INTRODUCTIONS: Please Use This Thread To Introduce Yourself!

Hello fellow drummers.

My name is Mike and I'm here in CT. I played drums like mad as a kid but stopped completely about 30 years ago. This April I was driving to work a I heard a Chick Correa song with Dave Weckl on drums. I almost didn't make it to work. I suddenly realized how much I missed playing. Being 53 and hopefully with some years left I decided it was long past the time to dive back in. The drummerworld forums have been such a help so I decided to join. It is amazing how much I didn't learn the first time even though I had a professional teacher, a dad who played drums, and I practiced hours a day and played live with all kinds of bands.

Here is stuff no one ever told me but I found on the forum
Ear protection!
Practice slow before you go fast
Learn it perfectly - not just good enough
You can use your fingers to help your wrists
Use a Metronome
Always have a targeted goal oriented practice sessions. Be mindful of what you are doing
A good drummer rarely draws attention to themselves with technique or fills but always makes the other musicians sound better by creating a strong groove and deep pocket.
There is so much new great study material.
Everyone thinks their equipment and favorite drummer is the best ;)

Who knows if I will get very good, but though age is hard on the body there are compensatory factors that come with age and are making it easier to learn difficult things
Patience
Humbleness
Ability to relax when learning "impossible" stuff
Persistence
Lack of concern about being great - I'll settle for good some day. I'm looking forward to being a full time drummer in retirement

One more wonderful thing at this age - I can buy good equipment, study materials, and lessons.

So thanks for all that I've learned here already and I hope I can give back at some point.
 
hey mike!! welcome.....hey man, you're never too old to love and play the drums...we may get older, but the heart is still young...i'm 52, and play harder now than i ever have, and still love it as much, if not more than i did the first day i ever picked up a pair of sticks....\m/

as jimi once said........" play on, drummer"......
 
Real name? John Michael

Age? 40's

How long have you been playing? Less than a year

Origin of user name? Mel Brooks

Your top 5 drummers? Elvin Hayes, John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Phil Rudd, Stanton Moore

Make of drumkit? Gretsch

Make of cymbal? Sabian

Where do you practice? In my basement "studio"

Are you in a band? Yes

Do you play covers or originals? Mostly originals

What style of music? Rock, blues

Favourite take out food? I have never dated food but if I did I would like to take a pineapple out on the town.

What country do you live in? USA

One really odd fact about yourself? I finished 426 out of 428 in high school and 4 out of 627 in college.

How did you start drumming? At one
 
Hey there I'm new to this forum and decided to introduce myself :)

Real name? Dimitar Milin

Age? 23

How long have you been playing? About 7 years and been very serious about it the last 2

Origin of user name? That's my nickname

Your top 5 drummers? Dave Lombardo , Joey Jordison , Vinnie Paul , Igor Cavalera , Inferno (behemoth)

Make of drumkit? An old Tama kit

Make of cymbal? Stagg

Where do you practice? In the basement of a municipal building

Are you in a band? YES I've always wanted to have one ( Spirituali Dissonantia )

Do you play covers or originals? Both as long as I play

What style of music? Extreme Metal , black , death , trash

Favourite take out food? Chinese , Pizza

What country do you live in? Bulgaria

One really odd fact about yourself? Everything about me is odd

How did you start drumming? I watched older guys play music when I was young and it blew my mind , and I just bought a kit when I was 16
 
Hi everyone,

My name is Mario and im from Belgium,sorry if my English is bad and write mistakes,but I gonna try to do my best.

Real name: Mario S.
Age: 45
How long have you been playing: well just 2 years
Origin of user name:my nickname is: love drummer (i know it's sounds crazy,but i like it :)
Make of drum kit: it's an Alesis DM10X Edrum
Where do you practice: at home
Are you in a band: yes,and i must practice a lot
Do you play covers or originals: most covers
What style of music: a lot of styles: reggae,dance, electro,soft rock,hard rock,ballads and many others
Favorite take out food: Chinese,pizza
What country do you live in: Belgium
One really odd fact about yourself: I never give up
How did you start drumming: sins i was a kid,i played on a toy drum,but I have no time to play a real drum.Now im getting older it is my dream to play on a edrum and i enjoy it very much,but still i must practice a lot and do that every day,with love,my dream comes true.
 
Call me Drum Phil

"Please use this thread to introduce yourself. Answer the following questions (all optional), and let us know about you."

Real name? Phil Hendrickson
Age? 48
How long have you been playing? About 40 years
Origin of user name? Just say it out loud...
Your top 5 drummers?
Jeff Hamilton, for musicianship
Brian Blade, for dynamic feel
Bill Stewart, for creativity
Art Blakey, for leadership and energy
Neil Peart, for masterful technique with taste

Make of drumkit? Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute
Make of cymbal? Zildjian K Custom, K Cons, Bosphorous
Where do you practice? Basement, but not enough
Are you in a band? Yes, a jazz quartet
Do you play covers or originals? Covers
What style of music? Standards, swing, bop, blues, classic rock, fusion, funk, pop
Favourite take out food? Chipotle
What country do you live in? U.S.
One really odd fact about yourself? I'm a board game geek (euro games)
How did you start drumming? I just started beating rhythms on anything. Dad was a band director and our family is musical; it became obvious my gifts were at the drums.

It's great to see this forum to discuss music with other drummers. Keep swingin'!
 
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Hey, Everyone. Glad to be here. Always great to be around fellow drummers.
_________________________

Real name? Antonio J. Newell

Age? 29

How long have you been playing? 17 years

Origin of user name? My nickname is "Tony." I'm also a composer (mostly in hip hop, rap and dance). I used to always get, "Man, your music's BANGING!" or something similar, usually with the word "bang" in it. So, eventually, the name came up as "Tony Bhaingz." So, I figure that since I like to "bang" on the drums, why not incorporate it into my drumming presense.

Your top 5 drummers?

1) Manu Katche'
2) Dave Weckl
3) Terry Bozzio
4) Chris "Big Daddy" Daves
5) "Dylan" (Because he spits "hot fire")

Make of drumkit? DW Pacific Vintage

Make of cymbal? Zildjian K Custom Hand-Hammered, Meinl, Sabian Hand-Hammered, Wuhan

Where do you practice? Anywhere, at anytime -- but mostly at a studio and at church.

Are you in a band? Yes.

Do you play covers or originals? Both.

What style of music? Gospel, Jazz Fusion, Rock, Pop, Salsa, Afro-Cuban

Favourite take out food? Subway, Chipotle, In N Out and Taco Bell. (As well as Juice It Up)

What country do you live in? United States

One really odd fact about yourself? I used to be extremely curious and would like to taste laundry detergent (in powder form). It was exciting until 0.5 seconds after, when the burn sensation would kick in. Lol.

How did you start drumming? First, I developed the curiosity for when my mother's ex-boyfriend used to allow me to sit on his leg as he played during church services. I was around 3 or 4 years old. I wasn't until I was 11 that I actually got my chance to play for a church service. Until that time, I was just practicing all the time. But once they finally heard me, I instantly became the head drummer, at 11 years old. Lol. Talk about animosity at the church! Anyhoo, there's been no turning back since.
 

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Hey everyone! This is a great community you all have going on here and I'm glad to be a part of it.

You can check out my website for a full bio here. http://garrettthedrummer.com/

Real name? Garrett Hawkins

Age? 21

How long have you been playing? About 10 years

Origin of user name? People always referred to me as "Garrett the drummer" when I was getting introduced in friends bands, and it just kind of stuck.

Your top 5 drummers? Gavin Harrison, Tony Royster Jr, Mike Portnoy, Benny Greb, Longineu Parsons III. They're all very different players but I think they all do they're styles very well.

Make of drumkit? Prok Pie Rosewood Zebra Maple

Make of cymbal? Mostly Sabian AAX and a few assorted Zildjians

Where do you practice? My living room, and a practice room I share with a few bands.

Are you in a band? I'm not a full fledged member or any but I freelance with a few consistently. (once a week practices, recordings, shows)

Do you play covers or originals? Both

What style of music? Everything. Rock, Metal, Jazz, Funk, Electronic, Pop, whatever

Favourite take out food? Chipotle

What country do you live in? The United States

One really odd fact about yourself? You can type my name using only the left half of your keyboard.

How did you start drumming? School band in 5th grade. A friend joined playing snare drum and I just wanted to hang out. Somehow he left and my passion stuck.

 
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Figured it was about time for an introduction.

Real name? Ammon Tuttle

Age? 14

How long have you been playing? 2 years

Origin of user name? I love to play with fire

Your top 5 drummers? Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Neil Peart, Jojo Mayer, Steve Smith, and Jared Falk (Good teachers)

Make of drumkit? Peavey International II

Make of cymbal? Zildjian A

Where do you practice? Basement, outside on buckets

Are you in a band? School jazz band

Do you play covers or originals? Only tried once.

What style of music? Jazz, rock, funk

Favourite take out food? Subway and Tacotime

What country do you live in? United States

One really odd fact about yourself? I have a large birthmark on my arm that looks like California

How did you start drumming? I've always had a natural rhythm, my parents would say that I was always tapping on things and making beats, so I decided to be a percussionist starting in 7th grade (One of the best decisions I've ever made).
 
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well i started playing when i was 13, i tried guitar,and Sax never liked them. my route isnt typical most of my friend s who play instrument took lesson for several yrs, a friend named john had and old westbury drum kit i used to go over to see him noticed all the sheets of lessons , a metronome and at that time he was paying (mom) $25/hr in 78.and he was pretty impressive his first song he played was the theme from hawaii fiveo (mel taylor). he played it with out the music he was 13.I was never on a set never knew how to hold the sticks, he said i betch you cant play that, i replied ill try. i listened to it once put on the head phones no problem he was lhao. he ran upstairs yelling mom jimmy just payed that song that took me 3 month to learn, So his mom called my mom and said for me to go see johns teacher so i did. George Harrison( not the beatle) lol . so i talked to him he was and old big band drummer my mom couldnt stop laughing at the name imagine george harrison. so he gave me some sticks and head phones and i played three songs, after only hearing each one once- Beginnings by chicago the white room bycream - rain by the beatles- so my mom asked well george she laughed so how about my son. Your son is gifted i never seen anyone like him in 40 yrs of being in the music business, so does he need lessons???? i can teach him how to read music she said i dont know he has a learning disability he find reading very frustrating and i did i learned the basics of chart reading so im sorry that i cant related to many drummers out there who had to go through gruelling hrs of pain staking practise. well that was 36 yrs ago i mostly learned by hearing songs only once- im very blessed and humble to be able to do this my favorite drummer where ringo starr beacause he was a beatle, Hal Blaine session and dennis wilson the beachboys.
 
I'm BallPeen, which is a type of hammer (ie, you beat on things with it).

I'm in my late 50's. I started playing guitar when I turned 50. Eventually I got with a group of friends to play music and we all played guitar. To throw a little variety and time keeping into the mix, I bought a used set of CB drums (SP series), took a couple of lessons, and have been playing them for two years now. I'm apparently a better drummer than I am a guitar player.

The CB set is a great set, but I'm ready to upgrade. I'm mainly looking at Gretch, Yamaha and Ludwig but haven't pulled the trigger yet. When I get the new set, the CBs will be moved to the side, and our jam sessions will be set for two drummers.

My drum influences include Gene Krupa and Bonzo, but two I really like are Brian Keenan (Chambers Brothers) and Ed Cassidy (Art Pepper, Rising Sons, Spirit).

Happy to be here and to be able to soak up the knowledge that I'm sure abides here on these forums.
 
Hey guys, let me introduce properly

Real name? Francesco Azzariti

Age? 27

How long have you been playing? 13 years

Origin of user name? It's my name...

Your top 5 drummers? John Bonham, Carter Beauford, Vinnie Collaiuta, Bernard Purdie, Steve Gadd

Make of drumkit? DW

Make of cymbal? Zildjian

Where do you practice? In a rehearsal room next to my place that charges drummers 2£ per hour :)

Are you in a band? 3 bands: Charlie and the band of demons, a blues/rock band (catbod.com); Kody, pop/prog band, Riverman pop (all original material)

Do you play covers or originals? Originals

What style of music? Funk, Rock, R&B/Soul

Favourite take out food? Chinese

What country do you live in? United Kingdom

One really odd fact about yourself? If I look a person and I concentrate a lot, I'm able to see a colored aura around his/her head... (now, that's odd)

How did you start drumming? I was in Venezuela, and latin music was the only thing that you could hear. The heat and the groove got to me :) I was 15 years old
 
Real name? Steve Skyrm
Age? 53
How long have you been playing? 43 years
Origin of user name? Umm, either Mom or Dad, not sure!
Your top 5 drummers? John Bonham, Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, Elvin Jones, Terry Bozzio
Make of drumkit? PDP/Pacific FS Birch
Make of cymbal? 70's Zildjians, with a 1980 Paiste Rude ride
Where do you practice? Nowhere
Are you in a band? Church praise team, nearly every Sunday
Do you play covers or originals? Covers
What style of music? Contemporary Christian and some really old hymns for good measure!
Favourite take out food? Pizza - Chicago Deep Dish
What country do you live in? USA
One really odd fact about yourself? I actually sold my original (had since High School) 70's Supra last year!!!
How did you start drumming? Grade School band and private lessons, mixed with a turntable and headphones in the basement. :)
 
Hello all,
My name is Greg. I'm 41 and have been drumming on and off since I was 12. I'm currently playing on a Hart Dynamics studio 6.4 setup, but I'm planning to move back to an acoustic setup in the near future. I'm researching and trying out stuff to see what's gonna fit me best.

I don't play in any bands and haven't played with a band in quite some years. I'm just a guy who likes to rock out in the basement. I've decided to start from scratch and work on basic hand techniques and rudiments that I neglected from the start. At 41, I have the discipline and the desire that I didn't have for so many years...lol.

While I'm not the most technically proficient drummer (far from it), I have a few years of experience in selling drums and working on the order fulfillment side of the drumming biz as well. It's been since the late 90's since I've worked in the drumming/retail biz, so my personal experience in dealing with manufacturers and various drum lines is probably outdated, but I'm happy to share those experiences as I've worked with Pearl, Ludwig, Sonor, Mapex, DW, Tama and Yamaha at one point or another.

My goal in being here is to get back into drumming...it was once a huge passion of mine, but I put it on the back burner due due to marriage, house, kids...all that good stuff. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to do it, but now I'm excited to get back into drumming and get behind a kit that I love.

thanks!
 
hey everybody, i'm blake.

i was the founding drummer of the mars volta and have been a part of a lot of interesting experimental/jazz/rock bands, laddio bolocko, dazzling killmen etc. i've also gotten to work with a lot of amazing musicians over the years. in early 2013 i released my debut solo record, Time’s Up, an all drum and percussion odyssey that has been called “a truly pioneering record.” i teach at a college in upstate NY and i've recently started giving Skype lessons.

i'm new to the whole forum format but figured i'd give it a try. thanks.

Age? 41

How long have you been playing? since i was 8

Origin of user name? well, snares buzz, right?

Your top 5 drummers? tony williams, elvin jones, hal blaine, jaki liebzeit, ed blackwell

Make of drumkit? '65 slingerland, truth custom

Make of cymbal? meinl, old zildjian, scrap

Where do you practice? i am fortunate to have my own practice space/studio in pennsylvania

Are you in a band? freelance mainly

Do you play covers or originals? usually all original music

What style of music? i lean toward more improvisational formats but i play everything in the studio

Favourite take out food? gotta go with mexican

What country do you live in? usa

One really odd fact about yourself? i got frostbite playing for ronald reagan's birthday which happened to be in early february in his hometown which is around chicago. he and nancy were in a heated booth of course, while myself and the rest of the alton colonial fife and drum corps froze our butts off. i was 10 and the temperature was -3 below. that was a pretty serious organization, especially for a group of kids.

How did you start drumming? my neighbor was a drummer. she became my first teacher. that's how i got into the fife and drum corps so early.
 
Real name? Tyler M
Age? 17, 18 on October 10th
How long have you been playing? about 1 year
Origin of user name? nickname from when I played baseball
Your top 5 drummers? John Bonham, Chad Smith, Dave Grohl, Keith Moon, Steve Gadd,
Make of drumkit? Gretsch: Kick, 2 rack toms, floor tom / Ludwig: Snare, rack tom, floor tom
Make of cymbal? Zildjian
Where do you practice? basement/makeshift drum room
Are you in a band? not yet
Do you play covers or originals? covers
What style of music? classic rock/alternative
Favourite take out food? applebees
What country do you live in? USA
One really odd fact about yourself?
How did you start drumming? tried to teach myself, gave up for almost 6 months. started taking lessons back in March. Couldn't be happier that I started playing again!
 
Real name? Alex Fuller
Age? 36
How long have you been playing? 20 years
Origin of user name? First email address ever, and I have no idea why I thought of it
Your top 5 drummers? Benny Greb, Jojo Mayer, Tomas Haake, Gavin Harrison, John Bonham.
Make of drumkit? Pearl Reference, Tama Starclassic Performer, Tama Silverstar Jazz, Roland TD-30
Make of cymbal? Sabian, Zildjian, Paiste, Meinl.
Where do you practice? In my house on the TD-30 mostly
Are you in a band? Sadly, no. Played in many, many bands in the past.
Do you play covers or originals? Both
What style of music? All variations of rock, metal, punk, country, pop, ska, reggae, blues, hip hop.
Favourite take out food? Mexican
What country do you live in? USA! USA!
One really odd fact about yourself? I have deformed toes
How did you start drumming? I knew I wanted to play when I was about 12 or 13 and started getting into bands like Black Sabbath. Bill Ward was my first favorite drummer. My parents took me to the Rose Parade when I was 13 and I was completely bored until the marching bands and drumlines went by. Those were incredibly inspiring. I didn't get the chance to start playing until I was 16. At my high school the only drummer who was capable of playing in the pep band was going to graduate that year. I struck a deal with the music teacher. If I would commit to playing in the pep band the following year, he would let me borrow one of the school's kits to practice on. I was shown how to play the Billie Jean beat, and I took it from there.
 
Hello everybody :) it's nice to be here finally, i've been an ocasional surfer of drummerworld for a while but hadn't really though about joining, but i love drumming and i love to share that with as many people as i can IRL and online.

I'm a 26 y o guy from Maracay, Venezuela, and i started drumming almost a year ago by pure luck, i'd never ever ever even thought about playing drums i never felt attracted to it, i've tried several times learning the guitar but i always quit because i get bored but with the drums is like playing music AND dancing AND singing all mash toguether, when i play a song i feel it like i was with the band on stage or something, that's why drumming is so awesome for me.

Aniways, hola a todos!
 
Hi all!
My name`s Mike..I am 26 years old, originally from Hawaii, now living and working in Fukuoka, Japan. I`ve been playing for about 11 years now, and a majority of that time of study has been spent browsing and learning from drummerworld! I hope to gain more knowledge of gear and technique as well as offer whatever I can to the community! Aloha
 
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