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That all depends on how much time you spend doing enough of the right things. Some people are naturally ‘gifted’ but that only gets you a certain distance and so at some point, focus and hard work come into it. Always make sure you are listening to lots of music to keep yourself inspired and develop that subconscious sense of ‘feel’ which you will need. To put an actual timeframe on this question is pretty much impossible because everybody is different. Of course, if you do plenty of work on your rudiments, that will be a faster track to unlocking your freedom and expression.

Ok, so there’s no absolute answer here. It depends on the individual and the circumstance. If you’re just starting out, it can be good to get a cheap electric kit especially if you have issues with making too much noise. Having said that, if you get one that is cheap, make sure it’s new so it has a warranty OR get your hands on a more high and one that is second hand because they can be pretty dependable and quite a safe purchase. I have been known to crack out the soldering iron on my student’s cheap and nasty kits. I teach on an OLD but really good quality, base model electric kit at one of my studios for 12 years and it is an absolute joy. Seriously, if you get one of those and maybe throw in an extra crash cymbal, you are good to go for many years. Acoustic kits. Do this if you can! At some point you’re going to do it anyway. This is where you learn how to tune your drums and understand the dynamics of drum acoustics and of course, your drum maintenance, skins, snares etc…. Much easier for going and jamming with your mates too. The other major thing here is that you’re on a real snare drum straight away and that is a different ‘feel’ for a start. Learning to control your dynamics and stick rebound is best done here PLUS you can’t do your rim shots, or your cross-stick work unless you’re on a real snare, so, all your Afro-Cuban, Latin & Jazz percussion stuff has to wait! There are plenty of creative ways to go acoustic and dampen the whole kit down and if you hook up with a pro who can search the ads for you and flick you a few links of kits worth buying, you can do really well with used gear. Remember though, if you get dodgy cymbals, you’re kinda stuck with them. Can’t be fixed, but a good drum set that needs to be re-skinned AND comes with decent cymbals, is a win. I have a number of students who’ve just thrown a blanket over the whole kit, including a bit draping over the bass drum, and that’s all it needs or you can go nuts and remove the skins and fill them, or just put a lining of foam around the inside of the shell. That’s a pain though. Clip some foam pieces to your cymbals and it’s a done deal.

Sure you can do that too. Good compromise.

Thanks very much personal choice. Depends on the sound you’re looking for. I do find wooden tips to be a whole lot warmer but there will be occasions where nylon tips work better.