What's the worst drumming advice you've ever received?

PorkPieGuy

Platinum Member
I love music forums because we always like kicking around ideas, looking at each other drums, listening to fun music, etc. I learn so much from y'all. :)

With that said, I thought it would be fun to explore some bad drumming advice. I would like to keep this light-hearted if at all possible. I thought I'd start:

Advice:

Don't ever buy a sparkle drum set. You'll get sick of the finish.


FYI: To this day, I have a big "thing" for sparkle drums. Always have. Always will.

How about you? What bad advice have you heard? The more absurd, the better! :)
 
My last set was Blue Glass, large sparkle and I loved them.
 
"Don't listen to other drummers. It'll keep you from developing your own style."
I've found that my style developed from bits and pieces of all the drummers I've heard over the years. Everyone learns from someone else and to completely ignore how other's play is just asinine.
 
My last set was Blue Glass, large sparkle and I loved them.

There's something about that original DW broken glass that punches me in the gut every time I see one in person. I want to own a set like that so bad I can't stand it...just for the finish.
 
"Proper grip is with your palms down." Made my life so much harder than necessary.
 
1 - Don't go to P.I.T. you sound like everyone else and won't be original.

Not only is this not true, it's ludicrous. It's just a school. They can't change your influences or who you are as a person.

2 - You need to develop your own sound - Except 99% of bands don't want an original sound, they want what fits the music they are playing.
 
Worst? Not sure if this qualifies but....

In third grade when they sent the band papers out I was told by my father that I couldn't play drums because he did not want drums in the house and that I could play trumpet or saxophone.

By mid 8th grade dad was gone (divorce) and the kid up the street just happened to have a pile of old drums for sale for $30.... At that time mom was pretty sympathetic to my plight and somehow came up with the money.

Didn't have a clue, but I had a snare drum and a bass drum (no head though lol).

Man that was a long time ago....
 
I replaced a drummer and he said to pick out an audience member tapping their foot and use it for your timing. I think he was trying to sabotage me.
 
By mid 8th grade dad was gone (divorce) and the kid up the street just happened to have a pile of old drums for sale for $30.... At that time mom was pretty sympathetic to my plight and somehow came up with the money.

Didn't have a clue, but I had a snare drum and a bass drum (no head though lol).

Man that was a long time ago....

Sounds like Mike Johnston. This parallels his story. Thanks for sharing!
 
"Don't listen to other drummers. It'll keep you from developing your own style."
I've found that my style developed from bits and pieces of all the drummers I've heard over the years. Everyone learns from someone else and to completely ignore how other's play is just asinine.

Buddy Rich once said, there was never a drummer he heard that he didn't take something from.
 
I don't think I've ever gotten any bad advice as a drummer. Then again, some of my rudimental drum "teachers" were the snare drummers in the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps drum line, and I didn't start playing a drum kit regularly until I was 33 and already well established as a pro-level trumpet player - I already had my own approach to practice and musical development.
 
Getting back to the sparkle look, I recall a lot of people saying to get an "original look" to stick out from the crowd, and that just led to owning several drum sets that didn't look good in all situations. I think everyone's attitudes about it is that you're gonna join a rock band for life and that's all you're ever gonna do.

Sparkles rock - don't listen to the nay-sayers!
 
Guitarist to my right, speed up

Bass player to my left, slow down

Me, WTF? Tempo is what I say it is :)
 
For sure was told this. Didn't even know it was bad advice, glad I do now, so unnatural for me.

Exactly. Took me years to get my thumbs up and use a full range of finger, hand, and wrist motion for faster songs. I used to have to bulldoze my way through one of our fast ska songs. I took a break from the band, and that's when I went back to basics, took a couple lessons, and came to realize my grip was the issue the entire time. When I rejoined the band, the bandleader/songwriter gasped, "You never used to play it that fast! NOBODY has EVER played it that fast!" ...and now we take it a bit slower actually.
 
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You don't want to play the drums.
You'll play the accordian so that you can join a polka band.

From my parents.
I was about 6 or 7 years old.
I think I had a lesson or two on the accordian, but I kept throwing hissy fits until they broke down and agreed to the drums.

Sometimes I think it wouldn't have been a horrible idea to learn the accordian too - LOL
 
"Always 'hit hard' if you want to be good." - Guitar players who read in a magazine that their favorite drummer "hits hard".

"If you don't rim-shot every snare note you're doing it wrong" - Dumbass drummers who figured out how to rim shot and now think it's what they should do every time they hit that drum.

Turns out the thing I get most complimented on is my dynamics, range and response to musical dynamics. Good thing I ignored the cave-man advice.
 
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