So is ANYONE capable of drumming?

DrPowerStroke said:
I remember when I had been taking lessons from Dom for about 6 months and seen dramatic improvement in my hands. He was complimenting me on my progress and I felt all proud. then, later, talking about the techniques, he said " yes, and it has NOTHING to do with talent! Isn't it amazing?" He has been helping students improve 400% no matter what their starting point. After I got rid of my hurt ego, I started to marvel at how truly amazing it is: musicality is one thing, and one may say it can't be learned, but then, how much do you need to be having a good time behind a kit? I say get off it: anyone can have beautiful hands and express themselves. All the rest is negative energy, and you don't need that. No, I am not high....DPS

I have the utmost respect for DOM, but I also do not take everything professional drummers say as gospel. Some would say you have to have some talent others would say you don't. Again it is all opinion and no ones opinion is really wrong. When I first started playing and again I have never taken a formal lesson I just watched the church drummer for my dad's choir, and I have always learned by ear and I can remember alot of songs and how they were played. My dad used to tape the choir at rehearsals and I would listen to them and and play along until I got it down. Plus I could remember some of the stuff he played and just went home and played it, so to me I have always had the talent to play drums but I was able to progress by practicing. So I think it takes a little of both.
 
this may have already been touched, but i grew tired of looking for it after about 5 minutes.

early on, people were arguing over the ability of one to feel and interperet rhythem. this is not something you are just born with, it is something you learn much like language. music in general is learned like a language. people who start late must put in a lot more work much like a person who learns spanish in high school will always have to work much harder than the person who started in elementary school. this is also why a good high school music program does not exist without a strong elementary school program. this basically means that the task at hand is not impossible, but it will be difficult.

also at work here is the 'nuture' part of of 'nature vs nuture.' these amazing drummers have, for the most part, grown up in households where music was very prevalent. they listened to a ton of music and assimilated the particular feel for what it is they are doing. in my home growing up, pop/rock and prog were very prominent, but jazz almost never was heard. i have done very little to change this in my life, so as a result, my jazz feel is terrible while i can play prog fairly well. it also works in the inverse. i know jazzers who cant sound good behind a rock band no matter how hard they try, and these guys' parents listen to nothing but jazz and latin stuff.

in short, its not impossible to be at least good enough to master the heft of what guys like weckl do, but its going to be hard. almost impossible if you want to be as good as them, but anything can happen.

did i also mention i am a music ed major? so there is some science behind my statements.
 
Bro ZDrums

Yes not everyone can be a Weckl indeed .... it probably takes more than Hardwork alone. Drummers who are Weckl-Alike (must have put in tons of HardWork)...besides that - They are born with a certain Potential in Drumming ...(Very High Potential I guess).

I asked my Instructor who is now 60 years old....a Professional who taught countless of Drums Students - He did groom many good professional drummers in our market, but only one particular drummer of his stood out to be the BEST & is also a TOP DRUMMER in Singapore ...and this student of his plays FUSION MUSIC.....even his those other students who are now teaching drumming in Yamaha Music School is nowhere near this student.

My Instructor told me - They all started learning at around the same time, when they were schooling about 15 years old boys, and during those times already - he can tell this TOP Drummer is a very fast learner.

Having said that - I've mentioned that my Instructor have been drumming for 40 over years...and he told me a Drummer by the Name of Edmund Branson (a young 20 over years old drummer now deceased and miss by all of us) which my instructor was a Judge for Top-Drummer In Singapore ...gave the Title to Edmund Branson. (Edmund is not the top student my Instructor taught as I've mentioned above though the TOP Drummer I've mentioned also took part in the competition...who came in second and I know he was furious with my Instructor).....My Instructor told me ... Edmund (a 20 over year old boy is gifted - and could do amazing stuffs ... so tough my instructor he himself couldn't do.....) I gave my utmost respect to my Instructor who is a very Fair & Just person for gaving the title to Edmund instead to his own student....Most of all - my respect to my Instructor is that he can admit to me - - - (Edmund is less experience ...yet he is a better drummer than himself & to me it takes avery humble person to do that)...Oh and yes Edmund became the 2nd Zildjian Endorsee in Singapore.

I wrote this - to let everyone judge for themselves, if - A Weckl-Like Drummer is only through Hardwork & years or......somehow inborn with high potential in Drumming...you judge for yourself.
 
This is an interesting thread, I thought I'd resuscitate it. It started off w/ a seemingly silly (and innocent) question - one many of us probably ask ourselves all the time. "Can I ever be as good as these giants I see on my instructional DVDs?"

I'm going to say yes.

However, learning anything is a journey and learning anything complicated requires an incredible amount of self-discipline, determination, and patience.

Drumming, like any journey is something that progresses over time and since it does in fact take time (for 99.99999999999%+ of drummers...even amongst the best) your thoughts and feelings of "the goal" you're progressing toward can change along the way. As your playing improves and you continue to see the fruits of your labor, you'll be less intimidated by what the "masters" are capable of doing.

Someone here posted a beautiful quote - I wish I could remember who it was so I could give the proper credit where credit is due...but it was; "Celebrate progress, don't wait to reach perfection."

Celebrate the little goals...like the "wow" breakthrough moments when you can do something you've been finding challenging. Or, simply celebrate a good practice session you had today...whatever.

Everything these technical maniacs are capable of is physically possible...they're only human - just like you. They were, at one point, where you are today and most likely thought to themselves..."Will I ever be as good as Buddy Rich!? I work so hard!".

I don't think I'll be "as good" as Dave Weckl but as I progress on my journey and my skills improve...I'll be more and more satisfied w/ my abilities and won't place as much value as having equal or better skills than another drummer out there. It's all a matter of perception and satisfaction.
 
I am going to say YES. 3 years ago i would never think that I would be a Section Leader of Percussion. I had NEVER played anything involving Percussion in my life.

I took up a drumstick and knew how to play just by listening to the other kids beat on their drums. I am now the best in our school. I know some people will say "Well his school must now be very good," but out of the kids that had been doing this since 5th grade and me that just started 3 years ago and i am 18 now............I learned with ease. And i had never played anything before.

I would have to say Yes. I didnt think that i would be able to do it, but i came a long way with practice. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE is all i have to say and you will go far.
 
Having recently taken a human growth and development class for my music education major, i would like to inject a little insight from that topic.

one of the biggest takes on 'nature vs. nuture' says that all humans are born with potential/pre-dispositions, but this cannot come out with out the nuture. I may be willing to believe that some people are genetically gifted with some sort of advantage (good coordination skills, a learning style that allows for extremely fast learning, etc), but I still will stand by my earlier statement that anyone can be a great drummer. it is all about exposure and skill development in many respects; the primary one being audiation (the ability to hear a rhythm and reproduce it, the ability to see notes on a page and being able to hear it in your head, the ability to take an idea heard or played at one tempo and quickly adjust it to a new one). this skill is developed. you are not born with it. some people may just have a predisposition to pick it up faster, allowing them to progress faster than others. I still think that the biggest deciding factors in the speed of progress of a drummer are determination, musical exposure, and the age at which key skills like audiation and coordination were developed; nothing you are just born with or without.
 
Having recently taken a human growth and development class for my music education major, i would like to inject a little insight from that topic.

one of the biggest takes on 'nature vs. nuture' says that all humans are born with potential/pre-dispositions, but this cannot come out with out the nuture. I may be willing to believe that some people are genetically gifted with some sort of advantage (good coordination skills, a learning style that allows for extremely fast learning, etc), but I still will stand by my earlier statement that anyone can be a great drummer. it is all about exposure and skill development in many respects; the primary one being audiation (the ability to hear a rhythm and reproduce it, the ability to see notes on a page and being able to hear it in your head, the ability to take an idea heard or played at one tempo and quickly adjust it to a new one). this skill is developed. you are not born with it. some people may just have a predisposition to pick it up faster, allowing them to progress faster than others. I still think that the biggest deciding factors in the speed of progress of a drummer are determination, musical exposure, and the age at which key skills like audiation and coordination were developed; nothing you are just born with or without.

I tend to agree - but only partially. There is such a thing as innate talent, and someone who nurtures that talent will always be one step ahead of someone without talent who practices their brains out. While I have talent to some degree, I do not have the level of talent of a Buddy Rich, and no matter how many hours, days, and weeks I practice I will never be as great as he was. However, that doesn't mean that I cannot be a great drummer in my own right. We can all achieve greatness, but different levels of greatness.
 
While I have talent to some degree, I do not have the level of talent of a Buddy Rich, and no matter how many hours, days, and weeks I practice I will never be as great as he was.

Like I said, some people might have some genetic predispositions towards certain talents, like coordination and quick learning.

Then you also have to consider how many hours Buddy Rich spent playing at all those shows. I doubt you have the that kind of time in the day for playing. If you did play that much, I bet you'd become pretty exceptional. And then there is the very young age at which he started.

Another thing, I never have understood why Buddy Rich has gotten so much attention from drummers. I find Rich to be more of a circus performer than a musician.
 
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I think that some people can practise for hours a day and still not be as good as somoene who is naturally gifted. There are people in my school who are amazing at football(soccer), but don't really practise very much. No matter how much I practised I still couldn't play as well. I think it links to drums in that some people just don't have that in built sense of time and groove which others get naturally.

Tom
 
As well as practicing like Weckl the person would have to play all the gigs and sessions Weckl has played.

Also they would have to attend every clinic, lesson, gig, drum show that Weckl has ever attended.

And listen to every piece of music Weckl has ever listened to, even stuff on the radio in the background.

Also they would have to notice and absorb the same things from these experiences as Weckl has done.

We are all a product of our environment, and we become the drummers we are by way of our life experiences to date.

(in my opinion)
 
Man if I can do it anyone can. I'm a firm believer of the saying " you get back what you put into it".
 
I don't think so! I've encountered many people who have terrible rhythm! They can't stand learning either they find it too boring and slow and just want to destroy the kit.
 
Think about it from a different perspective. To say that there will never be another drummer as good as Weckl is just plain stupid. Of course there will be.

I think everybody has the capability of doing something incredible, some people are just born with a head start.
 
I don't think so! I've encountered many people who have terrible rhythm! They can't stand learning either they find it too boring and slow and just want to destroy the kit.

I think the argument is more about the average person's potential to learn; not necessarily the actual reality of such.
 
I think the argument is more about the average person's potential to learn; not necessarily the actual reality of such.
I see so basically are drummers born or made sort of thing? The thing about the Weckl question though is that it's not just about practicing everything he practiced. You would have to live his exact life down to every detail! I think everyone has the potential to be great some are just more naturally talented than others though so they learn quicker.
 
With the right mindset and enough practice I think most people can be a working pro on a high level. Would you sound exactly like Dave? Maybe not, but even if imitation down to the smallest detail is great, even essential, for your musical development, that's not really the point when you start making your own art behind the kit.

There are probably exceptions, but that usually comes down to other issues not related just to musicality but other aspects of life which can be solved if one is willing.
 
From the mists of antiquity, the ancient thread rises.....

I have an anecdotal story for this. I deal in violins by day, and talk to a lot of violin dealers. Over the years, a handful have claimed to have figured out Stradivari's secret. Strads (and Amatis) stand alone as violin masterpieces, and few have succeeded in duplicating their tone. So the "Strad's Secret" topic comes up now and then. But there is one violin maker living today who said it best: "Strad's secret? Spend your life making violins".

Same goes for top-tier drummers. They outworked their competition. Talent gets you started, gets you interested. Perseverance and dedication puts you in the big leagues. Wanna be as good as Dave, Vinnie, Buddy, Steve, et al? Spend your life playing drums, listening to music, taking classes, etc.
 
My question is, why concern yourself or waste time thinking 'will I ever get as good as X?' If you truly love drumming, then it doesn't matter. Because at the end of the day if I tell myself I tried my best and still failed, then that's ok. If I tell myself I didn't try that hard and didn't reach my goals, then I'd be kicking myself.
 
I agree with everyone else that you shouldn't strive to be someone else. There are drummers that I think are great, but by any means I am not striving to sound like them either. I only listen to music I want to learn for fun, other than that, I try to keep influence out of the equation.

I see so basically are drummers born or made sort of thing?

Natural born musicians are the ones that can play something and make you turn your head and wonder where they pulled that out of their behind. The creativeness to think outside of the box and have a solid feel where time is. Creativity cannot be taught, it just happens on an individual basis.

So my answer is, no. Anyone can learn, but not everyone can make heads turn.
 
Ok this will come across as being silly. But... suppose someone just decided that they wanted to learn to play the drums...and wanted to learn to be a pro....say..like the ace drummer, Dave Weckl !! If that person practiced enough all of the time, could they reach this goal? Obviously, some people are more musically inclined than other people..but do you think it's possible for the 'non-musical' folks to match the skill of a really talented, famous drummer? Maybe it depends if the person wants it bad enough? It's hard for me to believe that anyone...just anyone can learn to play like Weckl or Bobby Jarzombek...or anyone of that calibur...

This is sorta ridiculous...but i was just thinking....

I haven't read everyone's responses but the quick answer should be, "why not?" I've always said that if the desire is there, there shouldn't be anything standing in anybody's way to get to a certain goal (and this is applicable to everything else, besides just drumming). Life is replete with stories of people getting on a certain road and discovering if it works out or not. If it does, continue. If not, re-evaluate.

But is the question here really to be a top-notch player, or to be famous? As we've seen from the many Meg White, and Hannah Ford threads (to stay within this drumming community, anyway), being top notch and being famous are two very different things. I know drummers who just like to play, and they're incredible, but they don't pursue it as a career and love their existence. Others pursue becoming famous and well-known but don't play very well. This kinda' begs a different question, doesn't it? Can you be a top-notch player and not be famous? Or does it just come with the territory?
 
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