can i have a go on your kit?

[NUTHA JASON]

when an audience member, particularly when it is a hot girl, comes up to me during a gig and asks if they can play on my kit i get mad. my stock answer is:
'no, sorry. it is against the club policy. if i let you play and you make a noise we could get fired.'
they always look so upset. but letting anyone on your kit at a gig is A BIG MISTAKE.

first of all, they are extremely likely to suck. and suck loudly.

secondly if not everybody can see the stage and they hear a racket they may think it is you who is a terrible drummer. some of them may even leave before you play your first song.

thirdly if you let one person play on your kit you are bound to get more people demanding a go.

fourthly you may actually get fired. some pubs and clubs i play only want music in the allotted times. any noodling or extra soundchecking is heavily discouraged.

fifthly they may break something vital...right before you're supposed to start.

sixth - and this is a rare one - they may be a much better drummer than you. and then you will look poor for the rest of the evening and also your band leader might get 'ideas'.

BUT seventh - have you ever tried to get somebody off your kit once they have sat down? its hard to stop them. you end up whining, 'okay, that's enough...okay, okay, okay, stop now...can i have my sticks back please.' and they will always hit it a few more times.

once between sets the band went outside to cool down and i heard someone playing my kit. some jerk climbed on the stage, found my sticks and was having a go. i didn't even bother to talk to him. i went straight up to the head bouncer and said that in all the clubs we play at the bouncers keep audience off the stage and that this was very unprofessional. i said i wanted that idiot chucked out. and he was.

another time i told this blonde babe (who claimed that she was learning the drums) that the manager would fire me if i let her play my kit. then, as i was tuning i looked up and she had gone over to the bar and was talking to the manager. a minute later she was back grinning. she said, 'the manager said that there was no such rule. she said it would be allright to play the kit okay.'
so i said to her, 'look, i was just trying to be nice. you can't take a hint and checking up on me shows that you are a jerk. its not 'the' kit its 'my' kit. you wouldn't let me take your car for a spin around town. and so the answer is no. please get off the stage.'

j

ps: i do let other drummers i know play on my kit though. that's different. but everybody thinks they can play the drums particularly after a few drinks.

[T.Underhill]

Riiiight on. I also get this often. It's the most akward feeling to be standing there wanting someone to stop playing your drums and you're doing the whole "OK, OK, OK, Cool, gimme the sticks..." Oh, Nutha you forgot to mention the last sixteenth blast/annoying crash before they give back the sticks. Audiences do hate crappy sounds coming from instruments; they don't want to hear your impromptu crowd member drum solo in between sets. I'd relate it to me picking up an electric guitar at someone elses show and taking a crack at Cat Scratch Fever. More like Nails on a Chalkboard Fever. Lastly, people sometimes don't understand how much time and money we invest in our drums. Some of our kits are worth more than their POS cars!! Another drummer who seems to have experience wants to play at a smaller gig?? Fine then, have a blast I'm going to get a beer.

[TopCat]

I haven't experienced this much, or yet, anyway. You should seriously publish all this info as a website jason, it's useful as hell.

[Storm Drummer]

yeah that would get frustrating!

even with my kit at home, whenever someone comes over they all gush "wow drums...can i have a go?" and what can you say? Well i wanna say no but its hard when its a friend (or husbands workmates). Alot of the time they just ask for a demo, so thats ok!

[cdrums21]

I've had encounters such as this and they truly do suck. I hate to have anyone "sit-in" unless I know them and am comfortable with how they will treat my kit. We used to play a song called "Big Balls" by AC-DC. We had beach balls all over the stage to throw out into the audience while we played the song....bad idea as people got carried away, knocking over drinks and starting fights, but getting back to the story...this haggard, rough looking girl came up and asked to play my drums. I politely told her that we didn't let people sit in. She got mad, took the cigarette she was smoking out of her mouth and used it to start putting holes in all of the beach balls on stage! Luckily, the bouncers quickly saw what was happening, grabbed her sorry butt and tossed her into the parking lot. Pretty weird huh?

[MOONCHILD]

if they are pros they would never ask you to play.They would lay back and enjoy the show.So totaly agree with everything said.

Probably the worst case scenario is:your snare is broken-half an hour break to fix it

[Chip]

I cop this from band mates. I HATE it. I'm sick to arse of hearing the same crappy things being tried to be played. Fortunately I haven't had strangers to fend off.

A while ago at a gig I went to talk to a fellow drummer at a gig, they were the last act, and as he was packing up I noticed he had Eliminators (which I can't try because there are no local music shops) and I asked if I could quickly try them out, and he let me. If you want to try a kit, prove that you know something about drums first.

What I'm saying is, on some circumstances, you can let somebody try it, provided you know they aren't going to break something. But on most, I wouldn't.

[tentpole]

Oh yeah, how about this one? How many times have you been asked to play "Wipe out"?
If I had a dollar for everytime someone staggered up to the stage to request that song, I'd be rolling in cash. Can anyone relate?

I used to like that song.

[kazzman]

One of my major pet peeves is being asked if somebody can play my drums before or after a gig. The only people I'll even let touch them are fellow drummers who I know and trust (which is only two) and my band mates. At first, I would give a simple "no", but now I've kinda turned into a prick with it and usually ask if I can bang the guys girlfriend if I let him. Hey, it's a fair trade, right? Bang for a bang...

[Stormi]

Well, I'm not at gigging stage yet, but what is it with EVERY person that walks into your house (well, not EVERY), but people you know, or sort of know, and they see the drums and ask to have a go, or very rudely just sit themselves down without asking and try to play.

Why does this not happen with other instruments? I never see people who walk into a house with a piano say "ooh, can I have a go?' or any other instrument, for that matter.

I don't mind friends/family having a go at them, it's just weird. I guess it's the same with gigs though, do people come on stage and say "Can I have a go of your bass/lead/microphone"?

[Crazy]

I've never encountered such problem on a gig, but the issue with drums, compared to other instruments, is that people think that by just hitting the different gears they can come out with a rythm. for a non musician, putting in place a rythm is easier than creating a melody, that's probably why they are less reluctant to sit behind a kit and hit than picking up a guitar.

Let's also face it, on the other hand, it's always impressing to sit behind a drumkit, it's not very common to be able to be behind one, it can be comparable to a motor show where you get the chance to sit inside cool cars you may never be able to buy and/or drive.

[Guinness]

Oh yeah, how about this one? How many times have you been asked to play "Wipe out"?
If I had a dollar for everytime someone staggered up to the stage to request that song, I'd be rolling in cash. Can anyone relate?[/QUOTE]


Too many times. I feel silly everytime I have to play it, but for some reason non-drumming people think that is an extremely great and difficult solo to pull off. I just grin and give them what they want and absorb the praise afterwards and sometimes feel like a fraud if there is another drummer in the room. :-)

I prefer to keep my solos in the woodshed, but when requested I would much rather do a solo I composed instead of a cheesy surfer-rock cover.

[neilpscuz]

Ok here's a couple for ya.....Had a very nice lookin girl ask if she could try my kit between sets once. So instead of turnin her down, i told her i'd give her a quick lesson.We walked up to my kit and I sat down and pointing at my lap I said "have a seat". She sat on my lap and i told her to put her feet on mine, then handed her the sticks. I put my arms aroumd hers and held her hands and proceeded to play a (quietly) beat, moving her arms for her ! She was pretty happy, "wow i can play !" The other one is pretty funny, I think. I was at a local bar celebrating a buddys birthday. We had been there since 5pm, and about 10pm the band fired up. A three peice, 2 gtrs, and a bass/keyboard player playin to a drum machine. They are a very good band, but i was feeling it( after 5 hrs of drinkin), so after the second song i yelled out "drum solo !".Man there were some confused looks on stage ! So after the next song i yelled out "wipe out ! everybody knows how to play wipe out ! WHAT KIND OF BAND CAN'T PLAY WIPE OUT !!!! Very confused looks on stage,(nervous too). So there it is, my revenge for all those times i had to play WIPE OUT !:o)

[lawdawgdv]

Maan i'll say this Im real particular about anyone havin a go at my kit. I dunno I guess to me my kit is a personal thing. I have spent a lotta time and money gettin it right the way I want it. i guess to me askin me to play my kit is like askin me to have a go at my wife which aint never gonna happen. I guess the one I hear the most often is " Hey I used to play the drums....... Oh yeah how long ago?........ well back in highscool I played the bass drum..... which is mostly with guys my age at least 15 years ago. I agree with nuthajason on the fact that that person sure aint gonna let you take their ride for a spin. I just think our drums are sacred ground mabey imma little paranoid but hey they are my babies.

The Dawg Barketh (lol)

Rock On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Just Drums]

Start reading with post #11:

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12438


;)

[drumbandit]

most definetly!! theyre sacred to the owner , i do let friends play the drums but im not scared to tell them to get the hell off them when i want. at gigs i have said yes to a man who ended up being about twice as good as me :(

[NUTHA JASON]

Why does this not happen with other instruments? I never see people who walk into a house with a piano say "ooh, can I have a go?' or any other instrument, for that matter.

this is because other instruments are a mystery to the average joe. drums...meh...you just sort of hit them in a patern right? but we drummers know that5 that is just the first stumbling step. there are subtlties and complexities which make drums the hardest instrument in the world to be truly great on. also there are a lot of folks out there who chose drumming because they couldn't be asked to leanr scales and then that same attitude scuppered them when they discovered rudiments and so there are any number of 'i used to drum' people out there. we real drummers are the ones who pushed on through to where music happens rather than noise.

j

[DiP]

have you noticed that most people think they can play drums? they usually say "oh, it's just about hittin'..." So, when you are forced to let them play in you set, they are awful. I hate when someone non-drummer plays my set. But even if he is a drummer I feel unconfortable..

[Nizza594]

Another great post. . . Nutha, I can tell that you, like myself, do alot of pub gigs.

The worst one I get is the Cymbals man. Those shiny Zildjians to a druken punter are like a red rag to a bull. They JUST CANT HELP wanting to hit them.

Let me tell you, theres been more than a few knuckles that have been whacked by the end of my vic firth evolutions when some idiot has tried to hit my cymbals mid gig. Unfortunately for them my aim can be a bit off sometimes, and I tend to crack their hand instead! Ooops!

[tmc]

8< snip snip snip >8
ps: i do let other drummers i know play on my kit though. that's different. but everybody thinks they can play the drums particularly after a few drinks.

The only things I've spent more of my hard-earned cash on than my drums, is my car and my home... Why on earth would I let someone who's clueless (and probably drunk, besides) even get that close to them :) Here's why (at least partly)...

I have a thing about books - I don't lend them out, period (all of my friends know this, and will still lend me books - hell I'd rather buy someone a copy of a book than loan them mine). Anyway, my Wife actually loaned out a large hard-cover recently (much to my shock and dismay)... like that sitcom episode (I can't remember which show... maybe Cheers) it fell into the borrower's bathtub and is now ruined. The borrower, a good friend, hasn't seen fit to replace it... ARGH!!!

In other words, my books and my drums are nowhere near as important to someone else as they are to me. You want to play drums? Go out and buy some... that's what I did.

-Michael

[NUTHA JASON]

You want to play drums? Go out and buy some... that's what I did.


lol tmc.
i would go so far as to give out my card. say, 'here's my number. i'm at work right now, but if you are serious you can come over to my place for a lesson. i charge 40 pounds an hour to beginners but for you darling i will make the fee 35.cheers.'

j

[tmc]

lol tmc.
i would go so far as to give out my card. say, 'here's my number. i'm at work right now, but if you are serious you can come over to my place for a lesson. i charge 40 pounds an hour to beginners but for you darling i will make the fee 35.cheers.'

j


ahhahahahha Beautiful. Just make sure your girlfriend isn't in earshot or you may find yourself wearing one of your toms as a necklace... Better still, if your girlfriend is around, tell the young lass that your girlfriend owns the drums and you'd be happy to let her play if the she says it's okay.

-Michael

[PussyCat]

I only let people I know have a go on my kit.

[Wegadrummer]

lol tmc.
i would go so far as to give out my card. say, 'here's my number. i'm at work right now, but if you are serious you can come over to my place for a lesson. i charge 40 pounds an hour to beginners but for you darling i will make the fee 35.cheers.'

j

well.. Thanks nutha.. That`s a new one! Now I only need some Wega cards.. I have been dealing with this problem for some years, last week was the last time..

[glynes]

I'll often ask a drummer if I can take a look at their kit, but would never think of playing unless I was invited (and even then, most of the time not!) ... they don't seem to mind being asked about their gear, and getting to talk about it to somebody who sort of 'gets it', and that's enough for me.
There are a lot of rude people out there, with no concept of respecting others' space or things. If it were me and my kit, they would soon find out exactly what "Don't mess with the little lady drummer" really means!
8-)

[PussyCat]

I've never ever been pestered by someone for a go on my kit, go figure....

[Deathmetalconga]

I don't play many gigs in clubs and/or with drunken idiots in the audience. I play public festivals, street corner coffee shops, nice restaurants, etc. So I'm a bit blown away with all the hostility on this thread. I could never play for people I dislike.

My kit consists of a few traditional drums and a bunch of ethnic percussion. I play with Wok chopsticks, so I've had the same heads and cymbals for 10 years now. The kit was MD kit of the month, Dec. 99. I do things with drums and percussion that you're just not supposed to do.

I'm flattered when people - children and adults - come up after a gig and want to see the set, my tablas, Hang drum, etc. I give a brief mini-lecture on ethnic percussion and I offer anyone a chance to sit and play it, because it's a kick in the pants. Few people will sit at the set, but those that do have always been appreciative and thoughtful. After they check out my set, the ask about the other instruments in the band - the violectra, sitar, stand-up bass, etc.

[foursticks]

I think it might be different with kits than with percussion instruments, purely because percussion can be a bit more durable.

[pimp_my_RIDE]

This only works if its a musician.(I'll use guitarist)
"Can i try out your drums"
"okay, but you have to let me beat up your guitar like I know you will to my drumset"

[NaturalRaZ]

*Deja-vu*

Most irritating.

[drummerchick435]

when an audience member, particularly when it is a hot girl, comes up to me during a gig and asks if they can play on my kit i get mad. my stock answer is:
'no, sorry. it is against the club policy. if i let you play and you make a noise we could get fired.'
they always look so upset. but letting anyone on your kit at a gig is A BIG MISTAKE.

first of all, they are extremely likely to suck. and suck loudly.

secondly if not everybody can see the stage and they hear a racket they may think it is you who is a terrible drummer. some of them may even leave before you play your first song.

thirdly if you let one person play on your kit you are bound to get more people demanding a go.

fourthly you may actually get fired. some pubs and clubs i play only want music in the allotted times. any noodling or extra soundchecking is heavily discouraged.

fifthly they may break something vital...right before you're supposed to start.

sixth - and this is a rare one - they may be a much better drummer than you. and then you will look poor for the rest of the evening and also your band leader might get 'ideas'.

BUT seventh - have you ever tried to get somebody off your kit once they have sat down? its hard to stop them. you end up whining, 'okay, that's enough...okay, okay, okay, stop now...can i have my sticks back please.' and they will always hit it a few more times.

once between sets the nad went outside to cool down and i heard someone playing my kit. some jerk climbed on the stage, found my sticks and was having a go. i didn't even bother to talk to him. i went straight up to the head bouncer and said that in all the clubs we play at the bouncers keep audience off the stage and that this was very unprofessional. i said i wanted that idiot chucked out. and he was.

another time i told this blonde babe (who claimed that she was learning the drums) that the manager would fire me if i let her play my kit. then, as i was tuning i looked up and she had gone over to the bar and was talking to the manager. a minute later she was back grinning. she said, 'the manager said that there was no such rule. she said it would be allright to play the kit okay.'

so i said to her, 'look, i was just trying to be nice. you can't take a hint and checking up on me shows that you are a jerk. its not 'the' kit its 'my' kit. you wouldn't let me take your car for a spin around town. and so the answer is no. please get off the stage.'

j

ps: i do let other drummers i know play on my kit though. that's different. but everybody thinks they can play the drums particularly after a few drinks.

I have that problem too. I don't gig but when I have friends over they're always asking if they could play my drums and I say "My kit can't be played right now. I haven't tuned it yet." or something like that. It really ticks me off when somebody goes ahead and plays it.

[theduke86]

People never ask to play my kit. That's probably because I look like I'm going to break something.

[toteman2]

I say anyone who is curious, should be embraced...I have to admit. I don't really like all the "my drums, don't touch" responses...I've spent alot of money on my gear, and I am open to letting ANYONE who is interested in playing them, play them...I'm sure if you explain to these people that you value your gear, and be respectful, they will do their best to not damage anything.

If they sound like garbage? Who cares? I don't hold it against anyone if they suck. What's important is that you given them an experience that may very well inspire them to take up drumming. Isn't that a good thing?

I can understand being at a show, and not wanting to cause a sceen, or having many people asking to play the set while you're working. But aside from that, I think we should embrace those who are curious, and not act as if we are above them because we play and own drums.

Leave that up to the guitar players.

[baz]

...At home I don't mind it if my friends or their kids ask to play my drums.

My kids friends will sometimes ask if they can smack my drums around, and I usually let them as well. My rule is that no one plays my drums unless I am there. That way, I can make sure that they are not being abused.

If a person has a genuine interest in playing the drums, I hate to discourage them because you never know where it might lead. On the other hand, I don't want a bunch of wankers drumsterbating all over my kit, so it is a judgement call.

What I get anal about is when somebody asks me if they can help me tear down my kit. This lesson I learned when I was an aspiring wanker, and put a scratch in a drummers floor tom while helping him tear down. If somebody offers to help me, I will politely decline the offer. If they insist, I will let them carry my hardware bag.

Barry

[Spike]

Why does this not happen with other instruments? I never see people who walk into a house with a piano say "ooh, can I have a go?' or any other instrument, for that matter.

...because drums are everyone's favorite instrument (even those who have managed to master anything else) :)

[resqguy]

I'm not at the gigging level yet either but I have a related story.

When I was looking for a house in NC most of the houses that the Realtor took me through had band practice rooms for their kids. Of the ones that had drums most were starter kits but I took the liberty on some anyway, just becase my kit had been in storage for sooo long and I was dying to play again.

I know this was wrong but on the few that were grossly setup I made minor adjustments to try to help them. The changes were usually subtile and hopefully will help them.

I didn't mean to hijack this thread and make it a confessional but I feel better now.

[Deathmetalconga]

I say anyone who is curious, should be embraced...I have to admit. I don't really like all the "my drums, don't touch" responses...I've spent alot of money on my gear, and I am open to letting ANYONE who is interested in playing them, play them...I'm sure if you explain to these people that you value your gear, and be respectful, they will do their best to not damage anything.

If they sound like garbage? Who cares? I don't hold it against anyone if they suck. What's important is that you given them an experience that may very well inspire them to take up drumming. Isn't that a good thing?

I can understand being at a show, and not wanting to cause a sceen, or having many people asking to play the set while you're working. But aside from that, I think we should embrace those who are curious, and not act as if we are above them because we play and own drums.

Leave that up to the guitar players.

That's a very positive and audience-friendly attitude to have.

I sense some inferiority complexes coming through the other responses. Like, "So, you think the drums are EASY!?!? You think you can presume to come right up and actually TOUCH my drums?!?!? Do you even have any idea of the social/political/spiritual/financial/creative implications of that!?!?!?

[NUTHA JASON]

I say anyone who is curious, should be embraced...I have to admit. I don't really like all the "my drums, don't touch" responses...I've spent alot of money on my gear, and I am open to letting ANYONE who is interested in playing them, play them...I'm sure if you explain to these people that you value your gear, and be respectful, they will do their best to not damage anything.

If they sound like garbage? Who cares? I don't hold it against anyone if they suck. What's important is that you given them an experience that may very well inspire them to take up drumming. Isn't that a good thing?

I can understand being at a show, and not wanting to cause a sceen, or having many people asking to play the set while you're working. But aside from that, I think we should embrace those who are curious, and not act as if we are above them because we play and own drums.

Leave that up to the guitar players

i think the topic of the thread is about drums at gigs. at home i'm different but when at a club it is my place of work and i want to be a professional. imagine going up to a jackhammer operator and asking him if you can have a go or a surgeon.

I sense some inferiority complexes coming through the other responses. Like, "So, you think the drums are EASY!?!? You think you can presume to come right up and actually TOUCH my drums?!?!? Do you even have any idea of the social/political/spiritual/financial/creative implications of that!?!?!?

that's a bit strong. i don't know how many gigs you do man but i do more than a hundred a year and it wears you down. some fool i refused, and she was a good looking girl as i recall, went off and then halfway through a song i looked up and she was hanging over the stage guard with a long piece of wooden dowling she got from somewhere and she bashed my crash out of time. NOW THAT's A PRESUMPTION. fortunately our guitarist was standing there and he grabbed the stick out of her hand before she could have another go. i was furious. i wanted to pull the gig right there. a bouncer came and dragged here away and we didn't see her again so i continued.

what you are missing here is the sanctity of the stage. we work hard to get there and save a lot of money up to populate the stage with expensive bits. i don't casually stroll into a dentist and start messing around with his drill. neither will i get on a parked bus and take it for a spin to see how busdriving feels.

j

[low-tech]

at shows noone asks me to play the set. i think the reason is that the gigs i do may be different from alot of folks here, mostly metal show. it may be the type of music and type of crowd im used too, time is always an issue, shows always overbooked, sets are usually trimmed down, no time for some random guy to play a beat when a band can be setting up on stage.

what usually happens tho is a band thats on the road needs the kit for thier set. ill usually provide and accept the loss of sticks,heads, possible damage<due tomistake> if the people asking are nice, not violent with a live show<think bands like the who, ive seen many bad sessions of gear smashing thru the years>and so forth, i dont own a 2000$ kit with an additional 1000$ in hardware,cymbals and stuff so im usually ok with this. im more worried about out of town bands trying to steal gear which happens from time to time.

i let my bandmates play the kit, recently a lug broke off the bassdrum at the hands of my guitarist. a vintage lugwig lug mount that costs 20$, so yeah it can be fustrating, but i still extent the priviledge to my bandmate. and im sure sometimes he lets guests use them, which is fine as long as there is no damage and heavy abuse, which beyond the lug there hasnt been.

i dont blame anyone for being protective over stuff that costs alot of dough. when im out of town gigging im not as generous, simply due to to the fact that anything broken will result<the next day> in a mad dash thru parts unknown finding a local music shop and spending much needed money on gear.

[Stu_Strib]

When I lived in Texas, my kits were used 95% of the time. Mostly because I worked for a sound company and we always played the gigs we ran sound for (double $$$). My kits are generally better than most people's kits, and I hate playing on bad sounding kits.

To me, the risk of getting my drum heads bashed in by some idiot are worth playing on a comfortable and nice sounding kit.

Of course I hate it when guys bash my stuff and I usually let them know. In the smallish community I was in, I knew most of the bashers and made them use their own cymbals and snare.

[nhzoso]

yeah that would get frustrating!

even with my kit at home, whenever someone comes over they all gush "wow drums...can i have a go?" and what can you say? Well i wanna say no but its hard when its a friend (or husbands workmates). Alot of the time they just ask for a demo, so thats ok!


If I know people are coming over I usally take my snare out of the rack and place it upside down on my throne and take my ride cymbal off the stand and place it over my toms. That way I can just say well I am in the middle of replacing a few things and it will be to much to put it back together so you can play it. Really looks like it's torn apart when in reality I could put it back together and play in under 3 minutes..LOL

[radiofriendlyunitshifter]

when one of my friends comes over to my house and asks to play on my kit, i oblige, for

the most part because i hardly get to hear what my own kit sounds like from out in front.

but i realize this is a completely different circumstance from a gig, in which you may be

fired from your job if you let someone have "a go on your kit"

[da cheese walks]

i let basically anyone use my kit,but not at a gig....

i just cant see why anyone has the stupidity to go "here you,give us a go a your kit" in a gig situatuion.....i mean yeah i know people all presume they can play drums....but if anyone asks me at a gig i tell them to f*** off!its that simple...i mean if they wanna play my kit get my number an come to my house....but a gig is such a different thing...

thats the good thing about local venues near me!high stages!!haha!solves the drumkit thing perfectly....

[brokenhalo]

Let me tell you, theres been more than a few knuckles that have been whacked by the end of my vic firth evolutions when some idiot has tried to hit my cymbals mid gig. Unfortunately for them my aim can be a bit off sometimes, and I tend to crack their hand instead! Ooops!

i once saw a drummer crack a guy right in the forehead at a particularly wild show. an egg sized lump came up almost instantly. thats what you get for leaning across someones snare drum, i guess.

[beefythedrummer]

It has never happened, nor have I ever seen this in a gig situation, but I do have many stories.

Every single one of my friends that come to my house often have played on my drums...some better than others; but the thing that irks me the most, and for someone reason, everybody has done it......they use my ride as a crash. I dont know why, they have seen me play the drums, so it's not like they are new to it....ohhh, I shudder just remembering these things. It also seems that the worst player plays the loudest too. I have a friend who can play simple rock beats, but he either plays softly, or just messes around on the practice pad...and the thing is, he actually looks up videos of drummers like Buddy Rich and Steve Gadd. While my other friends, who think people like Derek Roddy(not saying he's bad) is the king of drumming, and that double pedals are God's gift to the drumming world, just pound away.

[NUTHA JASON]

i use my 22'' ride for a crash quite often.

[gmrakich]

Funny stuff.
I used to live in LA....Pasadena to be exact. (until 2000) Yes, there are some strange dudes and chicks out there. Usually I find the chicks who ask usually are coming straight from the wet tee shirt competition at the club down the block : ^ )
One time a guy thought he could multi task and wanted to drum while singing. This was our "home " bar and the manager loved us, and liked a little drama so we said yes.
He looked at the set list and said he wanted to play Frankenstein. We pointed out that this song had no vocals. He said OH, and picked Manic Depression. We asked him if he was sure and he said he could do it in his sleep. We smiled and said OK and I went out front to get a good seat. Well for starters, the song is in 3/4 and swings heavy. He thought 4/4 would be better : ). The band was a group of studio pros who saw where this was going and in two measures had converted the song to 4/4. That kinda fix the music by the time the vox started. The guy had no sence of time (good for a drummer, no?) and the song slowed way down, but damn if he didn't know all the lyrics. It ended, thank God, and he got up from the kit, very smug like he was the man. Then we played it again, only with me playing the drums and the vox singing. The guy got pissed and wanted to fight EVERYBODY.
On a more positive note, one time DLR and Greg Bissonette wandered into a pub we were playing and sat it for a few blues tunes. And another time the bass player and drummer from Oingo Boingo came in and played a while. That was cool.

[Stu_Strib]

That's funny GM... Don't you love it when other drummers give us other drummers such a bad rap?

There is a reason there are so many dumb drummer jokes ;-)

[eddrummer05]

man i hate it!!!! my drums are like a girlfriend only for ME!!! i dont even like my band member to play them,, specially the piano player he thinks he is a "GOOD DRUMMER"

[tmc]

8< snip snip snip >8
If it were me and my kit, they would soon find out exactly what "Don't mess with the little lady drummer" really means!
8-)

ahahahahhaha... perfect! Rock on!

-Michael

[wooltonboy]

What's frustrating to me, is that a lot of people still don't view the drumset as a "proper" instrument.
We have our band rehearsals on Sunday afternoons at my house, and we usually have all the band members spouses/girlfriends/boyfriends/kids etc over too, as we usually have a BBQ afterwards.
When we take a break from the rehearsal, and come upstairs to get a drink and sit and chat etc, someone invariably goes downstairs and starts playing on my kit.
The point I'm making here, is that I KNOW that they wouldn't dare go and pick-up the bass players Fender Custom, or the guitar players Telecaster, because they know that these are "serious" and "expensive" instruments, and if they breathed on them, the guitarists would come running.
Then how come it's not an issue to sit down behind my $5000.00 Sonor Delites and start thrashing away?
Strange isn't it?..
Phil

[Garvin]

If someone is serious about it, I say let em' play. If they are obviously drunk, don't. But this is how young or inexperienced cats get out there. It's almost an unwritten rule in my mind that if someone takes the time to discuss gear, music, or their experiences, they are basically asking to sit in. I was given the chance to sit in when I was coming up, so I figure pass it along. I'm comfortable enough with my playing to let someone suck it up on stage for a few tunes. And who knows? They might be awesome and could teach me a thing or two...

[Deathmetalconga]

that's a bit strong. i don't know how many gigs you do man but i do more than a hundred a year and it wears you down. some fool i refused, and she was a good looking girl as i recall, went off and then halfway through a song i looked up and she was hanging over the stage guard with a long piece of wooden dowling she got from somewhere and she bashed my crash out of time. NOW THAT's A PRESUMPTION. fortunately our guitarist was standing there and he grabbed the stick out of her hand before she could have another go. i was furious. i wanted to pull the gig right there. a bouncer came and dragged here away and we didn't see her again so i continued.

what you are missing here is the sanctity of the stage. we work hard to get there and save a lot of money up to populate the stage with expensive bits. i don't casually stroll into a dentist and start messing around with his drill. neither will i get on a parked bus and take it for a spin to see how busdriving feels.

j

Well, now I understand where you're coming from better. I play about a gig every third week and it's common for people come up between sets or after the gig and respectfully say, "Wow, that's a pretty unusual drum set" and we talk about it and I might offer them a time on the throne. That's a far cry from drunken buffoons hitting my cymbals while I'm actually playing and now I why you're upset with this type thing.

I bring a plastic tub of hand percussion instruments and we typically hand them out to the audience for one song per set. People have a real blast and I can tell if there's a drummer out there and depending on how he seems, I might take my djembe out of my set and let him play it during the audience jam. People can keep a basic beat surprisingly well and the PA overpowers any who can't. It's always created great memories for the audience and the band.

On the other hand, I sure wouldn't do that in a bar or a place where the audience looked drunk and/or hostile and disrespectful.

[Jookbox]

i used to let anyone play my kit until i found a crack in my 19" a custom.

[Justin_F]

i was at my friends birthday party and i had brought my kit so i could play because almost everyone at the party was a musician. there were three drummers there including myself, both good friends of mine, one i had heard before so i gladly let him play on my kit and i enjoyed the performance. however i had never heard the other friend play before. i handed him the sticks and stood off to the side, and he proceeded to bash the living crap out of my drums, like my drums insulted his mother's honor or something, i was afraid he was going to break something, a head, the sticks, a cymbal, so i let him finish, he only played for about 30 seconds, then kicked him off for the rest of the day. when i took my kit home i found that he did break something. the fork that holds my rack toms up wasn't functioning properly. it seems that he hit the small tom so hard that he loosened the bar in the short portion of the fork, so now it slides around and it's hard to keep it in one place, and this is not a temporary problem because i'm not getting a new kit anytime soon, so now i'm stuck with this broken tom-holder, and he can't do anything to pay me back for a new one because he moved. so now i don't let anyone play on my kit unless i've seen them on their kit first.

[low-tech]

What's frustrating to me, is that a lot of people still don't view the drumset as a "proper" instrument.
We have our band rehearsals on Sunday afternoons at my house, and we usually have all the band members spouses/girlfriends/boyfriends/kids etc over too, as we usually have a BBQ afterwards.
When we take a break from the rehearsal, and come upstairs to get a drink and sit and chat etc, someone invariably goes downstairs and starts playing on my kit.
The point I'm making here, is that I KNOW that they wouldn't dare go and pick-up the bass players Fender Custom, or the guitar players Telecaster, because they know that these are "serious" and "expensive" instruments, and if they breathed on them, the guitarists would come running.
Then how come it's not an issue to sit down behind my $5000.00 Sonor Delites and start thrashing away?
Strange isn't it?..
Phil


your kit is worth more than my 95 ford econoline 250 VAN.

[d.c.drummer]

I dont let ANYONE who i havn't seen play a kit before play mine.Even when guys from percussion ansked to play it when i took my kit to my h.s. band class.

And usually when i want to take a spin on someones kit. I'll go up to then, throw around some lingo that only a drummer would know and then ask how his/her snare sounds. They usally are like come back here and try it out.

[d.c.drummer]

Why does this not happen with other instruments? I never see people who walk into a house with a piano say "ooh, can I have a go?' or any other instrument, for that matter.


Druumers aren't respect. Since everyone (no really) has a sense of rythm they automatically think that they can play drums. If you asked anyoe what the easiest instrament in a band they would automatically say drums.

Plus, who wouldn't want to play drums?

[jamsjr44]

Not to be a jerk but I just usually gave irritating responses to people who asked. Remember most of them are half in the bag when they ask so you can pretty much slip in some good answers and they aren't sure you actually just said what you did.

Try these on for size:

I play the drums, can I try yours? I would say NO but I'm very proud of you!

Dude let me get a try on that kit? Dude how about NOT!

Come on man I'm a drummer I can play! What are you afraid that I may sound better than you? Yes I'm afraid of exactly that now go have another scotch and sit down!

Man I'd really like to play your kit! Man I would really like to play your girlfriend!

Dude I will by you a beer if you let me play your drums? Well I'll buy you two if you never ask me that again!

And my favorite....

Why won't you let me play your drums? Because you look like you suck!

I have used a few of these in my days of gigging... But the one that sticks out the most is, I love college gigs but the drunks are always out in numbers! And this one guy just kept asking and I said no I can't let you. So he actually says "What if I hop your kit? I said you would miss the rest of the show. He goes why? I said because I'm going to beat the living S*** out of you until you are unconscious that's why!

[Anduin]

I never see people who walk into a house with a piano say "ooh, can I have a go?'

Ooh, um, er, I actually do that all the time.

[NUTHA JASON]

i cannot walk past apiano without having a tinkle on the ivories. but i understand the point though.
its like going into a biker bar and saying: 'hey fellas... HEY! HEY YOU BIG GUYS in the leather...yeah i'm talking to you...who owns the soft-tail outside? the one with the leather fringed saddle bags and the horse's skull on the front...yours? the guy with 'hate' written on both sets of knuckles? well i have one thing to say to you....

...can i try your bike dude?'


j

[Anduin]

...can i try your bike dude?'


j

...and for years afterward in Drummerworld, people wondered whatever happened to that guy who used to be a moderator...

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

I never see people who walk into a house with a piano say "ooh, can I have a go?"

In our house they do, believe me...

[Alphonse]

I won't even let my brothers play it, because they are so destructive and I'm sure something will get broken. The only people I let play are people who promise not to break anything, and if they do, they will replace it.

[rendezvous_drummer]

well at one of our bands shows, when we played at our school and two of my friends came on stage during our little intermission after i told the audience to not bother asking me if they can play, the answer was simply no, but i did let one friend go on because she is a drummer herself so that was fine, but then a herd of people came and asked and i just told my band to get back on stage to continue. oh and for Nuthas number 7 point:

"BUT seventh - have you ever tried to get somebody off your kit once they have sat down? its hard to stop them. you end up whining, 'okay, that's enough...okay, okay, okay, stop now...can i have my sticks back please.' and they will always hit it a few more times."

That happened at one gig where this one guy goes on my kit without asking. So i tell him, i don't ask him to get off. he looks at me and says 5 more minutes. I grabbed the sticks out of his hands so then he grabs another pair and plays again. By this time im pissed off as hell for three reasons:
1) He sucks....bad
2) He won't listen
3) He's smashing my Hi-Hats
So i grabbed the sticks this time, pulled the drum throne from underneath him and he landed right on his ars. It was priceless cause everyone laughed at him and was yelling that he sucked. He left the gig, but that's ok, we still had his money :D

[zachg]

I only let drummer friends and the drummer in my brothers band play my kit. The only reason I let my brothers drummer play my kit is because if he breaks something, my brothers payin for it.

Whenever one of my brothers friends tries to play it I run right to it and kick him off. Luckily none of my friends care to play my kit.

[drummer_dudley]

If finally you give someone a go on your kit don't you love how they get on there for about 1or 2 minutes and leave or ask you what they should play, and once you tell them to go have a go at something they just try it and suck. Then the nice uncomfortable look comes accros there face now that they have relised how bad they sound.

[hevy kevy]

Nightmare question. I played a show on a stage that was shoulder high, with a knee high drum riser under my 1 1/2 foot custom drum riser. That put my feet 8 feet off the ground.
There was no wall behind the stage, just a curtain. This person would not stop bugging me, so I gave in and let her climb up. She landed on her back on the floor with permanent injuries. Her husband blamed her attitude on her meds and did not sue me.
Even on the floor, if they trip on a guitar chord they can sue you, STAY OFF MY STAGE!

[SketcHyRollin564]

Im not alone, cool! I seriously hate whenever friends are over, the first thing they ask the first time they come over is "woah! drums! zomgzors thats so cool! can i play them!"

then i decide to give them a hard time for fun. "do you even know how to play drums"

"um... well yeah, its easy, you just hit them and make a cool beat"

"yeah, and with guitar, you just randomly pluck strings, and hope it sounds cool, right?"

"well no, drums are different"

"i know, they are harder to play"


then they just get mad, and dont even bother to ask again to play.

Then somtimes i just say "sure, just make sure you dont play loud, and actualy get off when i tell you to"

Thats probly the hardest part, trying to get them to stop. Especialy when its the kind of immature pesron who thinks its fun to see you mad, so purposely doesnt stop.

But after ive known them for a while, and theve been over a lot, they just go ahead and play them without asking, if they feel like it. thats what REALLY pisses me off. Its one thing, when they ask you randomly if they can play, for like the 80th time when they know you will say no, but when you just walk out to the garage (thats where mine are), to go get somthing, and you just see your friend hitting the drums randomly, it pisses me off.

Ive actualy had one friend, the first time he came over, didnt know i played drums. As soon as we went to my garage to go open up the door and skate, he just went and sat down on my drums and started randomly hitting the drums. Didnt even say "woah, cool!" or ask me at all, he just walked over, sat down on the throne, and started hitting them. I rudely told him to get the f*** off, since he rudely decided to play over $1,000 worth in gear, without even saying anything.

anyways, yeah. They have to invent some kind of throne, where when you press a button with your cell phone, whoevers sitting ont he chair gets jolted. That way, after you ask sombody to get off, and they refuse, or act like they dont hear you.... SHOCK!

genious...

[DrummerMom]

I'll often ask a drummer if I can take a look at their kit, but would never think of playing unless I was invited (and even then, most of the time not!) ... they don't seem to mind being asked about their gear, and getting to talk about it to somebody who sort of 'gets it', and that's enough for me.
There are a lot of rude people out there, with no concept of respecting others' space or things. If it were me and my kit, they would soon find out exactly what "Don't mess with the little lady drummer" really means!
8-)

I hear you! We invited some friends over after I just got my pdp kit. They came in and their 15 year old son went right over sat down and started beating the crap out of my kit.

I had only played it twice at this point, He dented every head. I was so mad *&^%$!

I looked at him and said I'll will send you a bill to replace my drums heads you just destroyed. He laughed and said yeah right. I said no you will replace them. Also, you need to learn respect for other people's property. You didn't even ask to play my kit.

(He did replace them and the next time they came over he didn't go near my kit)

[wy yung]

I would never allow an unknown to play my instruments in a professional situation. The gig is the gig. Not a toy store. So the answer is a strong "No!"

If however someone I know can play wants to sit in, I may allow that if the band agrees.

If playing percussion and another percussionist I know can play wants to come up, he can take the timbales or something while I play congas. Or visa versa.

Just so long as he doesn't expect to be paid. ;-)

If I'm in a jam type situation where it doesn't matter, and I know the person can play, I might take the opportunity to go make a coffee or get some air.

[da cheese walks]

haha,

just tonight i was playing a gig...and its with these metal-heads...a really good,and able drummer playing with them. During sound check he puts up his 20 cymbals,and soundchecks....

then after soundcheck he pulls every last one of them down,and back into the case....i asked him as he comes off,would he mind if i used one or two of his cymbals?Point Blank....NO!

they then ask our band to play Headliners as theyre guitarist is gone!

so they go on before us,play some crazy heavy shtuff...and then as were climbing onstage,settin up...he again pulls all these cymbals down...takes a good 6 or 7 minutes!But being a nice guy the drummer lets me use his 10" snare....

so we play our set....and after i come off,i tell him he has an impressive array of cymbals...he turns around and says "oh man next time were gigging you have to try out some fo my cymbals man!!theyd be great for your sound!"

yeah!I thanked the guy prefusely...but i honestly do think he had the right idea...onyl when he saw i was a bit better than he tought i was,he would let me use his things....!

good stuff!

good gig too!

[Pearl Player]

haha,

just tonight i was playing a gig...and its with these metal-heads...a really good,and able drummer playing with them. During sound check he puts up his 20 cymbals,and soundchecks....

then after soundcheck he pulls every last one of them down,and back into the case....i asked him as he comes off,would he mind if i used one or two of his cymbals?Point Blank....NO!

they then ask our band to play Headliners as theyre guitarist is gone!

so they go on before us,play some crazy heavy shtuff...and then as were climbing onstage,settin up...he again pulls all these cymbals down...takes a good 6 or 7 minutes!But being a nice guy the drummer lets me use his 10" snare....

so we play our set....and after i come off,i tell him he has an impressive array of cymbals...he turns around and says "oh man next time were gigging you have to try out some fo my cymbals man!!theyd be great for your sound!"

yeah!I thanked the guy prefusely...but i honestly do think he had the right idea...onyl when he saw i was a bit better than he tought i was,he would let me use his things....!

good stuff!

good gig too!

Its funny how that works. I was on the other side. The guy sucked and Im glad I said no to using my kit.

Mike

[da cheese walks]

Its funny how that works. I was on the other side. The guy sucked and Im glad I said no to using my kit.

Mike
you arent the guy who said no are you???what country are you in?hahaha!

[Pearl Player]

Yes Indeed. He asked if he could use my kit. I said nope, Use your own. or lets go in on a backline kit. He went and rented his own. And im SOOOOOOO glad I didnt let him use my kit.

Mike

[da cheese walks]

Yes Indeed. He asked if he could use my kit. I said nope, Use your own. or lets go in on a backline kit. He went and rented his own. And im SOOOOOOO glad I didnt let him use my kit.

Mike

haha no i meant you werent the guy who was playin the gig with me tonight?haha!ahhh well yeah i know how you mean...thats what i was saying...i thiink he did the right thing,only offerein to let me use his stuff,after he knew i was ok!an not just total crap!

[Pearl Player]

I guess to some the term mile high city might have no reference LOL

Im in Colorado USA. So unless I gots Super Powers. Dont think it was me. LOL

I got it now... Had a few pints this evening... Sorry bout the cornfusion LOL

Mike

PS and the Mile High City is Denver

[da cheese walks]

I guess to some the term mile high city might have no reference LOL

Im in Colorado USA. So unless I gots Super Powers. Dont think it was me. LOL

I got it now... Had a few pints this evening... Sorry bout the cornfusion LOL

Mike

PS and the Mile High City is Denver

haha.....i seeeeeeee!me and geography...especailly USA geography???not a good mix...haha

[Pearl Player]

Well in the meantime, Back to listening to rehersal recording...... Early Alice Cooper LOL

Mike

[jollymosher]

I do agree! i mean, i have only let a few people play my drums my brother, and my guitarist, who thinks he can play drums but cant. Both are harmless.

I have had many people ask to use my drums the answer has to be no.

[Pearl Player]

I do agree! i mean, i have only let a few people play my drums my brother, and my guitarist, who thinks he can play drums but cant. Both are harmless.

I have had many people ask to use my drums the answer has to be no.

Ive used another thing to let em now they cant play on my kit....

"hey mind if I sit down at your kit"?

Response.

If I can touch your wife.

Im very protective of my kit.

It usually works...

Mike

[drummerchick435]

I used to have this problem but I solved it by putting it in the basement (unfinished nobody goes down there) so "out of sight out of mind". It used to be in our family's (as my mom still calls it even though I'm 17) playroom. I also never bring it places (I'm not in a gigging band right now)
I also have a problem with all these kids at church always playing the church's Roland V. They really hit it hard and mess with the module too much. I always have to be their "Momma" and "clean up" after them! Aargh! So annoying. I play that kit too during our teen worship service on Wednesdays and the monthly Sunday night youth-led service and it gets really annoying when they mess with it 5 minutes before "showtime". OK I'll stop ranting now.
O just one more aargh: "AARGH!"

[Paradiddle my snizzle]

It used to be in our family's (as my mom still calls it even though I'm 17) playroom.

Well, what do you do in that room - play right?

[DamoSyzygy]

Nobody plays my kit. Period.

Nobody is allowed to 'help' me pack it up after gigs either.

Does this mean it takes me longer? Absolutely - But at least I know its going to be all there when Im done.

[drummerchick435]

Well, what do you do in that room - play right?

Nope. It's now an exercise/ homeschool/ tv/ computer room. We only watch the tv when we walk on the treadmill. And I do my home/ school work in here so its the exact opposite of play.

[Paradiddle my snizzle]

oh yeah, sorry, i misread your post - i thought the drums were in the playroom, silly me...

and good luck with your stuides:)

[PLaN-Z]

My drum teacher told me a story once, it's pretty funny. He was playing at a high school and he was using the washroom, until he heard someone playing his drums so he ran out there and my drum instructor took a drumstick out of his pocket ( he always has like 2 drumsticks in his back pockets) and he threw it at him. He said it hit the guy in the solarplex and he dropped him.LOL. He only threw it because the guy bent his hi-hat stand. He's not the kind of guy who likes his drumset to be messed with. He said that he would grab a cymbal stand and be in the middle of a crowd hitting people with the stand without even thinking about how badly he will get injured.<< I made the story sound so lame, when he told it, it sounded so cool lol.

[spartacus1989]

I feel that drummers are slightly under rated by their talent compared to guitarests and or various musicians. When you get asked if some random guy can play on the drums who can only do the basic:

B:x---x---x---
S:--x---x---x-
H:xxxxxxxxx

And actually class themselves as a good drummer, I get really fustraited, as to me, it is like going up to a guitarest and saying:
"I'm an incredibly amazing guitarest, listen to me play Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes."

What also bugs me is when people start lying into having a go on the kit. Comments like "I have been playing all my life," and "I have passed grade 8 ages ago with no problem". Odviously, after hearing a fake life story, I let them have a go, they sit behind the kit, with the sticks i there hand, feet on the double pedal. They then say "but I'm still learning!"

[brittc89]

No. If Im playing a gig, that is the flat response to someone I do not know who asks to play on my drums. Im playing this gig, Ive been hired to play this gig by people who want me to be playing music, so no, you may not come up here and play a basic drunken rock beat. I cannot stand when really drunk people come up to me and harass me. Thats the worst. But, If i know the guy and Ive heard him play Ill let him sit in a tune or two or if someone Im playing with says theyre a good player, Ill let em go for it. But beyond that, no.

[drum.lad]

well at gigs i got to be there if i let anyone play my gear i never leave it unattented.but at home i have my old kit set up with some awful cymbals set up and i just let them use that and pretend something is wrong with my actuall kit so everyones happy and my kit doesnt get destroyed by some idiot who thinks joey jordinson is better then buddy rich

although at one gig some drunk guy climbed on to are guitar amp stack things and jumped in to my friends kit i was playing on and destroyed everything thankfullly my friend was lookin to upgrade and that guy was banned from the venue

[Jon Cable]

Nobody plays my kit. Period.

Nobody is allowed to 'help' me pack it up after gigs either.

Does this mean it takes me longer? Absolutely - But at least I know its going to be all there when Im done.
Yeah, but you're such a control freak!!! LOL! The joys of internet collaborations; unless someone is actually in my house, they can't even ask to play my kit; and my friends know better than to ask....

[DamoSyzygy]

^ A product of my environment.

Bad previous experiences with gear playing and packing have caused me to become extremely paranoid with gear.

[Deathmetalconga]

No. If Im playing a gig, that is the flat response to someone I do not know who asks to play on my drums. Im playing this gig, Ive been hired to play this gig by people who want me to be playing music, so no, you may not come up here and play a basic drunken rock beat. I cannot stand when really drunk people come up to me and harass me. Thats the worst. But, If i know the guy and Ive heard him play Ill let him sit in a tune or two or if someone Im playing with says theyre a good player, Ill let em go for it. But beyond that, no.

That's the approach I take. I have an unusual kit and I invite local drummers to see me play. If they're interested in having a go on my set, I'll offer to let them play.

[Ozzy Biz]

^ A product of my environment.

Bad previous experiences with gear playing and packing have caused me to become extremely paranoid with gear.

I imagine I'd have similar views if I owned a Sonor Designer in such a beautiful finish.

[Salicete]

I learned my lesson about letting others touch my gear with a 1977 Fender Precision Bass. My parents gave it to me new in, duh, 1977. One fine evening many years ago, I let another musician at a bar gig, "have a go."

He proceeded to wail away with a heavy pick, leaving long sweeping gouges across the face of my, until then, pristine bass. I still own it and it still makes me just sick to look at those scratches.

Never again.

The only people who have ever played my Sonor Designers, aside from me, was well known local drummer who I knew and trusted well, and my son.

I would rather deal with hard feelings from saying no than from ending up with damaged, irreplaceable gear.