iwearnohats
Silver Member
There seems to be a distinct pattern towards people posting topics about the importance of cymbal/drum/head choice, and whether or not drummers are important/will be taken over by drum machines/what the audience thinks.
Guys, honestly, you're missing the point.
Why do you play drums? Do you play because you want to impress people, or are you playing because you want to play drums?
If the answer is the first, well, then do whatever it is that you have to do to impress people.
If the answer is the second, then there's a few things that I don't understand:
Why are you so worried about what other drummers and the audience think about your selection of gear? Their opinions don't matter. What matters is that you are doing what YOU like, and what YOU feel suits the music you are playing. If you are basing your choice of gear on whether or not you think the audience will prefer the Zildjians to the Paistes, then you're missing the point. Play what YOU like.
My cymbal selection is a mix of Meinl, UFIP and Paiste. I did a music video where I have a Stagg Myra ride cymbal sticking out like a sore thumb. Did I care that it was a Stagg when I bought it? Not in the least, it was a great sounding cymbal and THAT is why I used it.
When you get into the mindset of a non-musician, you have to consider the context. First off, what sort of music do they like? If the answer is pop, rock, "everything" (hahahahaha I hear that one a lot), then chances are they don't notice nor care about what the drummer is doing. If the answer is something a bit more sophisticated, say, a few prog bands, then they might have an ear for drumming. Hell, if they listen to metal they might be one of those guys who thinks Joey Jordison is a god. But generally, no, they don't notice you, and they don't care. They're only interested in listening to the music that they are comfortable with. Listening to music has been proven to be associated with dopamine release ( http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-musical-self/201101/why-music-listening-makes-us-feel-good ) and that is why pop music is so popular - because it is easily accessible to non-musicians and people who don't know any better, and it gives them that dopamine release. Of course, very few people are consciously aware that this is why they listen to pop music .
Anyway, I will go on forever and you'd be able to ignore most of it. The point I'm trying to make is that you need to be more selfish! Seriously, buy the gear that YOU want to play and listen to. Forget about the audience. Forget about other drummers. There are a zillion brands and models out there for you to choose from, because we are all different. Maple, birch, poplar, Gretsch, DW, Tama ... whatever. Play what you want. Once you realise that the audience doesn't care AND that this is unimportant, you will be free
Guys, honestly, you're missing the point.
Why do you play drums? Do you play because you want to impress people, or are you playing because you want to play drums?
If the answer is the first, well, then do whatever it is that you have to do to impress people.
If the answer is the second, then there's a few things that I don't understand:
Why are you so worried about what other drummers and the audience think about your selection of gear? Their opinions don't matter. What matters is that you are doing what YOU like, and what YOU feel suits the music you are playing. If you are basing your choice of gear on whether or not you think the audience will prefer the Zildjians to the Paistes, then you're missing the point. Play what YOU like.
My cymbal selection is a mix of Meinl, UFIP and Paiste. I did a music video where I have a Stagg Myra ride cymbal sticking out like a sore thumb. Did I care that it was a Stagg when I bought it? Not in the least, it was a great sounding cymbal and THAT is why I used it.
When you get into the mindset of a non-musician, you have to consider the context. First off, what sort of music do they like? If the answer is pop, rock, "everything" (hahahahaha I hear that one a lot), then chances are they don't notice nor care about what the drummer is doing. If the answer is something a bit more sophisticated, say, a few prog bands, then they might have an ear for drumming. Hell, if they listen to metal they might be one of those guys who thinks Joey Jordison is a god. But generally, no, they don't notice you, and they don't care. They're only interested in listening to the music that they are comfortable with. Listening to music has been proven to be associated with dopamine release ( http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-musical-self/201101/why-music-listening-makes-us-feel-good ) and that is why pop music is so popular - because it is easily accessible to non-musicians and people who don't know any better, and it gives them that dopamine release. Of course, very few people are consciously aware that this is why they listen to pop music .
Anyway, I will go on forever and you'd be able to ignore most of it. The point I'm trying to make is that you need to be more selfish! Seriously, buy the gear that YOU want to play and listen to. Forget about the audience. Forget about other drummers. There are a zillion brands and models out there for you to choose from, because we are all different. Maple, birch, poplar, Gretsch, DW, Tama ... whatever. Play what you want. Once you realise that the audience doesn't care AND that this is unimportant, you will be free