Annoying things people say to drummers...

rogue_drummer

Gold Member
Is it just me, or does anyone else get annoyed will stupid comments people say to drummers?

Like if guitar players ask us if we're sure the snares go in the outside of the snare drum instead of the inside, or if we're sure a port hole should be in the bass drum head, or someone's friend who has a friend who knows this guy that plays drums and he always put pillows or blankets in his bass drum and shouldn't we do that too?

My all time favorite is some d-bag swears his best friend's brother (or someone...insert name here) "is a fantastic player and he's only been playing for a few months. YOU should hear him, he's REALLY good...." That comment makes me want to vomit every time. Hahaha!

It just seems I've gotten more than my share of dipsh*ts lately....
 
i played an acoustic show a couple weekends ago. i played a cajon, tamborine, and a shaker. after the show someone told me they thought playing the cajon, etc. "looked really easy". i took it in stride but i was thinking "oh yeah? why don't you get up here with the band and we'll see how well you do!"

here's another one. a while ago at a show someone from the bar came up to the lead singer and asked if we would "turn the drummer down". i don't have knob you can turn to quiet me down.

oh yeah! and i know exactly what you mean about people saying they "know this fantastic drummer!" i get that a lot!
 
"If I were you, I would put that cymbal over there, I would have the large tom over there"
or other such similar set up critiques by someone who doesn't even play drums.

I once got
"If I were you, I would get rid of these two toms, and I would find the largest rack tom I could find..."

Or
"It would be cool if you had one of these and one of those, and mounted them way up high, and then you got a gong.." As if said person would actually help me carry such stuff.

And of course:
"Oh you play drums. That's cool. My brother/boyfriend/cousin/ is a real musician..."
 
Two incidents recently highlighted for me the peculiar standing a drummer has at times with other musicians, or rather, their total and utter ignorance of the craft of drumming itself.

We were standing around outside while the keyboard player and guitarist had a smoke during a recent rehearsal and discussing the merits of practising and the use of a metronome. The guitarist thought that using a click was a hindrance and probably a complete waste of time - to which I couldn't agree. He then added, without humour, that the reason drummers have practice pads was so that they didn't feel left out on the tour bus and that "it's not as if they have anything much to practice anyway".
"Wow," I replied. "You're so right - it's a very easy instrument to master." I added sarcastically, which he either missed or just ignored.

Now where does an opinion like that come from?

Fast forward a couple of weeks. Listening to the playback of some jazz standards recorded with a quartet. All sounded pretty fine to me -I was particularly pleased with my spang-spang-a-lang - when the saxophonist muttered something about the difficulty of playing Juju. He paused briefly to hear my four-trading and added dismissively:
"It's all right for you, it's just tap tap isn't it?"
"That's right," I replied. "It's all just a bit of tap tap."

As my Grandad always used to say: They don't know that they don't know.
 
I think you guys are WAAAAAYYYYY too sensitive. These are comments being made by people who don't understand. If they are musicians they are worse off for not understanding.

Except for the turn the drummer down comment. If you get that and you're not miced you are too damn loud. Gotta play to the room.
 
here's another one. a while ago at a show someone from the bar came up to the lead singer and asked if we would "turn the drummer down". i don't have knob you can turn to quiet me down.

This one is the worst, especially when you show up on a acoustic kit and the place is used to hearing and managing an Ekit.

The best one that I can remember is: I showed up to a party for a bunch of old people. Before I even unloaded one piece of gear I was greated with "oh no, drums. I hope it doesn't get loud" ROFL Like they can hear anything anyway!
I said; "nope, not at all enjoy the folk music" and left!
 
"Can you stop that? Its getting annoying."

Usually it is getting annoying. I've worked with inexperienced drummers in the studio that just do not stop playing - even between takes. That IS annoying and I tell them as such.

Drums can be an incredibly annoying instrument if you don't know when to stop. Guitarists do it too.

For me, it's 'You play drums?! Will you be in my band?!' - No! Sod off!
 
The worst one i've ever had is:
"Hey guys, which one of you is writing the songs, they're very good!- It can't be the drummer...." - Actually i wrote most of them -.-
Another one is like:
"You know that guy over there, he own this.. he is really good" - Im like "All right... " Every time.
People trying to make you play different also are wierd. Someone told me to learn traditional grip, after playing with matched for four years. - just because it looked cool....

I also hate people saying my drums sound shitty... I spend 10 hours a week trying to make them sound better... or nearly 5 - ATLEAST!

"Did they cost 50 dollars?" .... grrrr... Puke
 
Many comments I'm reading as backhanded compliments. Props to those who make it look so easy they don't get any credit, if the people making the jabs sat down for 2 minutes tops they'd know better.
 
Being in the younger age group...
Dude "You play drums!?"
Me "Yuppers"
Dude "Neato, I play guitar, wanna be in my super-cool-high-power-suped-duper-thrash-screamo-metal band?"
Me "Well, what can you play on guitar?"
Dude proceeds to list of 27 screamo songs.
Me "Cool, can you play a G major?"
Dude "...huh? Whuzzat?"
Me "See ya!"
 
I find it highly offensive when people view the drums as extremely easy, simple, or not a real instrument/drummer as not real musicians. Probably the worst thing i could think of.
 
I've not really experienced any of this yet, except for my bro calling it easy. I got him to do a simple 4/4 beat. Could he do it? Could he hell! I win. Good day sir!
 
I have caught some of these types of comments from people in the past, such as: drums being easy, not having to work as hard to learn cover songs, or moronic gear observations. It seems most of these comments come from inexperienced/immature players,(whom I try to avoid these days).

I do not take these types seriously. They obviously lack any real musical knowledge and are not worth listening to or associating with from a band perspective. Its not worth wasting time my time trying to play music with people . They are obviously hobbyist rock band playing weekend warriors. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I am pretty much in the same boat. The difference is that I have an open mind, try to constantly expand my musical knowledge, and try to look at things from an artistic view as opposed to being cool.

Any experienced musicians I have encountered, have never tried to compare instruments or skill sets. Those are the kinds of players I try to surround myself with.

I personally don't believe drums to be any harder than other instruments. I play guitar & keys as well (although not as well as drums). Keys seem to be the hardest, for me anyway.

Misinformed people tend to think drums are easy because they don't use a defined melodic scaled like most instruments. Although playing a melodic instrument or at least understanding scales,intervals etc. will do wonders for a drummer. Plus it can help you lay some knowledge on their ass when someone says drums are easy!
 
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Maybe I just don't remember these slights, I don't know.

I always remember things people say like, "Drums are hard because you got all your limbs doing different things all the time blah blah blah..." and I find myself pointing out that it's only four limbs and how easy it is since it's not like polyrhythmic independence all the time. Then to top it off, I like to contrast two hamfists and two stomping feet with multiplying 6 strings by 20-something frets, 4 fingers and a thumb on one hand and careful picking or strumming on the other...

Then they usually nod appreciatively with this new insight and walk away leaving me thinking I just did me and the drumming community a disservice.

Sorry.
 
Maybe I just don't remember these slights, I don't know.

I always remember things people say like, "Drums are hard because you got all your limbs doing different things all the time blah blah blah..." .

Pretty much my experience.

I really can't recall anything too untoward being said to me....ever. And if it has, it clearly wasn't damaging enough for me to recall it now. There has always been a high degree of piss taking in most of the bands I've played with. Insults tend to fly thick and fast, so maybe I've just confused any rudeness with brutal humour. I'm sure it goes on here but not on the scale that I read about here on DW (at least in my experience). I'm begining to wonder if it's a cultural thing. Clearly you Yanks mix with harsher critics than anyone in my circles. :)
 
Maybe I just don't remember these slights, I don't know.

I always remember things people say like, "Drums are hard because you got all your limbs doing different things all the time blah blah blah..."

+1

The most annoying thing I've been told was when the bar manager told us that we couldn't load through the front (no stairs) because it would disturb the patrons so we had the load via the back (up three flights of stairs). Halfway up I stopped, panting, and said loudly what a ^%$# the bar manager was.

He was standing right behind me. That was pretty annoying - for everyone.
 
... "do you mind not making noise while I tune up?".....


btw - "noise" is setting up and tuning for the room
 
He was standing right behind me. That was pretty annoying - for everyone.
Oh man! lol. Great story. Kinda falls under the "Annoying things drummers say" category. haha! Coulda happened to anybody, though. :D
 
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