Career With Drumming

[tomgrosset]

Many drummers have been discussing about this for a long time. I wanted to know how could you make a decent life as a musician if you hadn't done well in other real life situations?

[playplayplay]

Let me know when you find it brother! how much time are you spending on these popular hoops we all call drums? I was wondering the same thing... what could I do with my drums other than being in a band or soloing, to also make money? Anybody?

[Nizza594]

Sell Them!!

Thats all I can think of, lol

[playplayplay]

Sell Them!!

Thats all I can think of, lol


Im absolutely histerical!!! nice job...

[mr. inards]

Whats wrong with being in a band? Belive me you dont have to sell a million records to support your self and have a great time living, touring, recording, repeat!

[playplayplay]

I was just wondering about this because Ive heard crazy stuff like a drummer and stripper working on stage together to earn $$$ He gives the beat, and she does her thing, right up on stage! not joking cant remember where I heard that though...hard to picture too but hey anythings possible.

[jangus]

Well you dont have to be in A band. If you've got enough following you can play in different bands and clubs. The bands will find you. A rock band one night, jazz band the next night, and orchestra the next. Of course I'm sure it could take a while. My teacher is a middle-school band teacher, and drum/bass/piano teacher, and gigs a lot.

[xkevinx]

usually a career in music is multi-faceted. my instructor is a fanstastic player and teacher. hence, he has worked as a teacher at university, a private teacher, played in the local orchestra, and plays jazz gigs 2 or 3 nights a week. between all these things he makes enough to support a family.

my ultimate goal is to eventually go to a decent school (berkely is too expensive but that would be the tops), and find work for a label doing session work in the studio. my true love in music is playing and touring with a band but (unbeknownst to some) it's very difficult to support yourself just playing with a band. (although it helps if you're willing to sacrifice artistic integrity to play lame covers in clubs every night)...

do let me know if anyone has any tips on "making it."

[CraigG]

Mylious Johnson gave some great advice at the clinic I attended a couple of weeks ago about what it was to be a "pro" drummer. He went out of his way to stress a couple of things. First, learn to read and become competent in as many of the different styles as possible. The second was, a "pro" drummer is just that, a professional. People, artists, labels hire you for one thing, to play the music you were hired to play...period. It's not about you showing your chops off, it's about can you play the music, adjust as you're asked to, do what's asked of you.
He had a great story of a tour producer who was asking him to do a certain thing at a certain time in a song. This was not for the sake of the music, but for the sake of triggering certain stage lights at a certain time in the song.
I guess it depends on where you would feel happy, in a band and deciding what you want to do, or being a session/tourng player. Of course you could always be both!

[Sticksman]

It's very difficult to make a living in music. Not only do you have to stand out from your peers, you have to get good-enough paying gigs to keep on going and feed yourself, to say the least, and continuely make music that gets people moving and that they like enough to listen to again on CD.

My suggestion is, if you really want to, to go as far as you can in the music industry, gigging and having a great time, and not letting money and other stuff getting between you and your fellow bandmates. Practice hard and make great music that makes people move! And if need be, get a secondary job to help support yourself and your gear; realisitically speaking, you need another source of income if you really wanna go forward with it.

Good luck to you!

[Nizza594]

Always remember that in the music business, the LAST person to get paid is the ARTIST.

In my opinion, it all comes down to 2 questions, 1) Where is it that you want to be? 2) What are you willing to do\sacrifice to get there?

For example you could get yourself in a band, doing original stuff and try and work your way to the top, which takes a hell of a lot of time and commitment, for very little money, if any at all for most times, BUT theres that chance you might get there and you would be wiping your arse with $20 notes! But theres that chance you might never get there at all, its one big gamble that you need to ask yourself wether your willing to sacrafice a comfortable living on the off chance you might get there in the end.

OR you can do something like get in a Covers\Caberet band and hey you get paid every night, for every gig you do, BUT where does it go? Nowhere, I know guys that have been playing in the same bars for the same money for like 9 years.

So there you have it, where do you want to be? what are you willing to give to get there?

[da cheese walks]

honestly man im like you.....im not studying,ive got my final secondary school exams in 3 months....

but take it from me....ive seen brilliant musicians drop out of school,or not go to college...an just end off eating poptarts in their parents kitchen till theyre 20 and finally gettin a mcDonalds job.....

My advice to you(and this is what im doing when i leave school).....work hard in school,(for at least your last 3 months!!!!)cut down ur drum practise hours,then when u finally get out of there go do a college course...in something that interests you....and while there play drums like hell....and if you make it as a drummer then your sorted...if you dont at least you have your college degree to fall back on.....

take my opinion or leave it...its the sensible way....and i realise totally that sensiblility isnt always the best....but its near impossible to make it in the music business...i know this through experiences from friends...who are as i said still living with their parents or in some crap-hole house eating raw meat!!!(and by the way they are incredible musicians...)

[dawg]

being in my 50's and playing in bands on and off since high school,take this as you see fit.i've played name clubs,the queen mary, car-shows,bars,dog jogs,clubs and parks,restaurants, casinos and hotels and ballrooms.so basically, great paying jobs and toilet bars for 40$ a night with a bunch of drunks fighting at the end of the night.i always say" there is no middle class in music " your'e either a major star or you're touring like crazy just to feed yourself.i opted for a career day job years ago and playing in various bands(rock,jazz,country) at night throughout the years.you may be at the mercy of flaky bandmembers who may or maynot show up on a gig or in what kind of shape to play...either way it can cost you a gig.you're livelihood is in control of your other bandmembers.if one quits or has drug problems,etc. it can destroy the chemistry,if not the band.i've played with and known far more gifted players that are starving musicians,living in their car, or actually on the street.even some great jazz players,excellent players, are scuffling and teaching and doing sessions to get by.i find i enjoy playing more when i don't have to worry about paying the house payment with it...but if you go for it,God bless you,i hope you succeed...but you BETTER have a plan B.stay in school,get a good education.

[aahznightsky]

unless you're already a monster drummer and have an actual big (i mean for real) gig lined up for you, staying in school is your best bet. You need the talent AND the connections, and unless you have both big time i wouldn't risk it.

[Stevesmithfan]

Exactly have a B plan. Because it's very difficult to make a living playing music. I'm a Civil Engineer and I'm very glad I got that degree. If you don't make it, with a degree you can afford to buy the best equipment!
A famous drummer in Modern Drummer years ago said the following. "Sometimes it's hard for me to sleep at night knowing I play drums for a living." I can't remember the guys name.
Stay in School.
I hope that helps.

[aahznightsky]

A famous drummer in Modern Drummer years ago said the following. "Sometimes it's hard for me to sleep at night knowing I play drums for a living."

not to dispute everything else you said, but i think that quote is in support of a drumming career (as in not saying he's nervous about losing his job). If you've ever hung out in a studio till 7 or 8 in the morning (not sleeping), you'll know what i'm talking about. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, all giddy about what I'd get to do the next day!

[Will-Myster]

Studio Drumming.
:P

[dawg]

another,MUCH cheaper way is to enroll in a JC 6 o'clock band or big band sight reading class.i did that for a couple of years,if you can get the drum chair or even as a back-up,you can learn to get your technique and reading chops together.also a lot of times local pros will be enrolled there or sit in from time to time and most are really cool about letting you pick their brains with questions.

[brittc89]

I'm not doing very well in school because I'm dedicating myself to druming most of the time and so I was wondering if there is a career in drumming besides being a drum teacher of course lol.

Thanks alot.
Yeah, studio/tour playing, local gigging. Lots of things can be done with the drums, however if you made the decision to forfit doing well in school and possibly not being able to go to college, to play drums more, you better get damn good for that to pay off.

[brittc89]

Exactly have a B plan. Because it's very difficult to make a living playing music. I'm a Civil Engineer and I'm very glad I got that degree. If you don't make it, with a degree you can afford to buy the best equipment!
A famous drummer in Modern Drummer years ago said the following. "Sometimes it's hard for me to sleep at night knowing I play drums for a living." I can't remember the guys name.
Stay in School.
I hope that helps.
Yeah but if everyone went with plan B instead getting a music degree and trekin out to LA, who would play our music? I say stay in school too. But if you really want something and are called to it, dont second guess yourself. Thats always been my philosophy.

[Nizza594]

Yeah but if everyone went with plan B instead getting a music degree and trekin out to LA, who would play our music? I say stay in school too. But if you really want something and are called to it, dont second guess yourself. Thats always been my philosophy.

I have to totally agree with this statement, I know I will probably get flamed for this, but in my opinion and purely how I want to live my life, I think having a 'plan B' is like saying your not really sure that plan A is going to work, and I think if you dont go into plan A with 100% intention of MAKING it work, then it probably wont.

Personally, Im not much motivated by money, or owning a house, and a nice car etc etc. They are all secondry bonuses. The real aim for me is to live my life doing what I enjoy most and try to never have an unhappy day, and for me thats music. Ultimately, non of us know exactly how long we have left here, so Id rather spend my days enjoying it all, than doing my 'plan B' job everyday, to pay for my plan B house and plan B car all because I didnt give plan A 100%.

So far, at 21(Im 22 a week today, dont y'all forget!), Ive been fortunate enough to see alot of the USA and Europe for no cost at all, all through playing music. Hey, im still broke but I guess this is the path Ive chosen, and it sure doesnt end here.

Hopefully you wont all give me loads of grief because you choose to do what you do. Instead just respect what I choose to do.

Neil

[Laura :]]

careers in drumming? drum technician, drummer and a drum teacher! they're the only ones i can think of

[choki]

there are lots of ways to have a full time career in drumming. unless you are in a band, that gets signed right away and has truckloads of money dropped off at your doorstep, you might want to work a lot harder at school. I can make a living off of what i make as a drummer, but i still have a regular job so i can enjoy the finer things in life such as going to the doctor, having steady income, extra money to by gear that i don't really need, etc. if you are going to have a career as a drummer, you need to approach it as a business. if you don't study in school, you can really get screwed come tax time. taking a business class is almost as important as music classes. i wish more university music programs taught this aspect of the business. if you are really making a go at it as a professional musician, you need to know about dealing with contracts, and know your rights when it comes to tax deductions, etc. you basically need to think of your drumming as the product you are selling. with any product, you need to advertising, marketing, quality control, and you need to work on constantly improving it. there is so much more to this business than just playing your gig and going home. if you are looking for steady work in drumming with a steady paycheck, try to enter into something already established. try auditioning for shows, or cruise ships, or something like that. the music may not be the best, but you will be a musician with a steady paycheck. of course, that doesn't lead to much else.

[Joss]

I'm doing my GCSE's at the moment, and after reading this thread, i've decided to try a lot harder in my school work, there's my plan B. But if playing in a band can't earn me a decent living, can bieng a drum teacher?
No-one's said much about how much you get for drum tuition, i expect it varies for how good you are, but at the moment i'm improving quite quickly, and hope to be doing small time tuition by the time i'm twenty or something. I probably sound quite up-my-own-ass, but if anyone could tell me how good a living can be made form tuition i'd be grateful.

[brittc89]

I'm not doing very well in school because I'm dedicating myself to druming most of the time and so I was wondering if there is a career in drumming besides being a drum teacher of course lol.

Thanks alot. Well, Ill just say one thing, Im in high school and I have a 4.5 GPA, weighted of course, and consider myself a good drummer. I feel that it is possible to balance school and music and I personally try to at all costs. This means basically during the school year I do homework and play drums. No Tv, no comic books, no stupid stuff. Im not judging anyone, but Im just saying that it can be done through hardwork and sacrifice. However there are careers as pro drummers out there to be had as session players and touring guys. However, if I cant make it or play drums in college, I should be able to fairly easily pursue something else at basically any college in my state. Just something to think about.

[deadbirdsoup]

i am trying to get decent grades and balance that out with my drumming. time management plays a big part i could say, but im not very good at that. i would love a career in music or drumming, but its not that easy.

[Skin Slapper]

whats the difference between a drummer and a canoe?

a canoe can support a family of four!!

[TopCat]

whats the difference between a drummer and a canoe?

a canoe can support a family of four!!
Did anyone else spot that tumble-weed?

[Mr. DrummerMan]

being a studio drummer is a way to make a lot of money.
you get given a score, learn it, play it, get a lot of money
they pass the word "your making a living"


"but its a matter if" : )

[jamndrummer]

Sure you could write drum instructional books. Or books that would help benefit drummers. Like Dom Famularo. Check out his motivational book. 'Cycle of Self Empowerment'

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=75565575


You could work in a music store selling drums.

You could fix drums in a music store.

You could design drums for the drumming industry. So many things you could do. Just make a list of everything that pertains to drums and you will figure it out.