kit is usually not in this range.
So, in a way, learning a drum kit is purely for fun. However, in the process of playing, my son also gained a lot.
After more than 3 years of drumming, I can see some changes in my son:
1. Don't back down when you're in trouble
Whether you learn songs or practice basic skills, there are many difficulties. Sometimes when he can't keep up with the rhythm, his son will practice hard, and there are words in his mouth: "I don't believe that I can't practice!"
Whenever this happens, I feel very gratified that by practicing the drum kit, Hao Hao can defy difficulties and have the courage to challenge, a little manly!
2. Become calm and confident
Since learning the drum kit, the biggest change is that Hao Hao has become much more confident and cheerful.
The son himself is a more introverted character, he doesn't like to be in the limelight, and he was very nervous when he performed for the first time.
But after several years of training, performing on stage is no longer a problem for him. At last year's June 1st celebration, he was able to confidently perform the drum kit in front of more than 1,000 people.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: School June 1st celebration performance
Because of learning the drums, my son also made a lot of new friends. In addition to the classmates in the drum class, there are also friends in the next class who learn saxophone and hip-hop, and they have a lot of fun together on weekdays.
3. Have fun with your hobby
My son was a very sensitive child, cautious and prone to nervousness, and he was initially nervous even when he beat the drum kit.
But now it's obviously much better, especially playing the drum kit in his hometown, he will beat and hum very casually, bask in the sun, and listen to songs. I think it's a good way to enjoy life, and it's even better than performing on stage.
👆 Photo courtesy of the author: Beating drums and basking in the sun in the yard of his hometown
The above are some of my children's experiences in learning drums, just as a personal experience to share with you. If you have other questions, you can leave a message in the comment area to ask questions, and professionals are also welcome to supplement and communicate~
What interest classes does your child still insist on? Let's talk about it in the message area~
Editor丨Pineapple
Title picture丨Courtesy of the author
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