Pro work

[drummerchick435]

Where should I begin? What should I work on? I play rock and Christian music mostly. What sites should I visit? I'm not real good right now but I want to become pro one day. I'm clueless about this stuff.

[Pete Stoltman]

This is a good place to start. You'll find lots of good information and references to other things that will be of interest. There are some excellent posters here and if you can pay attention and see who are the folks who are "doing it" you'll pick up a lot.
I would also suggest to check out the Vic Firth website as they have a lot of good educational content.

[drummerchick435]

Thanks ,Pete. I've been here quite a while (but no offense) and I can't seem to quite find a straight answer. How should I go about finding places to audition?

[Pete Stoltman]

Sorry about that and yes I see you have been around here. I tried to edit my original post but apparantly goofed up.
Have you been doing any kind of amateur playing yet? Are you locked into a particular style that you want to play or are you able to jump into a variety of styles? Can you read music? Do you play drums only or can you play some other percussion (hand perc. mallets, etc.)?
It's pretty hard to just go to one spot to find audition opportunities but there are some. Not sure if there's something like this in you city but some towns have music related magazines that list where bands are playing, etc. A lot of those have a classified ad section. Look to see if there are bands looking for drummers or even post an ad yourself to let people know you're available. There may also be music related websites for your local area that would be worth looking into.
You mentioned your interest in Christian music. Do you have a church that may be interested in having you play? That may not be a paid position but you may be able to pick up some contacts and at least good experience working in band at church. Just a few thoughts. Good luck.

[drummerchick435]

Sorry about that and yes I see you have been around here. I tried to edit my original post but apparantly goofed up.
Have you been doing any kind of amateur playing yet? Are you locked into a particular style that you want to play or are you able to jump into a variety of styles? Can you read music? Do you play drums only or can you play some other percussion (hand perc. mallets, etc.)?
It's pretty hard to just go to one spot to find audition opportunities but there are some. Not sure if there's something like this in you city but some towns have music related magazines that list where bands are playing, etc. A lot of those have a classified ad section. Look to see if there are bands looking for drummers or even post an ad yourself to let people know you're available. There may also be music related websites for your local area that would be worth looking into.
You mentioned your interest in Christian music. Do you have a church that may be interested in having you play? That may not be a paid position but you may be able to pick up some contacts and at least good experience working in band at church. Just a few thoughts. Good luck.

Thanks. I've been playing drums for about 3 years (but quality is better than quantity!) with my church's youth band for about 2 years and with school band 2 years. I can play drum set and hand perc. I can read music decently, I'm more of an auditory learner. I play lots of different styles of music: Christian rock (BarlowGirl, Kutless, etc.) Christian Worship (Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith etc) Modern Rock (Switchfoot-ish) Southern Rock (The Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard, etc.) Classic Rock (Queen, Led Zeppelin etc.). I've also recently gotten into jazz.
EDIT: I can also play pop and hip hop (easy stuff)
I'd really want to take the next step...I'm really impatient when it comes to music.

[Pete Stoltman]

Ok, that's cool and you've got some experience. I'd start looking around for opportunities to play just about anything you can right now. If you've got a relationship at a local music store let them know that you're on the lookout for playing possibilites. I'd also keep an eye on local happenings that may include music. How about communitiy theater? Right now I think it's all about networking and getting to know as many players as you can. If you have a chance to display your proficiency word will start getting around. I'd take any chances you get to play that you think you're capable of and start meeting other musicians. Let them know you're looking.

[Wavelength]

I'm really impatient when it comes to music.

This is probably one of your biggest obstacles on the way of becoming a professional musician. Being a pro takes patience and lots of it, since most of your working time will have nothing to do with playing.

[masonni]

1. Make yourself available to travel. If you can be anyplace in 24 hours, that's a huge plus. It dosn't always work though. Musicians are expected to have patiance, but everyone else in the biz doesn't. I love out on the NIN gig like a year ago, because I was in NY and they wanted me to be in Cali by 3:00 of the same day. I told them I can be there in 24 hours and it wasn't good enough.

2. Market yourself. Start a website and myspace built around you as a drummer.

3. Post ads on sites like myspace and craigs list looking for work. I just moved to NYC and I already have 6-8 decent paying gigs with 4 bands that found my ad on craigslist.

3. Check newspapers and flyers in music stores for bands that are looking for a drummer.


these are just a few things you can do to get started, its a LOT of hard work and these 4 things are only the basic stuff you can do.

[Class A Drummer]

Thanks. I've been playing drums for about 3 years (but quality is better than quantity!) with my church's youth band for about 2 years and with school band 2 years. I can play drum set and hand perc. I can read music decently, I'm more of an auditory learner. I play lots of different styles of music: Christian rock (BarlowGirl, Kutless, etc.) Christian Worship (Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith etc) Modern Rock (Switchfoot-ish) Southern Rock (The Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard, etc.) Classic Rock (Queen, Led Zeppelin etc.). I've also recently gotten into jazz.
EDIT: I can also play pop and hip hop (easy stuff)
I'd really want to take the next step...I'm really impatient when it comes to music.

You said you really want to take it to the next step. Do you have a teacher? If not get one. That will help alot. But besides that matter, i would check out cragslist. There are always plently of people looking for a drummer there. You may have more luck than i did because im only 15 and most either dont want a drummer that young, or think it will be illegal for me to play in a night club which it is not!

Good luck.

[drummerchick435]

Thanks everyone. All this advice will help me out greatly. Although I don't have enough time to do gigs right now (stupid school!) I will most definitely work on the skills and marketing myself. I'm guessing in about a year I'll have enough time to gig.

[bermuda]

One barrier, at least for most pro gigs, will be your age. Judging by your school references, does that mean you're under 18? If so, there are only so many opportunities available, and even playing clubs could be an issue until you're 21.

In the meantime, understand that there's no hurry on success. It can come early, or later, or not at all. Being a successful musician (or actor or anything anything in the arts) is less dependent on skill or desire, than sometimes just being in the right place at the right time. You've heard the saying "it's who you know"... but it's really more like who knows you. Get out there and network, and let people know you are available and want to play. Again, some gigs may not be possible if you're under 21, but there's more to playing drums than just clubs. bars, and church. I was doing casuals and demos before I was 21, and actually had a steady lounge gig when I was 20. (We had to downplay my birthday when I turned 21, since the management assumed I was already 'legal'.)

One way to let other musicians know who you are is to get involved with as many local jams as you can manage. It's the perfect place for others to hear you play, and an ideal opportunity for you to practice various styles with more experienced players. I'm a semi-regular participant in a local jam, and I've done many gigs with the people I met there.

Anyway, there's no single right answer, being a working musician depends on many factors, and it's all very subjective. Just being a good player - while obviously important - is not enough by itself to guarantee success. But one thing is for sure, other musicians have to know you're out there before they can call on you to play.

Now, another approach is to start your own band and seek gigs: parties, weekend art/food/crafts fests, etc. Again, there's no guarantee of success, but at least you won't be relying on someone else to hire you, which is generally the case with drummers.

Good luck,

Bermuda

[Pete Stoltman]

Thanks Jon you said what I was trying to say much more succinctly. Playing with a wide variety of musicians is always good. Go figure, some guys end up playing with curly haired accordion players right?

[bermuda]

Thanks Jon you said what I was trying to say much more succinctly. Playing with a wide variety of musicians is always good. Go figure, some guys end up playing with curly haired accordion players right?

Ech, glad I managed to side-step that potential nightmare!! :)

[remnantdrummer]

another good idea would be to start a band with some other local musicians you know... I am currently in 5 or 6 bands and will play with anyone that needs a drummer, I am also looking at starting two or three more bands... I can do this because none of these bands are very big right now... once one of them gets big, I will be commited to that one... I'm able to do all of this at the age of 16, so I don't think it's too hard to get to play no matter what your age...

[Mapex589]

Hey there Drummerchick435, if you can go pick up the April 2007 issue of DRUM magazine with Jose Pasillas Jr. on the cover. On page 67 they have a great guide to online drum lessons...even our good friend Derrick Pope www.derrickpope.com is featured in the article. They list about 25 online drum sites, I think this would really be a good guide for you.

[JAHdrumming]

I am in agreement with Nick. I know in St. Louis we have a website www.stlmusic.com for musicians looking for work. I can't tell you how valuable that resource has been. If there is ANYTHING like that in your area use it. Promote yourself nonstop. I am a full time drummer and I spend at least as much time putting myself out there in promotions as I do spending time in the studio! Don't be afraid to brag on yourself.

[drummerchick435]

Thanks ,y'all. Now that I have that info I need to convince my parents to let me audition. I think I'll audition for a Christian band first to make my parents happy.

[d.c.drummer]

I never went out looking for gigs per say. As i got better, people started calling me to play for them and usually your resume spreads by word of mouth.

[xMrJeffx]

OK well sence u play Christian I can deff help you with that cause I play Christian All the TiME! and I'm in my churches Youth Band!

but for Music... I'd Say

Sanctus Real, Kutless, This Beautiful Republic, Stellar Kart, Hawk Nelson, Day of Fire, Dc Talk, Newsboys, Barlow Girl, Kj-52, Pillar, Jars of Clay, Jeremy Camp, Fireflight...

Then for Rock (Im gonna through some other bandz in ther too!)

ummm...Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Ac/Dc, The Scorpions, Poison, KISS, KoRn, Slipknot, Green Day, The Killers, August Burns Red, Paramore...

And Also If You Wanna be a Pro I've been Told this...PLAY JAZZ!

Heres 2 of my fave bands

Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock

and check out Steve Gadd and Dave Weckl on Drummerworld!

I hope I helped you out!

-Jeff

[brittc89]

And Also If You Wanna be a Pro I've been Told this...PLAY JAZZ!

Why is that? Im not doubting that knowing how to play jazz is a great skill and that Im not working my ass of to get good at it. BUT, Ive been told being a pro by playing jazz is quite possibly the hardest thing to EVER do. I play it because I love it, its not about money or being a pro, its about making music.