Andy
Honorary Member
Yup, that's me. To some extent, I feel very jealous of players who can master a number of styles. The key word here being "master". I can play bits & pieces of styles other than rock, but they in no way convince me, never mind anyone else. The truth is, I lack both the skills and the motivation to stray away from my soul of rock. That doen't necessarily mean I'm taking the easy option, it's just an honest recognition of my lack of ability and the huge enjoyment I get from playing stuff that sits in my soul. I have so much room to grow within my own genre without making life even more difficult. Just about the only other related genre I'm convincing in is funk. I'd say my default playing style is funky rock so that's not too surprising.Hmm, it looks like most drummers who start with rock stay put.
As a contrast to my playing, my musical tastes are very varied indeed, but I decided years ago that I'm better appreciating the performances of others from the sidelines than woodshedding something that needs to be forced rather tham emerge naturally. I guess taking a 25 year break from drumming didn't exactly help my progression either.
Many players stick with simple rock stuff because they genuinely can't do anything else. I think I have the potential to break away but I've taken a concious decision to continue enjoying what I do and growing as a result. The old saying "jack of all trades, master of non" springs to mind. Very rarely, a player trancends genre boundries and becomes a true exponent of many styles. That, IMO, is extremely rare and a gift bestowed on the back of a lifetime of dedication. That will not, and cannot, be me, so I sit here very happy in my shell.