What drumming advice would you give to a younger you?

Don't quit Piano lessons - seriously every Drummer should know a melodic instrument. Piano is ideal as it works with both the bass and treble clef and gives you a better idea of song form.

Concentrate more on rudiments - the cornerstone of our instrument.
Reach out and get lessons with better teachers
Work with a Metronome or click more
 
In my area where I grew up, "jazz" drummers or drummers who played in the school band and learned rudiments didn't "rock" like my favorite drummers did. For whatever reason, they just didn't sound good playing a kit in a rock setting. Because of that, I was kinda turned off by rudiments and such and taught myself how to play via listening and playing along to records, then with other musicians. There are a lot of famous rock drummers who started the same way and there's something to be said for developing that God given ability to feel the music and play a groove on your own, but I kinda wish I had some more rudimentary chops in my arsenal that I could pull out now and again. Nothing too intense.... nice clean double strokes to apply on the kit and some better independence would suffice.
 
I gotta say, that's probably the best advice so far.

Everyone in a band needs a bass player. Every. One. Around here, bass players are in demand.

1. One of the bands I play with went through probably almost a half dozen bass players this year.

  • First guy: Sucked. Overplayed. Made it through two rehearsals.
  • Second guy: Made it through one rehearsal. Creeped us all out. Had "crazy eyes." I know that "don't judge" and all, but I didn't want to be stuck in a hotel room with this guy when we go on the road.
  • Third guy: Lasted a while. Killer bass player, but a total flake. If his other band gets a booking and we've already secured the date, the goes with the other band because they pay a little more.
  • Fourth guy: He's actually a guitar player in the band. Does a great job, but he prefers playing guitar.
  • Fifth guy: He filled in on one show. I loved this dude. One of the other guitar players didn't like him, so he's gone.
  • Sixth guy: A great player, but he overplayed. Not that I care about stage presence too much, but this guy was flat-out awkward. He's gone.
  • Went back to the fourth guy for a few months.
  • Ended up back with Third guy...for now. We will see how long it lasts.
I promise y'all that the band isn't that hard to get along with. I wouldn't be there if it was remotely difficult.

2. Another guy I play with does a ton of shows each year, and he has a pool of 11-12 different musicians he uses from time to time. Number of bass players he has in this pool? One.

3. Another guy I filled in with one show last year has a bass player. Who does he use? He uses "First guy" from the first list.

4. Another band I play with used two different bass players depending on the gig and availability. One of the bass players is a great player and singer, but he hates the fact that I'm even there (we play traditional music that doesn't normally have percussion). Another bass player with this band is pretty good, but he over plays and his tone is always 100% "fart-box."

5. Another band I used to play with every season had a bass player who has played for probably longer than I've been alive. This person is STILL struggling with playing.

In my small town, right here are FIVE different opportunities for a great bass player to step in and shine like the sun and gig 'til the cows come home. Once again, I'd tell my old self to just concentrate on the bass, be nice, learn a bunch of different types of music, don't overplay, and once again, be nice. You'll be able to play with anyone you want.
 
and once again, be nice.
Goes a looong way in helping you get and keep a gig. It's not always about your musical ability, but more your ability to be a fun hang. There have been times with my band where we were on road trips and we literally had to stop the van and get out and puke from laughing so hard. Such good times.....those are the things I miss most about not playing regularly with my old band mates.
 
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Don't you dare put that jazz album on!!! Stick to rock and roll, country, pop, folk, anything but Jazz. You will spend the next thirty years trying to figure it out (with very few performing opportunities).
My dad wasn't a fan of jazz, but he had to have that one LP in his collection: Roland Kirk, "The Inflated Tear".
 
The thing about learning to play bass, I kind of get it, but it just seems so much easier for a guitarist to do. I know a couple of guys whose main instrument is guitar but they will play bass in other bands sometimes. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to compete with those guys, being that my main instrument is drums.

Keyboard on the other hand.. seems like everyone’s always looking for a keyboard player, and guitarists can’t switch over to that as easily.
 
The thing about learning to play bass, I kind of get it, but it just seems so much easier for a guitarist to do.

How to create a HORRIBLE bassist in two easy steps. 1) Find a guitarist who isn't very good. 2) Give him a bass.

I don't say "her" because I've never met a bad female bassist. Maybe it's just been coincidence, but all the female bass player I've met have been bass players, not guitarists faking it on bass. Even if they could barely play the instrument, they understood that it was a rhythm instrument, not lead guitar.
 
my biggest regret in life has been not marching drum corps...I made a line back in the late 80's that went on to win the drum trophy that year...and I let people talk me out of doing it...I will never ever get that back...

I also wish i would have done music school in my first stint in college, but again, I let people talk me out of that because "you won't be rich if you do music"...and I sadly believed them. I had to discover that money is not the root of happiness (by living aw a poor punk musician for a few years) before I went back to music school...

funny all of the advice about bass playing. I added bass to my world in 7th grade because I heard people saying that the bass player and drummer need to "be like one" in a band. So that, and Geddy Lee got me into bass, and I have had more (legit paying) gigs as a bass player than as a drummer.
 
To listen to people who actually know something about drumming, instead of people who act as if they know a lot about drumming by speaking (and copying) a looooot..

Better to replace that second source of 'information' by just reading Modern Drummer yourself..

For the rest, study and play literally as much as possible and quit (commercial) coverbands as soon as possible..
 
Make sure I would have worn hearing protection, work with a metronome, learn more styles, improve my chart reading skills.

Oh and buy Apple and Microsoft at their IPO
 
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Don't listen to mom complaining about the noise. So I played bass for 45 yrs and picked up the drums last yr...way more fun.
 
Read the OP and immediately thought of the Grandpa advice scene in Little Miss Sunshine.

Had myself a chuckle and have moved on.
 
How to create a HORRIBLE bassist in two easy steps. 1) Find a guitarist who isn't very good. 2) Give him a bass.

I don't say "her" because I've never met a bad female bassist. Maybe it's just been coincidence, but all the female bass player I've met have been bass players, not guitarists faking it on bass. Even if they could barely play the instrument, they understood that it was a rhythm instrument, not lead guitar.
That makes sense, but I wasn’t talking about bad guitarists. Just guitarists who want to be in more bands than they’re able to just by playing guitar.
 
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