Anyone just play drums for themselves only?

After my stint in a jazz band, I did exactly this for 10 years. Loved every minute of it and I developed a lot of good skills during that time.

I too got fed up with the hassles of people and the drama that can (and usually does) ensue.

I'm sure I'll be back in this situation again in short order as I've been with my current lineup for about 3 years now. I'll still "Gun for hire" for bands, but mostly enjoy MY time.
 
Like my photography, and woodworking, drumming is a hobby. To me it's therapy. I don't need an audience to watch me make a picture frame, coffee table, take photos of flora and fauna. I do it for me.

Beautifully put, I'm the same with the gym, a lot of the time people don't get it.

I look at both as a learning curve and a journey which is more rewarding/frustrating than any audience. Teaches you to be humble as well. It should never be a competition, save that for sport.

If you're fortunate enough to be paid for your hobby/passion fair play, if you don't feel obliged to inflict your playing on the world you have more will power and self control than me and you're an officer and a gentleman :)
 
LL, i play 2-4 hours every night, saturdays upto 6 hours... In my basement.. no one will ever see or hear me play, but i love it.. it's like meditation and makes the real world just go away. :)
 
Like my photography, and woodworking, drumming is a hobby. To me it's therapy. I don't need an audience to watch me make a picture frame, coffee table, take photos of flora and fauna. I do it for me.

It's definitely therapeutic. I was never really, in a band. I sat in for guys when their drummer would crap out, or had a different engagement. But mostly, in my youth, I sat in the basement and played for hours and hours. I was in jr. high and high school jazz bands, pep bands, etc.

I'm just getting back into playing now. I would love to end up in a band by year's end. But honestly, it's not that important. I would like to at least get together with some peeps and jam.

My buddy asks me the same type of thing about golf. "How do you play by yourself? Don't you get bored? ----Are you kidding??? It's quiet, sunny, I'm out getting fresh air and chasing that stupid ball around. Not bored!
 
I can't remember the last time I regularly drummed for/by myself; living in NYC, doing so requires either having your own house or access to a lockout. So the only time I drum is in practice or at gigs. I'd be a much better drummer if I had the option, to be honest.
 
I'm one of those guys who used to play with a few different "bands" (used loosely), stopped playing for many years, and picked it back up recently. So far I've been playing by and for myself, just having fun and trying to get some chops back.



Playing solo is very different from playing with other people. There are pros and cons to both and it really depends on your goals. If you expect to make a living doing it then you most likely need to play with other people and deal with the related hassles. But really there are no rules. If it's just a hobby that you do for fun, have at it.
 
I admire those who can sit and play at home for hours. I have friends who post videos of them doing their thing at home. I just cannot get into it that much...I love to play, but if I'm not interacting with others to make the music, its not as much fun. For me.

Again, this is in no way a knock on those who do. I truly admire it, I think its cool. I just get myself to that point. Character flaw on my part, surely...
 
I admire those who can sit and play at home for hours. I have friends who post videos of them doing their thing at home. I just cannot get into it that much...I love to play, but if I'm not interacting with others to make the music, its not as much fun. For me.

Again, this is in no way a knock on those who do. I truly admire it, I think its cool. I just get myself to that point. Character flaw on my part, surely...

I have to touch on this subject a bit, and don't want to hijack this thread but your comment made me think about it. We kind of live in this YouTube world, even with drummers. A lot of people try to mimic what these, for lack of a better term "Drum Off" type thing people are doing. This goes for guitar players and bassists and whatever too.

A lot of people spend so much time playing in their room or basement or whatever by themselves and just build chops. However, a lot of times they aren't building any musicality or groove or how to play with and off of others.

I remember one time auditioning this guy who could play like every Van Halen solo or other shread guitar solo in existence. Too bad we were an originals band, because they guy didn't know how to actually fit any of what he did to a band.
 
Last night at my open mic jam I watched six drummers play with other musicians. Four of them played for themselves only.
The other two paid attention to the song and the other musicians who were playing along with them. Just sayin'.



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..We kind of live in this YouTube world, even with drummers. A lot of people try to mimic what these, for lack of a better term "Drum Off" type thing people are doing. This goes for guitar players and bassists and whatever too.

A lot of people spend so much time playing in their room or basement or whatever by themselves and just build chops..


I have no idea why drummers or other musicians on YT are treated here a lot of times as if they have some sort of disease..

Like, 30 years ago everyone was buying DCI videos to spend hours and hours in their basement trying to copy Dave Weckl..

Was that any better than just clicking a YT-video, only because Weckl was on a VHS tape..?

Was Weckl any better or more credible than, for example, Anika Nilles only because he released DCI VHS videos instead of YT-videos..?

Things just got a little more easy for musicians to express themselves, nothing more, nothing less..
 
Music is like sex. Sure, you can do it on your own, and if it feels good then it is good. But it's way more fun if other people are involved. Also, subject to local laws, nobody else's opinion of what works for you matters.

The analogy breaks down when we get to the audience bit.
 
I think when the time comes that I can only "Drum for myself" then it will be time to give up. I can't think of anything more boring TBH.

Playing in a band got to be boring to me.
Not boring exactly, but like mikyok says, you go on autopilot and just sort of zone out.
Not at first, but after playing the same sets so many times with little variation, it happens.

Now I just work on whatever I want, whenever I want, and am always more 'present', even when I get in the zone.

There's no substitute for playing with others, but sometimes there's a lot of baggage that comes along with doing that.
 
I have no idea why drummers or other musicians on YT are treated here a lot of times as if they have some sort of disease..

Like, 30 years ago everyone was buying DCI videos to spend hours and hours in their basement trying to copy Dave Weckl..

Was that any better than just clicking a YT-video, only because Weckl was on a VHS tape..?

Was Weckl any better or more credible than, for example, Anika Nilles only because he released DCI VHS videos instead of YT-videos..?

Things just got a little more easy for musicians to express themselves, nothing more, nothing less..

I don't mind the you tube drummers. However, I think you have to treat it like a clinic not as what you do all the time, unless that is all you are doing. The question when you get in to a band situation is how does that translate to playing with other people and a band.
 
I did the band thing years and year ago. Got tired of the drama involved. Quit playing for like a year or so (kept my kit and everything it was just packed away) Started attending church again in 2002 and played there 40+ weeks for 16 years. I stopped playing there in April 2018 for many reasons. I had the opportunity to join a band in September, filled in for a gig doing classic and southern rock. Job was mine if I wanted it. I realized I don't like getting home at 3 a.m. or later anymore. If I could have gigs that ended at midnight I'd probably do it but let's face it those don't really exist. So I play for myself now, bought some recording and video gear to start working on making some videos. I don't have any delusional ideas that I'll become a youtube star, I'm just doing it for me and to share with friends on FB and here, for the love of playing is pretty much why. Will I gig out again, highly doubtful unless it's the perfect circumstance that fits my needs and life now. Nothing wrong playing in a basement or a room by yourself, as I saw someone say earlier it's therapeutic and it's true. For me that's where I go to forget about EVERYTHING and get lost in the music and playing. The world sort of stops for me, all the stress, frustrations, worries, concerns, aggravations don't exist the minute I sit down and pick up my sticks. It's me the music and my creativity.
 
Been playing for around 14 years and have never been in a serious band.
Jammed with friends on occasions and done a few recordings but nothing serious ever.
I don't feel obligated to play my drums all the time, I just enjoy them when I do.
Trying to organise other musicians is a very difficult thing and hauling kit around is annoying as hell (no other musicians seem to realise this either???).
Sure I will play some music if somebody asks me to jam or whatever, but I am not actively seeking it and I doubt I ever will.

Just me, my kits and my Spotify. That is good enough for me.
 
I don't mind the you tube drummers. However, I think you have to treat it like a clinic not as what you do all the time, unless that is all you are doing. The question when you get in to a band situation is how does that translate to playing with other people and a band.

Totally agree! There's some cool stuff on youtube that would have cost a fortune to acquire 15 years ago.

If you're earning a living from drumming and do some vids on the side, that's cool. Drumeo has some cool clinics by folk who are at the top of the game. If you've never left your bedroom and start preaching to the world about drumming trying to get rich off likes that's a different story.

I can't watch are the bedroom players who couldn't play with a band who film themselves playing doing the whole look how fast (and sloppy) I can play thing which comes across as really anti-social, playing for yourself isn't sharing it with the world or editing all the mistakes out, it's letting loose in your own world.
 
I like playing at home, and I like playing gigs. They are different things, but they are both fun. I like meeting people.
 
Most of the year, I play in my drum cave for my own pleasure. I enjoy this immensely and I continue to improve my playing.

I play "out" two weeks a year with folks who are serious amateurs, like me, and that is tremendously rewarding, particularly playing the oddball stuff we all enjoy.

Even if I could find other musicians with similar skills, musical tastes, and goals as me, there is nowhere that would pay us to play this stuff.

There aren't places to get together to play around here that are big enough and tolerant of the noise we would make.

So, I play in my drum cave....
 
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