Thoughts on Youtube Drummers?

ttscott95

Member
Hi folks,

Just throwing a general question in regards to regular working/gigging drummers on their opinion on Youtube Drummers. I have been looking for a band now for quite some time however there doesn't seem to be anything i feel strongly enough to get properly invested in. I was considering starting the whole Youtube drumming fad, however (without sounding cheesy) respect from other musicians is a fairly important thing i guess. Is it looked down upon in general by the community? (i know you could argue that you shouldn't care what other people think) I just need to find a way to get my name out there and get me in a decent band.

Cheers !
 
Fonzie_jumps_the_shark.PNG


My thoughts. If you get the reference.
 
All drummers suck and youtube drummers are the suckiest.



Really, people do what they want. Cobus and Meytal made their careers that way.

The whole fad, pure clinician and so on. It's a very different world and there are very different skills required for average paying gigs.

If you lack playing experience and want to be out playing I'd jump at every chance to play, network and get experience. You have to climb a ladder and people have to know about you.
 
I do get the reference Bacterium, and i agree to an extent! Depends what you're using it for i guess.

And Odd-Arne, I don't really have any aspirations of being a clinician etc, I just plan on using Youtube as a platform to show potential bands my ability as at the end of the day, my main goal is to gig and be in a band. Hopefully the ol' YouTubbs will give me enough recognition to get me to where i want to be. (That's providing i'm not delusional and can actually play the drums)

Cheers!
 
I use YouTube to post stuff so people can see how I play, and to be honest, other than having Bermuda see it and then PM me if I'd sub for him in one of his local rock bands, that's pretty much where it stopped.

A lot of the pro musicians I'm acquainted with will not just call someone out of the blue if they saw a good performance on YouTube because other than the possibility of it being "doctored", there's so many other things to consider; like this persons' temperament, or attitude, or work ethic. If I was looking to hire other musicians, I don't care how brilliant you are, if you can't show up on time and be pleasant, or are not a team player, you are not getting the call. And those things are difficult to spot in a YouTube video.

When I meet people and we chat for a while, then I'll tell them to see my YouTube channel to back up what we talked about, but only then.
 
I don't know, it depends on what you enjoy. If you're all about showy covers and selling product, and you have the skills(although this part is less important, just be fast), then it's a good gig. I personally am certain that I would hate it, I don't like seeing my own face, I don't like selling brands, and I hate nothing more than showoff musicians. Not my gig, but maybe yours?

If you can play the drums and get something out of it, whether that's fun, money, or recognition, then you've already won imo.
 
I think that's the deal.

There are many ways to use social media to get yourself out there. It often works the other way around, though. It simply builds momentum with people who already know you.

Musicians that don't know you will just assume heavy editing.

A well put together promo vid with various styles and so on might be useful.
 
There is only one way to get yourself asked to join a band. And that is networking. I started playing drums in my city for the first time four years ago. I’m now in three bands.

This all came about because I went to every open mic jam I could get myself to. I shook the hand of every musician I played with. I passed out a lot of business cards. When you play on stage with someone and they enjoy the experience, you will eventually become known and when someone needs a drummer they will think of you. Networking.

Also you can go to see the local bands play. Go up to the musicians and compliment them on their playing and their gear. Start a conversation. Networking.

Go to local musical seminars. I went to a Victor Wooten Bass Players seminar. Met a bunch of musicians. I’m in a band now partially because of that and partially because they saw me play at a jam. Networking.

Read this book: The Big Gig by Zorro

Smile, shake hands, compliment their gear, kiss babies.

.
 
Cheers for all the replies folks!

In regards to show off drummers, I guess that's why I'm a bit iffy of it all, it's not something I want to be known as, I would use it very similar in a sense that Matt Bo Eder mentioned, just as a back up when making an advertisement or "proof" when talking to musicians that I'm a reasonable drummer. The only thing with open mic nights is that in a lefty drummer (I know I hate it too) and getting the kit switched round is a total hassle and I thus don't get to go up and play much haha! I fully agree with the networking statement though, it is something that I've been stupidly lacking in recently, will definitely need to start!
 
I hate YouTube crappy covers drummers with a passion. Nuff said.
 
Being a youtube drummer (as opposed to a drummer who happens to post a vid on youtube) is a lot like onanism.

Sure, it feels good to you at the time, and there's really nothing wrong with it.

But that's not what it's really all about!
 
Play with any musicians, anywhere, anytime. Its the only way to prove what you can do in the real world. Playing with others is what its all about, for me at least, and I have got into genres that I would never have dreamed of playing by doing this.
 
Will you enjoy making youtube videos? If it isn't fun, I don't see the point, even if it does have a purpose.
 
It's just another media, like Grateful Dead bootleg tapes. The bootleg scene didn't work for every band, and it took a while for some bands to take advantage of the media. Some bands did fine without bootlegging, for others the draw of the live performance was crucial.

I think the profit model for low-fi music video productions remains to be seen, but I think the trend is towards drumming and other instruments that are portable and fun to watch.
 
I love watching drum expositions. I have little interest in watching drum covers. For some reason, I get more out of watching Carter demo a snare than I do from actual educational demos... Even when I know that the second drummer's lesson is more important to me in terms of learning. I guess it's analogous to telling a kid to eat their vegetables.
 
It's just another media, like Grateful Dead bootleg tapes. The bootleg scene didn't work for every band, and it took a while for some bands to take advantage of the media. Some bands did fine without bootlegging, for others the draw of the live performance was crucial.

I think the profit model for low-fi music video productions remains to be seen, but I think the trend is towards drumming and other instruments that are portable and fun to watch.

It case it's not clear why portable? For low budget, low processing it's easier to shoot out doors. A) there is better light B) good scenery.

Also there is a trend of incorporating dance, arguably a more visual art form. Most bands websites which have videos usually give at least a cameo of dancing.

Another trend is playing during the daytime. If you are going to shoot film of drumming, it is way better to do it during the day.
 
This is usually a hot topic amongst us trap players & I'll weigh in a bit.

Many who do this started it for fun & over time, became popular enough to keep doing it (Meytal fits in this category).

Some use YouTube to instruct on the hopes people will buy into their site and keep them going (Rob "Beatdown" Brown & his Patrons fit here).

Others started from day 1 to use it as a means to get drumming gigs or to show their work (Anika Nilles fits here). She writes & performs her own stuff & now has an album out using the very same drum parts she showed on YouTube for a while.

It takes quite a bit of courage to put yourself out there to the general, judgmental public these days. For example: I recorded my Guitar Center Drum Off performance one year, put it up on my page & got roasted on bad technique/crappy solo arrangement & the like. So in response, I kept posting them! =-D

I have no ambition on using YouTube to "get noticed" or for any other reason. I just post myself on there as a way of showing others how NOT to play. :)
The funny thing is, posts of me in the rockabilly band get good comments.
Go figure...
 
I have used it. Not to show off me, but to show new items of gear or drums or drum heads when installed etc.
 
I think that just like any other technology, YouTube has its pros and cons. The internet in and of itself has revolutionized the music business, but not just for the good. We're looking at shrinking margins and the death of the "session" player market due to the rise of file sharing technology, but music has never been more accessible, nor has it ever been easier to collaborate regardless of distance.

The internet has also made it possible for anyone anywhere to post content, and here's where we see the Dunning-Kruger effect in full force. For every Emmannuelle Capplette, we have thousands of folks hacking away at SOAD's "Toxicity" on Fender Starcasters set up like an escapee from the "Tom Angles" thread. Even when production values are high, musicianship can be absent (Wailin', buddy, how you doing?)

As with any drummer at any time in the past, I advise what I always have: Stick to what you know, and what you don't, and make yourself the best, most marketable drummer you can be. You will find work - maybe not as much as you dreamed, but that's definitely show business. And comparing yourself to anyone, favorably or not, is not really helpful at all.

And while my remarks above may not reflect this, I don't particularly care to bag on anyone who's posting on YouTube, because I hate doing it, am super self-conscious of my playing, and have to hand it to them for stepping out there to play "Toxicity" on their Fender Starcaster that looks like a Mickey Mouse headshot.
 
YouTube is where I archive some of the neat things from the past, such as that gig I enjoyed, or that time playing at an open jam.

Setting out to make a video specifically for YouTube is not on my list. The main reason is because I do not play in order to show off and get a "wow" out of an audience. It's about music, not tricks.

I sometimes like watching artists perform their own songs, such as Matt Garstka playing "Tooth and Claw," even though I know it's a not-so-thinly-veiled commercial for Meinl, as well as a reminder that I do not own enough Moon Gel.

Watching Matt, the original drummer, play this, I'd have to wonder why I'd want to watch someone else play it, when it's already been done. Originality loses out.

To make a video, I'd need a facility, first and foremost. Then someone to help with sound. Multiple cameras and editing. Post the video, and then what? What would I get out of that in exchange for the hard work AND added expenses?

I think the YouTube video can be a good add-on to whatever someone is doing. But to do that and nothing more just feels hollow.

At this stage in my life, I'd rather go to the open jam, or a get-together in someone's living room or garage. The social element is more important to me at this point.

YouTube drummers may have their followers and their place. I'm not a piece that fits into that puzzle.
 
Back
Top