New drummers prioritizing wrong gear?

Well, in fairness, "fake it until you make it" was a thing I became aware of in the '80s.

Bands today are posting Instagram promotions from open jams when not even capable of acquiring paying gigs.

I'm watching a local one do it currently. They hired a pro photographer who is at every open jam that they sign up to play their three mid tempo 3 chord songs at and they post the stuff online with the implication that it's a gig they performed. They suck, but are getting better.
 
dumpmeister3000 said:
No, but renown opened doors and still does.
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Yes, renown was based on your great playing and professional sound (like I said).
What were the doors you wanted to open - a record deal, live playing (like I said).

It really is a simple point I was making. Sound isn't the big deal it used to be because musicians promote themselves on social media now, being consumed largely on cell phones. It's also direct to consumer, bypassing the gate keepers who were the ones who decided whether you 'sounded' good enough, back in the day.
It's not an 'opinion' either.
 
A budget Tom sounds far better than a budget Pedal plays.

As far as ranking importance of basics go...so not considering mics/EQ's/etc...I order it...

hearing protection, throne, cymbals, heads, pedal, stands/misc hardware, sticks, towel(ever have a color dyed towel start to share its color with you?), shells, duct tape(gaffer tape for the non-american reader)

If you have ever had a throne post break through the seat while you are using it, you understand my ranking of it.

...but ordering these priorities is such a small gradient as to be almost pointless...need 'em all to be a reasonable quality.

(edited to add hearing protection where it should be)
 
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Chris Whitten said:
Yes, renown was based on your great playing and professional sound (like I said).
What were the doors you wanted to open - a record deal, live playing (like I said).

It really is a simple point I was making. Sound isn't the big deal it used to be because musicians promote themselves on social media now, being consumed largely on cell phones. It's also direct to consumer, bypassing the gate keepers who were the ones who decided whether you 'sounded' good enough, back in the day.
It's not an 'opinion' either.
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Actually, the gate keepers DO form an opinion about your sound...
 
doggyd69b said:
We can mention every single female drummer for that matter take for exaple A-yeon... who cares about how good she plays? she looks good and that is all that matters, the only female drummer that doesn't rely on sexually suggestive things is Tarn Softwhip
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there it is. good ol internets :rolleyes:
 
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Being born in the mid 70s, living through MTV and the 80s, and trying to make it in the 90s/early 2000s, I feel like I was lied to lol. Not really, but sort of.

The internet showed up, people took advantage, and lots of us got caught in transition. We didnt have a computer in my house. Nor did the rest of the band. We all sure saw the proverbial sea of people on MTV though.
 
1 hit wonder said:
I don't know how Mike got to music school but he became an influential drummer by advanced technical ability. "Portnoy fills" are a thing now.
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The so-called Portnoy fill is probably the same thing every kid does when they first get a double pedal, and Bozzio and Simon Phillips were playing the hell out of it decades earlier. I think the only reason he got his name on it is because he over uses it like a November Rain fill. Now it's a parody!

 
s1212z said:
The so-called Portnoy fill is probably the same thing every kid does when they first get a double pedal, and Bozzio and Simon Phillips were playing the hell out of it decades earlier. I think the only reason he got his name on it is because he over uses it like a November Rain fill. Now it's a parody!
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Obviously, it became unique and fundamental after he was published using patterns in songs that came from previous people's solos. I didn't say he invented it. But it became what people called it because of his usage. All this stuff is derivative of something.

The point is he is an advanced technical influencer through substance.
 
I can only really talk of my experience as a hobbyist, but if I had my time over again I would get : Great pedals, a great throne, hi-hat stand, snare stand, really try out new sticks. Everything else is sound choices. After 8 years I've just bought my 2nd hi-hat stand, and I wish I'd bought it years ago, actually controlling the hats correctly feels amazing. Admittedly my Yamaha DFP9 pedals didn't exist when i started playing, but the 9500 would have been so much more useful than the 2nd hand stagg doubles that barely worked, or the old Yamaha single that scratched up my kits. 2nd hand sticks I got for a bargain which never really suited me and are still in my spare stick bag didn't help me develop. And my drumming present hopefully this year or next is a snare stand that actually holds the drum in the right place.

Its just my opinion but the tools you actually use with your body and the correct positioning of your snare drum matter so much more than cymbals and shells.
 
doggyd69b said:
Messhugga's Bleed is played with double pedal, but the right foot has to play a very fast double it goes something like this:
RLRR so it's NOT a triplet even though it sounds like one. I would love to see any of those experienced players being able to play that song all the way through. I said it before David Diepold can play David Weckl... David Weckl cannot play David Diepold. (There is a video of Diepold playing Weckl).
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And Weckl will get the call first for the gig every time, because double bass chops are a niche skill. The kind of metal that requires super foot speed is just not that popular.
 
Push pull stroke said:
And Weckl will get the call first for the gig every time, because double bass chops are a niche skill. The kind of metal that requires super foot speed is just not that popular.
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I think Dave would get the first call even IF dbl bass was called for! ;)

I think that as time passes, wider and better developed skills are needed to get the call(if the call is what you want).

Being able to rip fast/intricate/subtle bass work with one or both feet is a rarely needed tool but can still make the difference as competition advances over time.

Having it all makes your luck far better! (yeah, I'm lookin' at you Gavin...makin' it hard for everyone(in the best way possible!) ;))

that said, fads are fads...but I find I am surprised by the positive side effects of some fads. I think this wave(if there really is one) would produce some good foot skills that will complement the better drummers natural wider development.

(insert obligatory Bruce Lee Quote about not missing the 'heavenly glory' here)
 
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For me it makes sense if the drums/cymbals they already have is decent enough. But, seeing as younger drummers usually have little money to begin with, they need to prioritize, as said. And if fast metal is what they are interested in, it's better to get top of the line pedals than cheaper pedals that they will have to upgrade soon after, anyway. I don't know, for me at least, I could definately see myself prioritize pedals for the moment, I barely never get to use my own drums for gigging/recording, but I always need to bring a snare, cymbals and pedals to gigs (and maybe a throne sometimes). If you play metal concerts you usually play together with other bands on the same venue, so shared drums are usually the norm, at least around here. I'm not a big speed demon compared to most of the good death metal drummers out there now though (my style is more thrash/heavy metal, no triggering), so I feel I don't need to have the very best/fastest there is. Eliminator Redline have been my go-to pedals for a good while now, and is all I really need. I see a fair share of other younger drummers showing up with their pricy Czarcie Kopyto, Trick, Axis etc, so I understand the feeling of a change in this regard, compared to earlier.
 
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Push pull stroke said:
And Weckl will get the call first for the gig every time, because double bass chops are a niche skill. The kind of metal that requires super foot speed is just not that popular.
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I did say at the end of that sentence that Diepold has a video of him playing Weckl... so he could get the gig if he auditioned. I don't think someone would rather pay however much Weckl charges when they can have a just as good drummer for much less... The point is that a lot of people here dismiss metal drummers as if they are incapable of playing anything other than really fast stuff. If they payed attention, they would notice the huge array of techniques utilized to play some of those parts which a lot of times don't have anything to do with speed. (Yes speed is their bread and butter, but not the only thing they do).
 
Funny enough, I just bought a DW 5000 double pedal. Other elements of my kit could benefit from an upgrade but I want to work on double pedal technique. So, the options are, upgrade my kit until the last thing left is the pedals, or... just by double bass drums pedals and go to work.
 
I've got the room, multiple bass drums and single pedals, but I'm using a double pedal at practice and gigs instead. Maybe it's laziness.
 
Push pull stroke said:
And Weckl will get the call first for the gig every time, because double bass chops are a niche skill. The kind of metal that requires super foot speed is just not that popular.
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We can't all play what's most popular ATM; someone's got to play the good stuff. 😋
 
Now going back to Weckl vs Diepold... has it ever occurred to someone here that maybe a lot of those metal guys don't want to play the kind of music that would "get them the gig everytime"? A lot of people don't really play drums for a living, Diepold is a school teacher or was not sure if he still is, He stated that he doesn't really want to tour, so does Ola Englund, Samus and a few others, they have families and the touring life is just not for them, if they can make money doing what they love from home, why bother with gigs and tours? Samus has recorded drums for several artists including Devin Townsend, Diepold also has recorded for other bands (mostly metal but as long as he is getting paid who cares?) Weckl makes more than they do for sure, but do we know if he really loves what he plays or he just plays it because it pays? I personally wouldn't want to drum for a living, I want to keep it fun and use it as my happy place, if it became a chore then it would lose a lot of its appeal...
 
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