Talented kids
I did something really dumb on the weekend. I let my son buy a set of drums and set them up in my basement! Ahhhhhhh! What was I thinking?
Ok, here’s the backstory: A year and half ago my son took an interest in drumming. “Ok, so before we go out and spend a small fortune on something for him to beat on let’s see if this is just a passing fad or is he serious” I said to my wife. We signed him up for lessons. Turned out it was not a passing fad. He became obsessed. I would come home from work and he would be watching drum solo’s on you tube. I like Neil Pert as much as the next guy but man, 12 minute drum solos?
Anyway, he saved all his money from his paper route and with a bit of help from Mom and Dad bought his first set of drums last Aug. It was a delightfully silent set of Rolland TD-7 electronic drums. They were only noisy when he turned the amp on. For the most part he played using headphones. Nice. Two weeks ago he announced that he had grown tired of the electronic drums. He wanted to buy a nice big set of LOUD acoustic drums. “Ok, sure” I said. “But first you have to sell your old ones”. I thought that would take a while and things would remain blissfully silent for at least a few months. Little did I know. He sold the Rolland’s in two days (for $50 more than he paid for them I might add). Yesterday he bought a very large set of Tama drums. I helped him assemble them. Then I left. I may never go back into my own house! Nothing can prepare you for the assault on your eardrums that a huge bass drum in a basement can provide.
To be completely honest (and I will never admit this to him) I am very impressed with his ability. He plays well. I sometimes find myself humming along. He is doing something I always wanted to do. He’s playing an instrument. It’s something I dreamed about as a kid but never quite got around to doing. Is it too late? Perhaps I’ll take up the bass and get a really big amp. We can play together. Form and band and hit the road. We would probably have to hit the road because I’m pretty sure my wife would kick us out anyway. By the way, I have been informed that I shouldn’t refer to him as a drummer. I should call him a percussion artist. Yeah, ok. Encourage your kids to follow their dreams….then buy earplugs.