3

My daughter (7 yrs) has started playing drums and at school they have a full drum set (kick drum, snare drum, high hat, etc).

To practise at home, she was given a snare drum. To me it seems she would get great benefit from being able to practise with kick drum and snare drum at home.

We dont have room for a full sized kick drum at home - is there an alternative?

For example is there a smaller electronic kick drum, or some other way we can improvise, without spending a lot of money?

edit:

Thanks for the help! Here's my daughter's home made kick drum with a box, which cost under 30 euros for the kick pedal.

Home made kick drum

Improve this question

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
6

This may sound dumb and simple but: a box. Get a real kick pedal, even a cheap one, and set it up to hit something that will make a sound loud enough to hear and quiet enough that you can tolerate it as a parent. Anything hollow with a flat side to hit should work, even a sturdy cardboard box.

There are practice pads made specifically for this but they may be a bit quiet for a real snare drum. They'd be better paired with a similar snare practice pad. So having something with a little more volume may help.

Alternatively yes there are electronic kits and modules that have kick inputs but those can start getting expensive. Check craigslist or your local used market though and you may find a cheap entry-level kit.

Improve this answer
2
  • Thanks! I added a picture of the setup to my answer. Works great!
    – vikingsteve
    Oct 23, 2017 at 10:28
  • The action on electric kicks is horrible; the trigger has no give to it, so you don't get your beater back fast enough. But I play on my toes and I've broken every pedal I've ever owned....
    – Mazura
    Jan 15, 2020 at 1:17
2

I've seen a lot of smaller kick drum alternatives available for busking.

You could look at stomp boxes. Basically a electronic pedal that outputs to an amp.

If just for practice, you could probably make a small wooden box and mount a kick drum pedal to it.

Try googling for "busking kick drum"

Improve this answer
1

You can make a simple bass drum 'emulator' with a couple of boards and a rubber mouse pad. An electronic BD unit costs almost as much as a bass drum. I'd be tempted to look for a cheap used bass drum to get her started.

Improve this answer
1
  • Thanks I did look for a used bass drum but they still run around 220 euros (we live in a small expensive country)
    – vikingsteve
    May 14, 2018 at 7:07
1

Having already spent 30 Euros I think a kid's 3 piece drum set for around $100-125 US would seem affordable for you. I'm not sure about your local availability, but in the US a kid's kit can be mail ordered online. Obviously the sound of kid's kit won't be good, but it's for a 7 year old, that seems appropriate. I'm sure it will be more fun than playing a box. An electronic kit could be nice, because you can control the volume, but it will cost about three times an acoustic kit. In terms of size, the kid's kits are scaled down. For the picture you included, I think one will fit in that space.

Improve this answer
-1

You could also use a 5 gallon water jug, or 5 gallon bucket. You essentially attach it to a base so that the beater of the kick peddle hits the bottom of the jug, or bucket. It's a good idea to have a base large enough that the peddle can clamp down on a metal strap so it won't move much, since the peddle usually clamps down on the rim of the kick drum.

Here is an example: https://www.instructables.com/id/5-gallon-water-jug-bass-drum-kick-drum/

Improve this answer
0

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.