The Tale of a Dozen Hi-Hats

The boy loves to play drums. He is constantly drumming on his legs, the dinner table, in the car, at his desk at school (sorry Mrs. V.)... The child never stops.

One of his favorite things to do is go to the drum shop. After a rainy morning, the hubby and I decided to take the boy to Fork's Drum Closet to burn off some energy. I'm pretty sure the boy played every kit in the store.

Just before it was time to go, the boy noticed that there was an assortment of hi-hats lined up for easy comparison. The boy methodically went down the row, giving each one a few taps. As he reached the set at the end of the row, he loudly proclaimed, "This is the WORST sounding hi-hat I've ever heard. THE WORST!"

The hubby made some kind-of comment about how the the boy would know what sounded best. He was, after all, eight-years-old. I laughed. The boy smiled and rolled his eyes.

One of the employees just happened to be walking by and overheard our conversation. He asked the boy why he thought that particular hi-hat sounded so terrible. The boy played the sub-par cymbal again and told the young man, "Just listen. It sounds thin and awful."

The kind employee then asked the boy which hi-hat sounded the best. Without hesitation, the boy pointed out the two that he liked the most.

After a chuckle, the young man told the boy, "You have good ears... and good taste." He then told the boy that if he thought that the first hi-hat sounded bad, that he should check out another hi-hat was even worse.

Can I tell you how much I love all the guys up at Fork's? In addition to running a world class drum shop, they always make time to talk to my boy and encourage him in his craft. They don't even balk when he takes a seat at the ultra-high-end kits in the shop... the ones that cost significantly more than my car.

For that reason, and so many others, Fork's has earned my loyalty.