If you do/don't live off of your drumming career, how has that affected your life in a negative/positive way?
I'm a career drummer. I don't do any other work outside of giving a few lessons. It wasn't always like that. I used to work as well, but then I got to a point where I was able to play to a successful level where I could tour once a year [or so] and it would be enough to pay the bills.
The road getting there was another story. I never thought success was a given, but I also had different levels of "success" that I would apply to my situations. I still think that way. It gives me goals. It's almost like a checklist for taking over the world, one little step at a time:
[in sweeping generalities that worked for me:]
good band, check
successful gigs, check
put out a record, check
tour to support that record, check
do it all over again, check check check
I have to tell you that I consider myself completely lucky. I was contacted for my current band because my old band was opening for them. It never would have happened had they not had the opportunity to see me play a month of straight shows to make that decision. A month after the tour I had the job.
I've always made myself available, and I've come to be known a bit as a replacement drummer in my little part of the world. This has it's advantages and disadvantages. I've replaced some pretty good friends. It was never a personal thing, but was always a sticky thing. So even the positives can have little negatives attached.
Positively, if it wasn't for music, I wouldn't have toured, which meant I wouldn't have met my wife. I moved all the way around the world for her. I never would have been able to do that if I didn't keep my head down and push myself to succeed. I've met a lot of people, have played some pretty great shows, and am overall very satisfied and would do it again. I ask myself a question, which may be a little weird for you to try and process, but for me, it's not. I'm almost 49.
I ask myself this, "If I knew at 15 years old what I know now about my life and how my musical path would go, would I be willing to go through it all over again?"
Yes.
There are negatives, but I don't want to frighten you my own personal negative experiences. Everybody's experiences are different. Just be prepared for negative experiences to occasionally happen.
What is your best advice to a young drummer wanting to make drumming their career?
Don't let criticism get you down. Learn from it. Be a musical sponge. Learn not only the hows, but the whys. Like Bermuda said, be a great musician, not just a great drummer. Learn why the bass player does what he does, and why that's important to you. Be the kind of person that people not only love to play with, but that tell others how much they love playing with you.
Get to know everybody and make sure they know you. Stay active. Avoid common pitfalls like putting all your eggs in one musical basket, turning down opportunities that may occur, attempting new and unusual things.
Know and understand your planned path. What I mean by that is, if you want to be a jazz drummer, know how that works. Talk to jazz drummers, learn and understand what they do to get to where they are. Find out the importance of every aspect of it. Same if you want to be a rock/country/funk/whatever contemporary drummer. If it means getting into a band, be prepared for what that may bring. Other personalities, planned paths and myriad problems can get in the way of what you're trying to accomplish. Try to have as much control of your destiny as you can. Be a force.
Did you go to school for drumming?
I had lessons when I was very young. My divorced mom raised me on a limited salary, so lessons weren't an option until I could afford them myself, which was many years later. It didn't matter, because I was so fanatical about drumming, that I didn't stop playing. I played all day to the radio with headphones. The minute I could talk all my high school buddies into getting equipment and forming a band, I did just that.
I talked to a guy I respected one day. He said that if I can't read music I'll never find success. I was young and easily influenced, and in a bit of a panic, I sat myself down and read and read and read music until I was able to learn it. There are faster ways, but this was the dirt poor method. It worked. I bought the books. I've never been in a situation where I've been handed sheet music to read, but if I ever am, I'm ready for it.
What was your best learning experience/did you go to school for music?
My best learning experiences come from the studio. I learn so much there and find that I really love it. Each time I've been I take home information. I try to get in as often as I can, even if it means doing things that are out of my comfort zone.
I didn't go to music school. I took a jazz improv class after high school that was really challenging and out of my zone. I had no plans to be a jazz drummer, but I sure wanted to know how they did it. It was eye-opening, to say the least.
I've learned that as time changes, the more and more difficult it is going to be for people to have financial success at making music. It used to be [in my case], make a record, then you have to tour to support it so it'll sell and you can make another one. Now it's different: make a cd/record/media-of-the-week, go on tour and hope that you can sell them direct at shows to recoup studio/production costs.
When I was a kid/teenager, I was that kid that was hanging out every day in the music store, looking at stuff, talking to the guys, listening to the stories. Now, places like Drummerworld are the new meeting place. I wish there was something like this earlier. There is a lot to learn here. People's experiences dictate their opinions. To be able to read, see and hear that all in one spot is pretty freakin incredible.
Don't be afraid to say hello to your heroes. That's how I met Louie Bellson at Disneyland. I got an hour of one-on-one time with the man, met him again over the years, and ultimately had a nice dinner with him one night before a show in S.F.. A dream come true and another thread entirely. I'd be willing to bet if you went to a Weird Al Yankovic show and walked up to Bermuda and said, "hi Bermuda, it's me, LindsayAnne from the Drummerworld forum," I'll bet you'd find him to be a downright pleasure to meet. How cool is that?!?! [Bermuda, I have a friend you might know, by the way, who was in a bunch of Al's older videos....Debbie, with the mohawk...small world].
....anyhow....hopefully more people will answer these questions, because I feel they're great ones, and every answer is going to be different and loaded with valuable information, as everyone's path is different.
If you'll forgive me for writing such a long response, I came down with an ear infection and had to cancel all my weekend jam session plans, so you guys get me hanging around here!! lol.