Sum yourself up

Hmm, I've been involved in music for over a decade now, and finally I'm getting into drumming. I appreciate all music and musicians (to the best of my ability - if your an ass, obviously not). I've always been more interested in rhythm and the math of music rather than, say, shredding a solo on 6string. Bass was my first instrument, so I am relatively familiar with drumming and rhythm (just not on the practical side of it). I primarily enjoy metal of most varieties, favoring fast and technical drumming. Poly-rhythms and odd time-sigs/sig changes are great (such as Meshuggah, Gojira, Between the Buried and Me, etc.) I enjoy very repetitive but complex drumming...Tool also does a great job of this, as does Isis. I'd say getting into drumming is the most excited I've been for a couple years about music. Can't wait to get on it, really...just another few weeks 'til I can order a kit and whatnot. Yay.

Ah, I would say my strengths would be a decent amount of experience outside of drumming, that fresh fervor of starting a new instrument, and I think I may have a knack for it?
Weaknesses - No real drumming experience, no real direction in the best developmental path to take, a consistent tendency to speed things up as I play them.

Preston
 
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I've been playing around 3 to 4 years and started drumming at the age of 41. I'm a basic rock drummer, both in terms of my playing style and what I like to play but i listen in awe at some of the funk and jazz drummers out there. My command of the rudiments is quite poor, especially double stroke & paradiddle routines, but my single stroke work is improving lots. I think my interpretation, feel & dynamic intentions are good but sometimes my level of skill lets me down. I'm inventive, solid, powerful and sensitive when needed but my repertoire is limited by my lack of rudiment ability. I like to introduce space in my playing to allow the music to breathe. I love powerful but quite naked grooves and fills that challenge the beatwork although I tend to overdo some of my favourite fills. I'm reasobnably happy with where I'm at and have enough skills not to hack off the great musicians I play with. I'd like to progress my rudiment skills but I'm lazy and need ot get my act together and show some committment like Zambizzi does. Today I was going to do some practice but I had to do battle with the brakes on my car after my garage said they had already fixed them. For tea I ate some lovely veggie risotto with garlic bread (Garlic Bread!! - One for the Brits) and sometimes I tend to go on a bit too much ;o)

Oh and I like cheese cake (cheese in a cake!! - another one for the Brits) too but not with manderins or bananas.
 
I've been playing for 6 years and I am mostly self taught, I have no idea what to make of my own playing, I just like making progress on the kit, and making other musicians music sound complete. I have heard what other people say about me though and its flattering even if I dont agree all the time. My rudiments are fine, I groove with them well and have interesting broken right hand patterns with key accents that fit the music. They love my double bass, but I want it a good 20bpm faster, I falter after 230ish and it sounds gross. My doubles are clean though(hands). I have a good sense of feel for every genre of music, and I think I can put down at least mediocre drum lines in every context, at least all the ones I have tried so far.

I think my biggest weakness is to develop a personal style, despite what other people tell me I already have, I don't hear it like they do, I can hear where it comes from and am trying to create a style that is completely original instead of being in the style of something familiar. I kinda have this weird latin-blast-funk groove metal sound going, but my style and approach to the drums is completely different between all of my bands. I am working towards finding a unified sound between all of my influences and pushing it to something that no one has heard before, instead of the same old genres all over again.

I'm 20 though, and I have time, and I am happy with where I am and where I am going.
 
Solid in the pocket groove with funky overtones, creativity and feel.

Wish I could bob the bob, I feel it but I can't do it, I don't have proper training and that limits me from playing the more advanced music I listen to.
 
larryace said:
The only opinion that matters to me about my own drumming is not my own, it is of the other musicians who I get to play with. It's not about me, it's about everyone but me.
Click to expand...

Yep. Other musicians decide if we're good, we don't.

Bermuda

I know exactly where you're coming from guys, and you're correct. It is the opinions of others whom we work with, or wish to work with, that matters materially. Ultimately, the opinion that really matters is the audience to whom we all perform, either live or through recorded material.

This thread is more about quantifying your own strengths & weaknesses as well as letting the other forum members know what makes you tick. I think it's good to know what you're strengths are so you can play to them and succeed / achieve gratification accordingly.

The one common message I do dissagree with is that your opinion of yourself doesn't matter. I think it matters a great deal. It dictates our levels of confidence to some degree and a confident player always delivers the best performance. Self awareness in proportion is a good thing.

A big up to all who have contributed so far. Keep them coming!
 
Tim-aaaaaaay.

TIMMAY!
 
Stripchase said:
Been playing off and on for 10 years. Mostly off when I had to live in condos and apartments while working my way through college.
Click to expand...

Apartment living is rarely conducive to drumming! This has also been my predicament, so I bought a bunch of hand drums which can be quieter than a drum set. I started out with a frame drum and acquired a wide assortment of hand drums over time. This way, I have been able to drum and live in peace with my neighbours.

Best

GJS
 
I have been drumming for about 40 years with a few intermittent breaks. I play and enjoy all kinds of music (world, rock, alternative, progressive, latin, afro, etc.) I am currently drumming with and enjoying the drum circle community here in the Emirates.

My main strength is that I have been drumming for a long time so I have rhythm in my soul. I am creative and have recently been applying drumset techniques to hand drums (e.g. practicing rudiments on my bugarabu or learning the Purdie Shuffle on the congas).

My main weakness is that my ability to read music has deteriorated; however, I have been slowly going through some books like Stick Control with the hopes of regaining that skill. My timing is not 100% consistent. Playing polyrhythms is another confounding skill for me but regaining my reading ability should help address that weakness. Finally, I enjoy collecting tribal percussion when I should be decluttering!

Have a good one!

GJS
 
I think its a compilation:

Generally speaking, when the regional singer "Sandy Singerson" plays at the local club, most people go to see her/him and probably do not even recognize if the drummer is the same guy that was with them last year. The guitarist has a little more of a chance being recognized. If the singer is great and the drummer is "adequate" (which means a fine job,) the audience could probably care less. (Only, if the drummer really screws up.)

I understand the point being made, but, I think audience recognition is not as big of a sign of how good we are. All of us have heard a friend say, "Man, that guy is good!" When we think or say, "Yea, not really.."

I think gaining the respect of other musicians is by far a bigger indicator. And, probably the biggest indicator is our peers. Other drummers.

Also, once we hit a certain level, and have the proper understanding, if we can check our ego at the door, I think most of us can figure out where we are personally on the Drummer's Continuum...

To be a truly great drummer, the audience will respect your talent as an entertainer, other musicians will respect your abilities, and you will probably be a big ego maniac... No.... I mean you will respect yourself..

Please disagree with me...! Love to hear different perspectives...
 
OK now ME:

When I was younger and played professionally, I was pretty tight, very solid drummer. I should have been better but I was lazy and didn't practice near as much as I should have.
I was really more of a musician (I have pretty strong musical abilities,) who played drums. If I would have applied myself as a guitarist I could have played professionally as well. I considered myself more of a percussionist rather than a drummer.I did Orchestral, Pit, and other musical scenes as well as played in a top-40 Rock band (Early to mid 80s)

Now I am back at it after quite a bit of a hiatus and I want to be a "drummer." I plan on developing great technique. I want to have the best separation as I possibly can (hand foot coordination.) I am becoming a student of the drum set. I want to get good enough to put together a nice trio that can play some progressiv(ish) jazzy, funky stuff and play out once a month or so..

I am dedicated and know from my past experience that if I work hard enough I can become a pretty decent DRUMMER. I am excited..! ! !
 
Hmmmmm...

How about:

-Highly charismatic thrash/heavy metal drummer who could use some help understanding odd time signature.
-Believes the show is half the battle, the other half being the music of course.
-Tends to make funny faces when playing
-Gets really into songs
-Interacts with band mates during gigs
-Low self-asteem around other drummers
 
Hey Guys and Gals........ Well, .... I am by no means a drummer, But have made it my sole income for 25 years or so. If you guys don't run me off, I will stick around here and listen and might learn a thing or two. I am a singer with a beat. Any Band that hires me knows they are not hiring a Drummer but a great singer and that is what I do. I can keep a solid beat without any fills or Solos. Bands that need a lead singer, a Back up singer or a Harmony Singer can count on me. I have taken several bands to Las Vegas and on the Cruise Line ships doing just that. But lately I have been TAKING DRUM LESSONS. I have watched too many Great drummers around this world and that's what I want to do. Before I die, I want to do ONE SOLO. I will learn one solo and perform it on some ones band stand when I am ready. I don't have a lot of time as I am getting Tired and "OLD". My lessons are getting much better and I am picking up the Rudiments. I figure with The SS Roll and the DS roll I can take a pretty good Solo. You will see me here on occasion to ask a question or tell a story but Never to brag about my drumming. I love listening to you all. You are all great. Thanks for letting me in and Good luck to you all. God Bless. Curly
 
New to this forum and have enjoyed trolling a bit. Guess Ill give it a shot. Been playing latin percussion for about 34 years (congas, timbales, Bongos, Bata, Djembe,etc) in various venues. Always had stick envy of trap players. Last year for Christmas my family got me an Alesis DM5 pro. Decided that if I was gonna do it I would do it right so I started taking lessons on a weekly basis with some good work in rudiments, rolls, fills ect, etc). Have really been enjoying my practice and lessons. My instructor David Hillendahl is also a great hand drummer so we have had a few jam sessions that were great. May post them up on Youtube soon. He has led numerous drum circles in different areas. For now I will continue to hand drum with our band untill I feel proficient enough to put the drums on stage and start expanding my horizons.
 
Sometimes I'm too humble for my own good. I never blow my own horn. I do prefer to let the playing do the talking because that's the real McCoy. How many really great players trumpet themselves? Does Jeff Indyke count? I can't bring myself to do it, but I'll play anytime and let anyone interested decide what I'm good at and where I'm lacking, and I'll listen and adjust as best I can.
 
I will admit to leaning back and watching this thread for a bit to see what happened with it before replying.

I started playing in eighth grade, after first playing the saxophone and bass. I started out playing mid-80s hair rock, as well as playing in the high school pep band for a couple of years. After high school, I joined the Army, and so was able to play with a lot of diverse musicians for fun and local talent shows for many years. I was also exposed to a lot of different musical styles through my travels. During a recent three-year stationing in California, I started playing in my local church, which got me my first paying gigs as a session musician around town. I also joined a local alt-indie band which recorded two CDs and had modest success playing shows up and down the Central Coast. I then moved to Alaska, where I mostly played in churches; I'm currently not in the US, but I am still playing church services where I am now. After I get back to the States, I will likely retire, look for a band to join, and take some lessons in either jazz or Latin drumming.

I would say my strengths are my ability to sightread (thank you, high school band), my flexibility, and my strong work ethic. I think I have some OK chops, and I love to play for the song. However, I really want to work on jazz, swing, and Latin authenticity. In my pretty eclectic work experience, I have faked my way through those feels but I know I am not proficient or authentic. I also want to focus more on simple feel and groove. I have been a prog-rock nut for many many years, and some of my experiences with a small kit for gigs have really made me work on those things. I think I have improved a lot, but I want to be as good as I can. Also, I am a horrible perfectionist, and this leads me to self-criticism and burn-out from working too hard to be better, and wanting my performance at gigs to be perfect.

My motivation comes from watching Louie Bellson on the Tonight Show only about a year after I picked up the sticks. At this point he was in his late 60's, I think. But to watch him scoot around his set, he looked all of twenty. His techique, feel, and sheer musicianship was jaw-dropping. I looked him up and realized that at that point he'd been playing close to 50 years. And I thought: "I want to have 50 years of experience playing, too. I want that." And it's been fun for me ever since.
 
I'm a super hot bitch and I groove well. I like playing rock, funk and blues.

I've been playing since March of last year with no prior musical training. I'm in an original band that I started and got hired by another singer/songwriter to gig twice a month.

I know my rudiments, sight read a little. I play matched grip. Wrist, open/closed and fingers real well. Trying to get better with Moeller. I see a pro every Saturday morning for an hour.

My favorite songs to play are the ones I don't know. I really like jamming with others.
 
larryace said:
Sometimes I'm too humble for my own good. I never blow my own horn. I do prefer to let the playing do the talking because that's the real McCoy. How many really great players trumpet themselves? Does Jeff Indyke count? I can't bring myself to do it, but I'll play anytime and let anyone interested decide what I'm good at and where I'm lacking, and I'll listen and adjust as best I can.
Click to expand...

Cheers for that Larry. Looking through the thread so far, I'm not seeing many members trumpeting themselves, nor am I expecting them to. That's not the intention of the thread. What I am reading are mostly candid descriptions of playing strengths, styles, weaknesses, aspirations & motivations. I find this very informative and shows we have a huge cross section of the drumming community on Drummerworld. I knew when I posted this thread that members would respond differently according to their perception of themselves. Even the reply from TIMMDRUM is telling me something, although I'm not sure exactly what!
 
Self taught since the age of 16 (1980) . Never been over the top . Always try to serve the song . Not a bore to watch but able to kick it up a notch when required . So many influences come to mind whenever I get behind the drum kit for a gig. It could be anything from feeling the Steely Dan AJA album vibe to Doobie Bros Bluegrass to an insane Keith Moon fill off Quadrophinia...Texas Blues (not a fan of Chicago Blues...too busy for me .shuffle beats ...throws my timing off..but I can fake it ) ..Rolling Stones 68-72 era. There ya go :)
 
I think our playing is largely the result of our influences. We pick stuff up all over the place and some of it sticks. For me:

1. Take one ripe Ringo and strain out most of the flair.

2. Add one heaped teaspoon of Jim Hodder for texture (or any Steely Dan drummer if there are no Hodders available)

3. One heaped teaspoon of Moe Tucker to add a little quirkiness

4. Mix lightly with brushes (Regal Tip, wood-handled) until it looks like something the cat chucked up

5. Leave in a cool, dark place (a rehearsal studio is perfect) until green mold forms on top.

Consume with liberal quantities of your favourite poison. It helps.

Warning: May contain traces of any drummer I've seen or heard.
 
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