Drumming Idiosyncrasies

My wife would KILL me if I didn't wear my ring to a gig. (Although I don't wear it to gym because it hurts when I grip the bar.)

I have to have empty pockets as well. Keys/wallet/phone go under floor tom. I put back in pocket after each set.

I prefer short sleeves although we once played a gig in a rathole of a bar. 5 inches of snow was falling outside, 20 degrees outside bar and probably 25 inside. I had two shirts and a coat to start off then eventually shed the coat.

Also I prefer shorts, but in cold weather I stick with pants. I wear jeans for appearance purposes at gigs but I'd be WAY more comfortable in sweats if I had to wear pants instead of shorts.
 
My idiosyncrasies have to do with where I put my accents and how I play. That's what makes me "me". I've played for over 40 years because I can play anywhere, wear anything and do whatever is required for a drummer to be a drummer. Tuxedo, parachute pants (80's), jeans, kilt - it doesn't matter. Maybe that could be part of your "rudiments" to get over attire-based limits that you have to expand your possibilities as a musician. After all, you never know when Brian Setzer will need a new drummer.....
 
Clean hands, empty pockets and a towel handy.
I play traditional grip and my wedding ring does not interfere. There is certainly clothing that i prefer to play in (jeans and t shirt). But i can play in a suit and tie / tux if that's what's called for.
 
Heavy shoes, boots, heels (I dont wear them anyways), and sandals (too loose). Shoes are a must have for me when playing a serious gig or practice session.

I can generally play in any clothing. If the clothing is restrictive in any way I wouldn't be wearing it. If for some reason find out a pair of pants gets the beater caught frequently, I try not to wear those when playing.
 
Glad to hear other people say they drum without shoes. I have a weird habit I guess related to foot gear. I like my right foot to have only a sock but my left foot I like to wear old school addidas (think Run DMC). For some reason the absolute flat bottom on the tennis shoe lets me open and close the hat easier...
 
shemp said:
gotta have a hat or some type of sweat collection vessel on the head....
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Sweat collection vessel, yuk yuk. Can't wear hats, it makes me too hot. Plus I look even dumber in a hat.

Hollywood Jim said:
I have to play with dirty hands.

If my hands are too clean I can't always hang on to the sticks properly.
Sometimes I even put a little soda pop on my hands before I play.
.
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I get a better grip when my hands are clean. To each their own. Soda on the hands is an interesting solution. I would worry about the sticky soda getting on the sticks then into my cymbal grooves. Do you ask to rinse your hands with the bar gun lol?

I have to tuck my trousers into my socks (not the whole pair lol, just the bass pedal pant leg)

Prefer short sleeves but they can be long. Nothing in pockets at all, front and back. I rest my snare hand on my thigh for consistent rimshots, and lumpy pockets ruin my high.

A squirrel cage type fan is usually necessary, as is a gallon of un-fluoridated, un chlorined water from my well at home. Step away from the bar gun water.

I have one of those car litter bags tied to my floor tom to hold my wallet, keys, glasses and phone to keep them off the floor. Mine's red lol.

My drums have to be set up facing the Mississippi Delta, more precisely, Dockery's Farm. Sometimes I have to concede that. Usually every gig.
 
No watch, no rings, no glasses, no hats, no long sleeves, no shoes, no hunting, no fishing, no nothing
 
Oh yeah, here's another of mine- If someone sits in and uses my sticks I'll give them that pair because I don't want their DNA. :D They've sweat all over my sticks and now the sticks are no longer good for me.
 
BillRayDrums said:
Oh yeah, here's another of mine- If someone sits in and uses my sticks I'll give them that pair because I don't want their DNA. :D They've sweat all over my sticks and now the sticks are no longer good for me.
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That's funny. I'm a little weirded out about using my sticks after someone else has "tainted" them too. I usually just wipe them down really well. I'm sure it does nothing other than make me feel better.

I also have to empty my pockets before I play. I do keep my ring on though unless I'm playing percussion. I would think most of them do take their rings off.

Years ago, I met Gary Greene, the percussionist for Hootie & the Blowfish, and he actually had a tattoo of his wedding ring on his finger. He said he made the mistake of not taking his ring off once and he had a badly bruised finger. The tattoo was a way around that, to always have his ring on.

Another thing I'm totally OCD about is drumhead logos...they MUST be at the top; at 12:00 or the farthest point way from me. Roughly 1:00 on the floor tom.
 
I never heard the stick share thing before. Great, thanks for that. Now I'll be freaked out over it lol.

Re: logo's....Mine have to be lined up with the badges, so I know where the badges are without looking.
 
New Tricks said:
It's hard to stay in the pocket when there is other stuff in there.


Seriously, that's odd.
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Must not be that odd as I don't seem to be the only one. I just don't like having stuff in my pockets shaking around while I play. It bothers me and becomes a mental annoyance.
 
MrInsanePolack said:
Must not be that odd as I don't seem to be the only one..
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Have you ever wondered what make so habitually argumentative?


You title your post (root word) Idiosyncrasy (which means odd) and you list some of your's, and you are trying to tell me it is not odd?

Sea kelp
 
No shoes (can't feel the pedals)
No watch (hands become uneven in weight)
Nothing in pockets (gets in the way of my hands when playing the snare)
 
I knew a guy, back in the day, that when he played drums, he had to be wearing his girlfriend's panties. I'll just leave it at that. ;-)
 
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