Why play drums?

J

JohnoWorld

Guest
I've been playing for about 25 years but at the moment, I don't see many kids taking up the drums in my area, but then I think, why would they?

You need:

-A detached house or your own studio or neighbours that don't complain
-A car
-physically fit (to lug all that gear around)
-good concentration span
-dedication to a boring practice regime
-a good ear
-good time
-natural flair
-a good cash supply (to pay for sticks, heads and all the kit that you need)

etc etc

What I am saying is, what can be done to make drums more attractive for people to start?

I look at this list and if I wasn't already a drummer, I wouldn't consider it at all, would you?

I am of course in England where outrage is a sport. Making noise as a drummer, I have constantly been in dispute with neighbours, despite doing everything I can to play at agreed times. Maybe in other countries it is different
 
Practice on an E-kit or use silent stroke heads and quiet cymbals.

Most have a car anyway, but I didnt have my first kit till I was 24 cos that when I could afford my first car. Some things havn't changed.

I use lightweight hardware and make more trips to the car.

Concentration and practice goes for any instrument. I dont find it boring cos I tend to play, not practice, and it ends up being the same thing as I work on new, to me, grooves and fills.

Not all drummers have natural flair, only the gifted. You could practice 10 hours a day for 10 years and have great teachers but still not be a "Natural"

Sticks and heads cost me far less than the guy who goes out partying 3 nights a week.

Its a bout desire. What makes people train to become great marathon runners when its much easier to sit and eat biscuits and drink tea? Desire.
 
Its a bout desire. What makes people train to become great marathon runners when its much easier to sit and eat biscuits and drink tea? Desire.

I am in agreement with this-"desire" will take people where they truly want to go. People will find a way to get there...or they won't...get there. Not saying to make it harder, just let their desire get them moving and help them along from here. Pretty much nothing will stop a determined person from playing-whether on a pillow or a 5 gallon pail on the sidewalk people are playing all over the place.

Not to mention that in this day and age new players have more resources on their cell phone than any of us over 40 (30?) had at any time growing up. If you didn't have a teacher you were pretty much stuck listening to records and reading Modern Drummer.... Somehow we survived...lol.

Yea, I guess I think its pretty easy on "kids" today already...not much room for excuses....

(smile)
 
E - kits cost quite a bit of money so you would need 2 kits, increasing the cost.

What I'm saying is that with a guitar, you can just pick it up and play it anywhere, with drums there are just so many other things to consider that it hardly seems worth it, especially to young kids.

Some of my friends kids have expressed an interest in playing the drums but their parents bemoan the noise, vibrations, tons of kit and massive expense etc and so do everything they can to discourage them. Much like my parents did.

I find that the best drummers come from middle-class families with large detached houses and healthy incomes.
 
E - kits cost quite a bit of money so you would need 2 kits, increasing the cost.

What I'm saying is that with a guitar, you can just pick it up and play it anywhere, with drums there are just so many other things to consider that it hardly seems worth it, especially to young kids.

Some of my friends kids have expressed an interest in playing the drums but their parents bemoan the noise, vibrations, tons of kit and massive expense etc and so do everything they can to discourage them. Much like my parents did.

I find that the best drummers come from middle-class families with large detached houses and healthy incomes.

Agreed, its not easy. But It was harder 20, 50 years ago. Lots of parents now have disposable income to buy little Johnny or Mary a kit. They have at least one car to take them to, and pay for lessons.

Even when I had my first car and kit, practice on the kit was once a week at band practice, no E-kit's then. I could tap on a table but hardly the same.

No, its never been easier to start drumming, still difficult but easier than it ever was. If it was that easy everyone would do it. I am still playing 40 years on, probably cos I have the desire, but also because I was determined to overcome the difficulty of playing an awkward and anti social instrument.
 
If your practice is boring you need to change how you practice.. i spend 1 hour at night doing exercises or rudiments while watching videos or tv... then 2-3 hours playing along with music which i never find boring :) Been doing the same routine nightly for 2 years and still look forward to my nights doing it.

P.S. and kids not picking up drums isn't a drumming issue.. it's kids. Not to go on a old man rant. but when you stare at little screens all day and shut out the world then you don't really do anything. And some people think it's not bad... i own a business and i have had more than 2 mothers drag in their 22+ year old sons and ask if i will give them a job.. while the kid stares at the ground shuffling his feet.. can't even talk to people. and it's getting worse and worse. Soo.. less drums.. yes.. sadly less of everything though..
 
I get what you are saying JohnO, I do...

I still rememner rushing home to show my parents the flyer for school band I got in 3rd grade...

Mom: "Well what instrument do you want to play, Anthony?"
Me: "DRUMS MOM! I want to play THE DRUMS!"
Mom: "Talk to your father..."
Dad: "No. I am not having that noise in the house. You can play trumpet or saxophone..."

So, heartbroken, I spent 6 years playing trumpet in grade school. About a month after my father walked out on us (1978) a kid in my neighborhood sold me a Gretsch snare drum, a bassdrum with no head, 12" tom, snare stand, hi-hat stand (crap cymbals), sticks, and pedal for $30. I put an old pretzel tin in the bass drum and started banging away for hours a day. Didn't have a clue what I was doing, hardly enough money in the house for food let alone a drum teacher. But I kept at it...and at it...and at it... Never became the "rock star" I dreamt of....but it's been a blast and I have had a lot of wonderful people share with me how much they appreciated my playing.

Now, my "story" isn't even close to a lot of other peoples (MUCH harder) life stories who became GREAT drummers with even less than I started with! So, it is possible to play no matter where you start from....

Now, I have in fact helped several younger players by passing along my old hardware, giving them a break on cymbal prices I've sold, or just giving them advice. I can't do much more than that because I have never had a proper drum "lesson" and can't teach. Rather than be a bad influence that way I recommend they get a good teacher so they can become a "real" drummer.

So there are ways to "help" younger players along... Become a mentor. Maybe even let them use your kit if you have a place to play?
 
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There is a good argument that drums are the hardest instrument to get started on. It takes money, room in the house, understanding parents and easy going neighbors. I was lucky enough to have a father who was a drummer so he didn't mind hearing me practice.

I don't think kids want to play an E Kit. Nothing wrong with them, but there is just nothing cool about them.

I think that it is easier now than when I started in the 1990's. Maybe the noise hasn't changed but a lot of other things have. Craigslist and the internet have made it easier to find affordable used gear. Intermediate gear today is as good as pro gear was 20 years ago. No one ever imagined you could get a maple kit for $700 back then like we can now. There are really good bop kits available like Ludwig Breakbeats for those where room is an issue.

There is no doubt that drums are a commitment and require more concessions from family/others than other instruments. But that is sort of the charm of it.
 
Number one, practice does not have to be boring.
Used gear is all over the place, at least in my area of town.
Noise and neighbor complaints can be worked out normally to the satisfaction of most.
Only needing one per band if it goes that far is also helpful.
 
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Drumming is really hard to get right. That's what makes it great. If we try and take that away, we're throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Be careful for what is wished for. Do we really want drumming to be easy?

It's the aversion to doing something "hard" that's the real problem. Everyone wants instant and easy. If that attitude got flipped, where everyone wants things that are difficult and take a ton of time...this world would be more on track. It's the attitude of people who are resistant to hard work, that's where the real problem lives.

I always think of times long past. Those people had to struggle for EVERYTHING. And here we are sitting comfortably in our air conditioning, we don't have to hunt for our food or chop wood to keep warm. We have a refrigerator full of food, and enough entertainment to last a hundred lifetimes.

But drumming is hard, boo hoo.

A little perspective wouldn't hurt.
 
I understand where the OP is coming from, but to put it in perspective, add up the cost of golf for a youngster, or ice skating. Equipment can cost a ton and lessons for these two events as yougsters, if you want to be good is ridiculous. I use "johnnys" principal of the three M's. Medical, Marine, and Music are all expensive. Two of them are luxuries. Try buying a good trumpet of saxophone or piano or in the case of one friend on here, a harp. Now you have spent some money. Any exercise will take time and a really strict practice regimen. How many triple flips or loops does an ice skater have to do and fall on their but before it's right. All we do is sit on ours. When it comes to music, I would never talk anyone out of it. I posted on Facebook, on a thread dealing with parenting and kids boredom, " A little bit of boredom can lead to a great deal of creativity." I have wandered but you get the idea.
 
I understand where the OP is coming from, but to put it in perspective, add up the cost of golf for a youngster, or ice skating. Equipment can cost a ton and lessons for these two events as yougsters, if you want to be good is ridiculous. I use "johnnys" principal of the three M's. Medical, Marine, and Music are all expensive. Two of them are luxuries. Try buying a good trumpet of saxophone or piano or in the case of one friend on here, a harp. Now you have spent some money. Any exercise will take time and a really strict practice regimen. How many triple flips or loops does an ice skater have to do and fall on their but before it's right. All we do is sit on ours. When it comes to music, I would never talk anyone out of it. I posted on Facebook, on a thread dealing with parenting and kids boredom, " A little bit of boredom can lead to a great deal of creativity." I have wandered but you get the idea.

Not compared to a guitar. Comparing golf and ice skating to drums is comparing apples to oranges.

eg. With a simple acoustic guitar you can be 50 times more creative than with drums. You have notes to play with for a start, not just tones or timbres. You can buy it really cheaply and be away, playing music within no time. Hell you can plug a £80 keyboard into your iPad and you've got a piano. Can't quite do that with drums, but hey you can program them so who cares?

And no, I'm not saying drumming should be easy, I'm saying that before you even start, you have a whole load of things to consider that other musicians just don't have to contend with. This I think, puts kids off, hence the dearth of quality drummers on the circuit.

Drum practicing on it's own is boring, sorry but that is a fact. This is why i practice along to music (as some have pointed out).

We all know who we are and how good we are, but unless you have a fairly privileged upbringing, you won't choose to play the drums because there are just so many logistical challenges.
 
Drumming is really hard to get right. That's what makes it great. If we try and take that away, we're throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Be careful for what is wished for. Do we really want drumming to be easy?

It's the aversion to doing something "hard" that's the real problem. Everyone wants instant and easy. If that attitude got flipped, where everyone wants things that are difficult and take a ton of time...this world would be more on track. It's the attitude of people who are resistant to hard work, that's where the real problem lives.

I always think of times long past. Those people had to struggle for EVERYTHING. And here we are sitting comfortably in our air conditioning, we don't have to hunt for our food or chop wood to keep warm. We have a refrigerator full of food, and enough entertainment to last a hundred lifetimes.

But drumming is hard, boo hoo.

A little perspective wouldn't hurt.

You have completely missed the point, congratumalations. I thought everyone was saying how brilliant you were for giving away a BB, I see that in fact, I was correct all along ;-)
 
I've been playing for about 25 years myself. Here's something to consider.

When I was a kid, the only option in elementary school was to play sports. My dad worked two jobs and my mom was a teacher, and they weren't about to give up their evenings and Saturdays to watch their kids play sports. The only thing there was to do was play music. My brother and I still play today.

Kids now? Geez, let me think...even in our town which is pretty freakin' poor (there have literally been three national articles published about our county here in NC), there is a huge variety of things for kids to do:

Public school sports
YMCA basketball
Public Baseball teams
Public soccer teams
Swim Team
Paint ball
Frisbee golf
Skate parks have been built in the past few years
Mountain biking trails have been constructed recently
Two different greenways have been constructed
Two to three different dance studios are in our town
Gymnastics (I think two or more different places offer this too)
Paintball groups (I don't know if this is around much anymore)

Even with all of this, I think the demise of kids playing music can be solely accredited to the internet. Kids these days are more concerned with social media, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc. Also, video games are huge too, especially online and team-based games.

All in all, kids have many more options these days, and parents (as a whole) do not limit their kids to just one or two activities. They try to get them involved in everything. Instead of just a kid taking guitar lesson, he/she has guitar, dance, swim team, and baseball.

Kids are way to distracted around here to just concentrate on one or two things. Options seem limitless in our little town. I can't imagine what it's like in a big city.
 
Fair point PorkPie, my school didn't get any drums until I was in 6th Form, I played lots of sports as well as play the drums

And of all of the musical disciplines, drumming is the most expensive and laborious so even if a kid does decide to play music, they ain't gonna pick the drums
 
There is a good argument that drums are the hardest instrument to get started on. It takes money, room in the house, understanding parents and easy going neighbors. I was lucky enough to have a father who was a drummer so he didn't mind hearing me practice.

I don't think kids want to play an E Kit. Nothing wrong with them, but there is just nothing cool about them.

I think that it is easier now than when I started in the 1990's. Maybe the noise hasn't changed but a lot of other things have. Craigslist and the internet have made it easier to find affordable used gear. Intermediate gear today is as good as pro gear was 20 years ago. No one ever imagined you could get a maple kit for $700 back then like we can now. There are really good bop kits available like Ludwig Breakbeats for those where room is an issue.

There is no doubt that drums are a commitment and require more concessions from family/others than other instruments. But that is sort of the charm of it.

Absolutely, we are in our own club of which there are really few (and dwindling) members.
 
I get what you are saying JohnO, I do...

I still rememner rushing home to show my parents the flyer for school band I got in 3rd grade...

Mom: "Well what instrument do you want to play, Anthony?"
Me: "DRUMS MOM! I want to play THE DRUMS!"
Mom: "Talk to your father..."
Dad: "No. I am not having that noise in the house. You can play trumpet or saxophone..."

So, heartbroken, I spent 6 years playing trumpet in grade school. About a month after my father walked out on us (1978) a kid in my neighborhood sold me a Gretsch snare drum, a bassdrum with no head, 12" tom, snare stand, hi-hat stand (crap cymbals), sticks, and pedal for $30. I put an old pretzel tin in the bass drum and started banging away for hours a day. Didn't have a clue what I was doing, hardly enough money in the house for food let alone a drum teacher. But I kept at it...and at it...and at it... Never became the "rock star" I dreamt of....but it's been a blast and I have had a lot of wonderful people share with me how much they appreciated my playing.

Now, my "story" isn't even close to a lot of other peoples (MUCH harder) life stories who became GREAT drummers with even less than I started with! So, it is possible to play no matter where you start from....

Now, I have in fact helped several younger players by passing along my old hardware, giving them a break on cymbal prices I've sold, or just giving them advice. I can't do much more than that because I have never had a proper drum "lesson" and can't teach. Rather than be a bad influence that way I recommend they get a good teacher so they can become a "real" drummer.

So there are ways to "help" younger players along... Become a mentor. Maybe even let them use your kit if you have a place to play?


Fair point, I'm trying but they just can't get past their parents living in a semi or being poor.
 
"I look at this list and if I wasn't already a drummer, I wouldn't consider it at all, would you?"

In short? Yes. Because I did understand the issues involved. Though I don't expect my own kids to do the same. It's an individual choice.

I think at the heart of the matter is why you are asking these questions. Are you falling out of love with drumming? If so, it does happen.
If not, then I wouldn't concern myself too much. If a kid wants it bad enough he'll pursue it. I feel blessed to play the biggest pain in the a** instrument. I wouldn't have chosen drums when I was younger if they didn't call to my heart.
 
"I look at this list and if I wasn't already a drummer, I wouldn't consider it at all, would you?"

In short? Yes. Because I did. Though I don't expect my own kids to do the same. It's an individual choice.

I think at the heart of the matter is why you are asking these questions. Are you falling out of love with drumming? If so, it does happen. If not, then I wouldn't concern myself too much. Personally, I feel blessed to play the biggest pain in the a** instrument. I wouldn't have chosen drums when I was younger if they didn't call to my heart.

Au contraire, I am actually more into drums now than I've ever been, I'm just trying to find a way to get my nieces/friends kids into drumming.

I have fallen out of love with drums over the years due to the logistics of lugging a ton of crap around for no financial reward. I love playing drums and I love performing, it's just not a very sellable instrument
 
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