As weird as this might sound, being a drummer improved my trumpet playing in ways that I didn't expect. It made me much more aware of phrasing and inflection, and I'm not altogether sure why.
I was a trumpet player first. I didn't get into drumming until I was 33, and by that point I was already established on trumpet.In the other direction, I had a few brief years as a string player before I ever picked up drumsticks. First guitar then bass a bit more. I'm fairly certain this did help shape my understanding of how music works and what I like to hear.
I was a trumpet player first. I didn't get into drumming until I was 33, and by that point I was already established on trumpet.
I think drums, due to being a very physical instrument that involves coordination of 4 body parts, along with everything that it entails mentally and intellectually, is a very difficult instrument to play well. I emphasize that because it's not terribly difficult to sit down behind drums and crank out a passable beat - we have yahoos at the National Guard band I'm in who do this all the time, but what they play never feels very good because they are horribly inconsistent, and they wouldn't be functional as a drummer in an ensemble. They simply aren't good enough.
Of course they aren't going to agree - they really don't understand just how much falls on the shoulders of the drummer, and how difficult it is to be effective at doing it. I know that in hindsight, I took quite a few really good drummers for granted because I didn't understand the scope of that job in a band until I was in the hot seat myself.Interesting, your thoughts mirror my own. I can't get any of the guitar players around here to agree, though.
I ally myself fully with Tony's statement about money.
But on a more serious note, drumming (and music in general) has given me motivation to be less introverted, and more self-confident and outgoing.