Comparing ones abilities with others

drummingman

Gold Member
Being a musician can be a competitive thing. What I mean is that people are always comparing musicians to each other. I know that as a drummer it can be hard for me to not look at guys that are faster then me, or more technical then me without starting to feel like I suck in comparison. Don't get me wrong, I do think that Im a good drummer. And I feel that seeing people that blows me away is a good motivator for me to practice more. But at the same time I know that to get into the who"s better game is not healthy or productive. So I go out of my way to avoid that.

But I admit, when I see a 20 year old guy who is 10 times faster then me and can seem to play circles around me thats a bit discouraging lol! But what I know is true is that all that matters when it comes to my playing abilities is if Im better today, in comparison to myself, then I was yesterday. It is true that we all truly have something unique to offer!
 
I get by on a bit of denial.
 
We all speak differently, and our drumming is like a voice. Eddie Bayers once said "Your fingerprint is what makes you unique".

I remember hearing a quote somewhere, someone said of Jimmy Vaughn "Jimmy FORGOT more stuff than Stevie Ray ever played..." And I always felt like I could identify with that on some level.
 
Faster is not always better.

If you don't believe me, ask your girlfriend.

You're welcome.
 
Here is my perspective on this subject.

I played a lot of drums when I was young. Two years ago I began playing again after 40 years of not playing. So having come back from such a long absence I was trying to figure out where I fit into the pecking order of current drummers. Well, at least among local drummers.

The first night I waked into the local open night jam I was really scared. But it turned out great. So consequently at that point I began evaluating the ability of other drummers and comparing them to how I play. After about a year I started to feel bad about doing this. As you know it is a loser’s game; always comparing your playing abilities to the abilities of others.

Recently however, I have discovered that when I listen to music I always evaluate the ability of the musicians. For me it is a natural part of listening to music. I am searching for good music and I naturally evaluate the music, the song and the musicianship of the players. So now I have realized that it is OK to evaluate the musical ability of musicians. It is part of the listening process. We know who the great musicians are because we have evaluated their playing.

What I don’t have to do is compare myself to other drummers, but I still do evaluate other drummers because again, it is a natural part of listening to music. Part of the listening process is determining if the musicians play well together and if they are great, average, mediocre or really bad musicians.


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One thing I've realised also is that its really easy to find people to tell you you're good, just out of politenesess and wanting to be "supportive". A lot harder to find people who are supportive and give you the right kind of criticism.
 
I think that amongst ourselves as drummers there is not so much of a comparison of our abilities in a negative way. Where I tend to see it most, at least when it comes to drummers, is from other people we play with.

Myself being a drummer that loves to play metal, but is not the fastest gun in the west, I know that some metal guitar players I have jammed with, not all by any means but some, were negative about my playing because Im not running 16ths on my feet at like 210 bpm. I really don't let it bother me to much when that happens because I feel I bring things to the table that a lot of the modern day metal drummers don't. My style is more a fusion of metal drumming and jazz fusion drumming. A lot of metal guitar players that I jam with are really kind of taken off gard by my style even when I tell them about it before we jam. And for the ones that are expecting the typical non-stop double bass and blast beats can tend to be negative about my style. But I have tried really hard to retain my style and not change it because of any negativity that has come my way because of it being different. I think the fact that its different is a great thing that I praise Jesus for! And it is cool when people come up to me after shows with positive comments about my playing being different!

But I think there will always be people, other drummers and other instrumentalists, that will bag on you for one reason or another. But like I said before, as long as we are getting better in comparison to ourselves thats all that matters!
 
I play what I like to play, what gives me pleasure, and It only works in a band context. If the band sounds good and we are playing off each other, then its great, and I am playing well. Its all about the song.

I am not realy interested in speed or chops, they are only gratifying when practicing at home, meshing with a good bass player always gives me a much bigger buzz.

What other drummers do is only interesting in the context of what music they are playing.

Is it the fastest or the loudest or the most chop heavy drummers that get all the work? I think not.
 
For me it's never about the drummer, it's about the band.

I have great admiration for a good band, and also someone who is a stand out good drummer. And I'll tell them so.

But what I've observed over the many years I've been gigging. Most drummers are average. A lot are pretty poor. I'd put myself in the 'enthusiastically average' crowd.

There are very few drummers I've heard in unsigned, gigging bands, who are 'pro quality'. Very few indeed.
 
Practicing as much as I do I probably have the cleanest and fastest hands of anyone I know.

Due to lack of actual experience though, most of them can hang and swing in more situations than I can and some older cats have closed rolls that are way way better than mine.

Other musicians, though they might sometimes be impressed, really only care about sound, how your time feels and if you can play appropriately for the song and it's dynamic.

Unless it's an importart signature part of a cover song you could probably get away with pretty much never play a single fill.

Some ghost notes and flams here and there make all the difference, though. Just makes you sound like a real drummer.
 
It's funny, in my younger days I was very competitive. If I saw a good (local) drummer I felt I needed to play better than him so I would practice my butt off working on things. I was always doing the stick twirling, and tossing them behind my back etc showing off.

Then, age kicked in and my ears opened :) now I just want to make the band sound as good as it can be. I try never to overplay and make my fills as tastefull as I can. Most of what I do now is more relaxed and I guess simple. What I don't play now meaning spaces in between beats is just as important as what I am playing.

Sure there are local guys I see and know that have some great skills and play in some pretty good bands. Instead of comparing my skills to theirs like in the past I just enjoy listening to them and sharing some ideas.

Age does have some advantages, at least in my case.
 
I'm very good at not comparing myself. I know that there are many drummers worse than me and it's obvious that there are an equal number far superior.

I just do what I do and try to enjoy it.




And, I never click on the Youtube links of 7 year old girls playing Tom Sawyer note for note. :)
 
I try to glean techniques and tricks by watching the speed freeks. I don't get discouraged, I try to let it motivate me to push a little harder. Will I ever develop chops like Thomas Lang or Gavin Harrison? Nope. But in the close to 3 decades I have been playing drum set, being exposed to a lot of great musicians and watching and listening made me a better all around musician.

It isn't how fast you can play, but can you lay down a groove with feel, proper meter, dig in and play FOR the music and not trying to be THE show.
I understand showmanship, the visual and all that, but I look at the drummer's ability to let the music speak and drive the groove. Not so much in how many notes he or she plays, but the sense to know where not to play.
 
I constantly criticize drummers in my own mind. It's something that I can't help. That's why I play drums because I feel I can actually bring something to the table, because my opinions are just too much to contain in this area.

I remember criticizing, in my own mind only, what turned out to be a really great drummer, at a show I saw awhile back. Sometimes I am so dense, it took me nearly the entire show to realize that this guy is a great drummer.

So I do it all the time, and it doesn't bother me, because it's only in my own mind. It's like a little game. I'm not proud of it, but at the same time I'm not going to deny or stifle it, because it comes naturally.

When I see someone who can clearly wipe the floor with me, I give them all the props I can if I am able. It's the ones who are close to my level that I am most competitive with, only in my mind.

It's the only area in life where I feel the need to compete, even though I really don't actually compete with anyone.
 
I don't think you can compare, every band has different requirement on the drummer. And sometimes the music allows you to stretch out and some situations require a non flashy basic approach just to make the band function and the music work.

So I really try not to judge, becuase we all know that sometimes we have to do things just so the band can get from A to B without it falling apart.
 
Looking at kids playing is always depressing. All that time and energy, plus they get to start with more learning and resources than you did.

I comfort myself with the knowledge that most of them will give up their instrument, and the rest will probably become alcoholics.
 
I don't compare myself to other drummers cause I always thought my goal was to play my "way". So I listen and applaud what I like and consider how and what I would do different. I really suck at fills so I watch others to learn
 
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