Bo Eder
Platinum Member
I mentioned this in another thread today and it was kind of an epiphany so I thought I'd share it here.
When Modern Drummer magazine debuted back in 1975, I thought, "cool - a publication just for drummers!"
As I got older and continued my studying and playing (well, more playing than studying) it struck me what a crock the title "Modern Drummer" really is. The more I worked, the more important it was to really just lay it down for the rest of the band to groove on and to swing. All those historic musical theories are true! Whatever you do, just get to the next bar or If you can't play a hard phrase, simplify and don't mess up the time. I've kinda' concluded that being a Modern Drummer is anything but being modern. There's nothing that I do on the kit that's really modern.
I'm not saying I'm dissatisfied because I don't get to throw tried-and-true musical concepts out the window, actually I'm pleased with my progress over my career and am pretty happy with being able to lay down the boogie, and, play that funky music til you die.
If anything, the Modern Drummer arena has been used to sell drummers from all walks of life all kinds of stuff they don't really need. We all say it here: What does the music require? You give the music what it requires. But does anyone really listen to this? Not really. If someone asks if they need certain drums, or certain cymbals, or certain pieces of hardware, they never ask if the music requires it. It's basically a 'want' question.
If you can't play for the band with a little four-piece kit and a couple of cymbals, then you're doing it wrong. But Modern Drummers are sold on the need factor. Here's this publication advertising all these cool things you need to groove with the band. But do you really need it? So many of us have a problem playing four-on-the-floor bass drum, snare on two-and-four, and hats on all the 8th notes (even me), that we're trained to think that another drum, or a double pedal, or a new cymbal, will help your situation. Anybody ever thought about that?
Isn't it ironic that I bring this up as I practice on my NINE-PIECE double bass kit? It's so hard for me to sit at that big kit and not play all of it, resulting in sounding just plain dumb. I don't know, think about it - do you play anything that's truly modern and ground-breaking? I've never played a wedding and had the band leader say 'we're gonna do a samba in 7/8 now' or did a casual that required more than one bass drum. Bands that I've seen play stuff like that, just disrupt the whole evening for everybody and they don't work too much. But the guys I know who work three to five nights a week, are the ones who lay it down for the dancers and create the party for everyone to want to be at.
I'm not saying you should stop studying and stop your pursuit of getting better and better. I'm saying you should gauge your audience and tailor what you do for them and be happy that you get to sit at your drums at all to make a living. Maybe it'd be more important if Modern Drummer concentrated on giving Modern Social Skills?
(This is in no way a big slam on Modern Drummer and the fans of the magazine - it actually applies to all musician magazines, but MD's title provided the irony of the topic).
When Modern Drummer magazine debuted back in 1975, I thought, "cool - a publication just for drummers!"
As I got older and continued my studying and playing (well, more playing than studying) it struck me what a crock the title "Modern Drummer" really is. The more I worked, the more important it was to really just lay it down for the rest of the band to groove on and to swing. All those historic musical theories are true! Whatever you do, just get to the next bar or If you can't play a hard phrase, simplify and don't mess up the time. I've kinda' concluded that being a Modern Drummer is anything but being modern. There's nothing that I do on the kit that's really modern.
I'm not saying I'm dissatisfied because I don't get to throw tried-and-true musical concepts out the window, actually I'm pleased with my progress over my career and am pretty happy with being able to lay down the boogie, and, play that funky music til you die.
If anything, the Modern Drummer arena has been used to sell drummers from all walks of life all kinds of stuff they don't really need. We all say it here: What does the music require? You give the music what it requires. But does anyone really listen to this? Not really. If someone asks if they need certain drums, or certain cymbals, or certain pieces of hardware, they never ask if the music requires it. It's basically a 'want' question.
If you can't play for the band with a little four-piece kit and a couple of cymbals, then you're doing it wrong. But Modern Drummers are sold on the need factor. Here's this publication advertising all these cool things you need to groove with the band. But do you really need it? So many of us have a problem playing four-on-the-floor bass drum, snare on two-and-four, and hats on all the 8th notes (even me), that we're trained to think that another drum, or a double pedal, or a new cymbal, will help your situation. Anybody ever thought about that?
Isn't it ironic that I bring this up as I practice on my NINE-PIECE double bass kit? It's so hard for me to sit at that big kit and not play all of it, resulting in sounding just plain dumb. I don't know, think about it - do you play anything that's truly modern and ground-breaking? I've never played a wedding and had the band leader say 'we're gonna do a samba in 7/8 now' or did a casual that required more than one bass drum. Bands that I've seen play stuff like that, just disrupt the whole evening for everybody and they don't work too much. But the guys I know who work three to five nights a week, are the ones who lay it down for the dancers and create the party for everyone to want to be at.
I'm not saying you should stop studying and stop your pursuit of getting better and better. I'm saying you should gauge your audience and tailor what you do for them and be happy that you get to sit at your drums at all to make a living. Maybe it'd be more important if Modern Drummer concentrated on giving Modern Social Skills?
(This is in no way a big slam on Modern Drummer and the fans of the magazine - it actually applies to all musician magazines, but MD's title provided the irony of the topic).