What, you might ask, would possess a woman of questionable talent  to start drum lessons on her 54th birthday??

Well, it all began in 2002 (our "summer of concerts", when we went to see absolutely everybody who performed within a 150 mile radius ... a couple-dozen concerts, if I recall), when a local DJ went ballistic on the air over middle-aged bands reuniting and going on tour, and even more so over the middle-aged fans who were going to see them.   I took great offense at being considered too old to go to concerts!  After all, maybe we all ... bands and fans alike ... are pudgier, and have thinner hair, but the music is still the same (and in lots of cases better, because everybody is more into the music now than the other foolishness we focused on in our younger, wilder days! ... although, there was some pretty potent smoke in a few of the venues!), the spirit is still the same, and personally, just because I've survived a few years (okay ... decades!), doesn't mean that I don't still love the music I used to.  So I made my now-famous proclamation: 

"Hey!!!   Middle-Aged Broads Still Rock!"

There were more concerts the following summer, including Ringo's All-Star Band (and in a side note, yes, Beatles, either individually or in any combination can still make me cry!), with Sheila E drumming.  I was blown away!  She was awesome, and looked like she was having a blast, and I realized "Hey ... girls can drum"!!  I started thinking (yes, always dangerous!), and while it started out as just a thought, as the year wore on I started to get serious.  I love music, I've always wanted to be a part of music, don't play piano anymore, the voice is pretty much gone, never got the hang of the guitar, so why not try the drums?  At the very least it ought to be a good cardio workout, that I can do sitting down.

I'll never know if Bill was truly trying to be supportive, or was calling my bluff, when he offered to get me a drumset for Christmas.  I thought about it some more ... one day I'd think it could be a gas ... the next day I'd think it had to be the silliest idea I'd ever come up with.  And then came the fateful Dixie Chicks concert, with Michelle Branch as opening act.  I had no idea who Michelle's drummer was ... but I was watching him in my little binoculars and said, "You know, that bald guy is pretty good.  I want to do what he does!"  The next weekend I brought home my first drum kit.  (I would find out later that the drummer was none other than the legendary Kenny Aronoff, who would become a major inspiration and motivation in my drumming, and through occasional lessons, would encourage me, keep me excited about it, and continue to kick doors open for me.)

Got the drums, fiddled around with them for a month or so, then decided to really take the plunge, and started regular lessons with Greg Dana ... most patient drum teacher in the universe, who gave me an excellent start on basics and rudiments.

It wasn't easy.  I've still got the sense of rhythm that wowed my tap-dance teacher when I was 3.  However, I'm just a bit slower these days, and somehow have become extremely uncoordinated!  To get the hands doing two different things was like rubbing the tummy and patting the head at the same time ... if I concentrated real hard I could do it.  But when I tried to add in two feet doing two more different things, it was a bit like rubbing the tummy and patting the head while hopping up a flight of stairs on one foot!  I really struggled, felt like I was going nowhere fast, and considered quitting more than once.  When we bought our house, I had to make a choice about the tiny downstairs bedroom ... walk-in closet, or music room?  Had another of those reckless moments, crammed my high-fashion wardrobe into an armoire in another room, shoved the piano in, set up the drums, hooked up the stereo, and discovered that none of the neighbors seemed to mind!

Then I had my first real breakthrough.  Took a chance on an opportunity for a private lesson with 'that bald guy' from the Michelle Branch tour,  Kenny Aronoff himself!     I'll just summarize here by saying that I still don't know what it was he said or did, but I came away really encouraged, enthusiastic, and ready to go to work.  Before that, I could barely drag  myself in to practice an hour a day ... now it's 4-5 hours a day on weekends, and 2-3 hours every night after work (side benefit ... don't stop to eat dinner, might lose a few pounds!).  Thank you Kenny!  You are awesome!!

I got some real positive feedback from my teacher , and from Bill, and people in general started saying, "Hey, you're really serious about this, huh?!"

Where was all this going to lead?  Who knew??  A year later, I'd finally gotten beyond playing to CD's in my little music room, with my public debut at a Drummers Hang, and participation in Woodstick '05.  I'd hooked up with a guitarist for weekly jam sessions.  Being recognized as a fellow drummer was a huge boost for me ... it was cool enough when I started being included in conversations about drums and drumming, but when the other drummers at The Hang proclaimed me as "solid", I felt I'd taken a huge step.  And meanwhile I'd been honored and privileged to watch, meet and work with some incredibly talented, awesome and just plain cool people!

And even though the idea might have started out as all-for-fun, there has turned out to be a serious side to it as well.  I'm told I'm already an inspiration to others (like one 18-year-old who wondered if he was too old to start drumming ... take it from me:  NO you're not!) ... and it's inspired me to make some personal changes, like going on a diet, joining a gym, working with a trainer and losing 25 pounds!!  Nobody in my life now knew me the last time I was this slim, this happy, or having this much fun.  Heck, I barely remember it myself!  I don't think anybody minds the change.  And if I can reach even a few other people who are going through a rough patch and thinking everything looks bleak and hopeless, and there's not much to look forward to, I can certainly tell them that even in the darkest hour there is still some little spark deep down, no matter how crazy it may seem, that can lead to amazing things!  Find it and GO FOR IT!!
How far can I take this??  How badly do I want it??  How hard will I work for it??

Please stay tuned!  There's just no telling who Glynes might end up playing with!!