Advice on kickstarting a drumming career

Drumsarefun

Member
I'll be taking a gap year from uni this year. I'm a 20 year old, been playing drums for about 9 years now and am confident in my ability.

The fact I'm in the UK is quite important I think as things will be different over here I guess.

I would like to take that time to focus on my drumming and try to carve out a career in that time. I will likely be around the Bristol area which has a decent music scene.

So I'm looking for some advice on how I can really get things going.

Aside from my two personal bands (releasing, gigging etc.), I was going to join various other pre-existing gigging bands which are in need of a drummer. I also thought about advertising as a session musician looking for work. Possibly teaching aswell.

But what else is there?

What can I do to stand out? Is there anything special I can do?

I'm REALLY willing to put everything in to this, and I don't want to be complacent, the problem is I don't know WHAT to do to actually give myself a chance.

I'm struggling to think outside the box a bit.

I want to give myself the best chance possible in making a career/at least some money out of drumming, I'm willing to do whatever it takes (and of course I'll be going back to uni to finish in a year barring any miracles)

Thanks all
 
I'm very relieved that this is not a post asking for money on a kickstarter account to start your career. Got irritated because I mis-read the title's intention but found a guy who is in fact willing to work for what he wants!

I think you're on the right track. You gotta hit the local scene hard. Look for open mics and jams, pass out biz cards, drop rate sheets at studios with URLs to your playing examples. Hit up local working bands as you mention... All good stuff.

Don't turn down work because you aren't into the music, hustle and you can make a living. Remember you're there to make music better, not to impress people with your skill.
 
I'm very relieved that this is not a post asking for money on a kickstarter account to start your career. Got irritated because I mis-read the title's intention but found a guy who is in fact willing to work for what he wants!

I think you're on the right track. You gotta hit the local scene hard. Look for open mics and jams, pass out biz cards, drop rate sheets at studios with URLs to your playing examples. Hit up local working bands as you mention... All good stuff.

Don't turn down work because you aren't into the music, hustle and you can make a living. Remember you're there to make music better, not to impress people with your skill.

Haha the kickstarter thing hadn't even crossed my mind, now that you say it though... lol

Nah I wouldn't do that, I'm willing to work for sure, possibly the title is not very clear ahah

Thanks for your advice, about the rate sheet thing. What exactly should that look like? Not really familiar with it
 
Haha the kickstarter thing hadn't even crossed my mind, now that you say it though... lol

Nah I wouldn't do that, I'm willing to work for sure, possibly the title is not very clear ahah

Thanks for your advice, about the rate sheet thing. What exactly should that look like? Not really familiar with it

So I'm thinking that you'd want to find out what the rates for the "top" studio guys are and significantly undercut them. Be the more budget option since you don't have a ton of work under your belt yet. Make sure you have a good online "press kit" for yourself so people can hear before they jump in.

On the "what should it look like" that depends on you and how the bookings work around your area. You might want to offer your whole day in a studio at a set rate, you might want to offer an hourly rate, maybe both? Perhaps you'd like to have another rate for pre-rehearsal or practice if an hiring artist wants to do that. And along those lines, if you want to get serious as a local hired gun, it can be good to have a price sheet for all the other stuff too... How much will you charge per gig, rehearsal, or touring day? You can always be flexible, but a list helps you be on good footing to start with.
 
On top of what Watso said, which is all spot on, there's a lot of interpersonal stuff that will go a long way to helping you make your mark.

Be easy to reach. Answer emails and texts promptly; answer your phone or return calls as promptly as possible. Folks will not sit by the phone waiting for you to ring back, they will move on to the next guy on their list.

Don't be late. Ever. If you do have a car smash-up or something, call immediately. And if for any reason you are late, don't turn up with a cup of Starbucks in your hand.

Be humble, open your ears and soak it all up. Don't be a pushover or allow yourself to be abused or taken advantage of, but be willing to do what's asked of you. Any trace of a bad attitude will sink you immediately. Having said that, understand when your creative input might be welcome and/or needed.

Show up with all the equipment you need, rehearsed, sober, and ready to perform.

Be a good teammate. Help with the load-in or load-out if possible; if you have other talents such as making flyers or social media, offer to help as appropriate.

Dress the part. If you're in a heavy metal bar band, don't show up with a button-down shirt and tie; if it's a jazz gig playing an upscale nightclub leave the torn jeans and Motorhead t-shirt at home.

Keep working on your own craft on your own time.

Become absolutely dependable, both musically and personally.

Best of luck. I think your attitude will carry you far.
 
I will likely be around the Bristol area which has a decent music scene.

So I'm looking for some advice on how I can really get things going.

What do you mean by "decent music scene"? Is there a shortage of drummers in Bristol? Are the current drummers not cutting it? Is there an actual music scene that makes use of paid musicians for recordings?

Also, how do you define a "drumming career"? Do you know of any other drummers who are working regularly and living comfortably?

What I'm alluding to is, no matter how great a musician you are, if there is no need for your services, you're barking up the wrong tree.
 
What do you mean by "decent music scene"? Is there a shortage of drummers in Bristol? Are the current drummers not cutting it? Is there an actual music scene that makes use of paid musicians for recordings?

Also, how do you define a "drumming career"? Do you know of any other drummers who are working regularly and living comfortably?

What I'm alluding to is, no matter how great a musician you are, if there is no need for your services, you're barking up the wrong tree.

True I dont know, just I know that there is a music scene in the sense of it being known for music happenings, so that equates to more gig and recording opportunities

Yeah that's a good point though. I do know a couple (friend of friends and a family friend, also my drum teacher) that play drums for a living

A career in drumming to me means doing literally anything in drumming and making enough money. Preferably of course would be gigs and sessions, but teaching aswell, Id be happy (and expect) for that to be a part of it

I know it's far fetched and rare, but I also know it can happen, I know of people who have done it! I'm not giving up on the rest of my life, but I dont see the harm in trying at least while I'm young - I'll regret it if I dont
 
I don't know your background, but there's plenty that you can do even on your own, or with local friends. Work on composing some music. Get more experience learning how to record your drums, and how to arrange and produce music. Seek out any live theatre productions that incorporate live music and get to know the musicians. Look into working overseas or on cruise ships, and what those auditions entail. Place ads in newspapers and online. Make sure you have decent recordings of your playing that you can share with people.
 
... but found a guy who is in fact willing to work for what he wants!

I think you're on the right track. You gotta hit the local scene hard. Look for open mics and jams, pass out biz cards, drop rate sheets at studios with URLs to your playing examples. Hit up local working bands as you mention... All good stuff.

Don't turn down work because you aren't into the music, hustle and you can make a living. Remember you're there to make music better, not to impress people with your skill.

Someday, I will meet you, you &^%$ dingus. Great advice. You're either spot on, or a world class bullshitter. Either way, who cares ha ha. What town are you in again?



On top of what Watso said, which is all spot on, there's a lot of interpersonal stuff that will go a long way to helping you make your mark.

Be easy to reach. Answer emails and texts promptly; answer your phone or return calls as promptly as possible. Folks will not sit by the phone waiting for you to ring back, they will move on to the next guy on their list.

Don't be late. Ever. If you do have a car smash-up or something, call immediately. And if for any reason you are late, don't turn up with a cup of Starbucks in your hand.

Be humble, open your ears and soak it all up. Don't be a pushover or allow yourself to be abused or taken advantage of, but be willing to do what's asked of you. Any trace of a bad attitude will sink you immediately. Having said that, understand when your creative input might be welcome and/or needed.

Show up with all the equipment you need, rehearsed, sober, and ready to perform.

Be a good teammate. Help with the load-in or load-out if possible; if you have other talents such as making flyers or social media, offer to help as appropriate.

Dress the part. If you're in a heavy metal bar band, don't show up with a button-down shirt and tie; if it's a jazz gig playing an upscale nightclub leave the torn jeans and Motorhead t-shirt at home.

Keep working on your own craft on your own time.

Become absolutely dependable, both musically and personally.

Best of luck. I think your attitude will carry you far.

OMG Al always talks pure gold. I know this from experience :) He's a real asset here. You know the truth when you hear it. Also, facetime. Out there. You're seen and heard. Shut up. Keep quiet and listen. Ask about the others. The less you talk and the more you listen, the less chance you have of hamstringing yourself lol. It's a great skill, listening. You talk through your playing in the music scene. If you can.

One thing I've come to realize....if you can't light up every single person you play with/for...mostly all the time....especially the musicians...then there's no reason to look any further until you can. You will absolutely know it when you are hitting the mark locally, wherever that mark is. It takes time and there's no fast track. There is a slow track lol. So settle in for the long haul and don't expect anything. You get out what you put in...if you're fortunate.
 
While you're young enough and have no commitments, learn as much as you can playing wise and from your drum teacher, if they're any good the advice is invaluable.

On the original scene you're gonna need to be very lucky to make a living from it, that's just how it is. The original scene is non-existent nowadays here in blighty.

Start at the bottom and earn your dues, you're not gonna jump in with the seasoned pros, they've spent years getting where they are and it's dog eat dog. Experience only comes with time.

I was in your position 14 years ago, didn't do a gap year but took lots of different gigs, made myself as versatile as possible. You have to be able to take any gig and be able to show up and do the job, usually without practice. That's how you get your name out there. Be prepared to have to play 40 songs in a night you don't know that well if at all.

You can get into functions which is where I've ended up, fairly steady seasonal work. There is agencies that will get you fairly well paid gigs all over the country, downside is they OWN YOU, thankfully I'm not in any of these.

A guitarist who deps for us is in an Abba tribute all over Europe, there's also the cruise scene. But that's some serious hard work and you're a long way from home.

Other than that the guys I know make a sizable chunk of their living teaching.
 
It's like everything else. Try lots of different things and stick with what works.
 
You're either spot on, or a world class bullshitter.

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I don't know how you "kick start" a career, other than to get a job-- contact an agent and get a cruise ship gig or SE Asia hotel gig or whatever they will book you for. Usually though it's something that develops over time-- sometimes a long time. You have to be someplace with some kind of professional music economy, and know all the people who are playing for money, and be able to play all the kinds of music that are being played for money locally really well, and things kind of go from there.
 
So I'm thinking that you'd want to find out what the rates for the "top" studio guys are and significantly undercut them. Be the more budget option since you don't have a ton of work under your belt yet.

Some good advice there Dr Watso, on the above though I'd exercise some caution with this.

You don't really want to known as the budget option as when you do need to raise your price if things take off people may not want to use you again as they got you for a low cost previously.

It's like offering to work a job for little/to no wage, then six months down the line asking the boss for a significant pay rise. Will he/she give you one? Most likely they'll just get someone else silly cheap instead and the circle continues, of course unless there's an agreement beforehand.

By all means start off with a decent price to get your foot in the door but don't go too low. You'll just cause problems for yourself later on.
 
Some good advice there Dr Watso, on the above though I'd exercise some caution with this.

You don't really want to known as the budget option as when you do need to raise your price if things take off people may not want to use you again as they got you for a low cost previously.

It's like offering to work a job for little/to no wage, then six months down the line asking the boss for a significant pay rise. Will he/she give you one? Most likely they'll just get someone else silly cheap instead and the circle continues, of course unless there's an agreement beforehand.

By all means start off with a decent price to get your foot in the door but don't go too low. You'll just cause problems for yourself later on.

In my experience, studio owners and engineers tend to get a small group of session players they trust and then not call or recommend anyone else. It's very hard to get your foot in the door, but there have been instances where I've seen an artist ask "is there anyone with a lower rate?" because the recording budget is already strapped. If you can pop into mind for that and get your foot in the door, then ideally you can get into the inner circle. Raising prices as you become more valuable to the studios and artists seems like a very natural thing to me... But you gotta get in the door.

Even so. Obviously there's a balance. Go too low and people actually underestimate what you're offering automatically. It's critical that you have easy to access and impressive demonstration videos and audio so the potential customers can see you're not selling microwaved zucchini and pumpkin spice pizzas.
 
In my experience, studio owners and engineers tend to get a small group of session players they trust and then not call or recommend anyone else.

Studio owners? Session players? What planet do you live on? Both of those terms faded into obscurity about 20 years ago. Do you also have a printing press in your basement or do you prefer a typewriter?

This is all straying way too far into delusional territory.
 
Studio owners? Session players? What planet do you live on? Both of those terms faded into obscurity about 20 years ago. Do you also have a printing press in your basement or do you prefer a typewriter?

This is all straying way too far into delusional territory.

I guess you're being sarcastic but around the bay area here,(and a few places I've been at down near LA) it's extremely common for the guy who owns a studio to be the guy who runs the studio and often even does the grit work as well. Like a Steven Albini kinda thing, where they actually care and are involved. They all have a list of musicians they call when someone wants dubs and they can't or don't want to play those dubs themselves. I've worked with both categories, and been hired to be a session player...

Are you just joking that everything happens in houses on DAWs now? While I agree, there's still tons of good reasons to go to a mid level or higher dedicated studio with engineers.
 
I guess you're being sarcastic but around the bay area here,(and a few places I've been at down near LA) it's extremely common for the guy who owns a studio to be the guy who runs the studio and often even does the grit work as well. Like a Steven Albini kinda thing, where they actually care and are involved. They all have a list of musicians they call when someone wants dubs and they can't or don't want to play those dubs themselves. I've worked with both categories, and been hired to be a session player...

Are you just joking that everything happens in houses on DAWs now? While I agree, there's still tons of good reasons to go to a mid level or higher dedicated studio with engineers.

Sadly, DSOP has a point. The general trend is that there are much fewer sessions happening, fewer every year. And real drums are not a priority. Heck real anything isn’t a priority, if the electronic thing will suffice. There will always be studios, but there won’t ever again be a time where a young drummer builds a network, and drives from session to session, making a living.

I would never have advised it years ago, but it might be good to make a few short videos, as a sort of business card. At least people will know that you’re into playing. But do something impressive: solo over a vamp, come up with an inventive cover, etc.

Take lessons from someone new. Get referred to sub in. I give gigs to my students whenever possible.
 
Take every gig you can get and treat every gig like it's the most important gig in your life.

The big mistake I made was trying to overanalyze each potential gig in how much would it help me, how much fun would it be etc. I didn't want to be one of those guys who just asked how much did it pay and be like a dog chasing its tail, always looking for a few extra dollars. I wanted to only "the right" gigs.

And while I was correct in not being a dog chasing after it's own tail, where I was very mistaken was not just going after every gig, even if the gig wasn't all that on the surface.

Because nearly every working drummer who gets the good gigs, (the well paying, or at least the prestigious gigs) get them from all the people they met and networked with at all the less than great gigs.

Now, I make my living (nonmusical) as self-employed person and the vast majority of my jobs come from recommendations from other people. Sometimes I have no idea where the next job is coming from, but I stay busy with phone calls that start with "I got your name from....."
 
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