Can you be sure that you want to be a drummer if you are not really sure of what drummers do? Sure, drummers drum, but what does that really mean? Here are some of the things that the best drummers do - and that you will be doing if you are serious about playing drums:- Keep the beat.
The drummer is the pulse of the band.
You set the tempo, and you make sure that the band keeps the tempo.
You have to be rock solid all the time and not speed up when you get excited or slow down when you get bored (or when the music gets complicated!).
Drive the band.
Beyond keeping the beat, you have no make that beat exciting.
You have to drive the band forward, creating a groove that makes the audience want to get up and dance.
(This is tougher than it sounds, since you have to drive forward without speeding up!).
Set things up.
The drummer is the timekeeper and, in many cases, the conductor.
When there is something big coming up - the chorus of the song, the climax of a big solo, or a change in dynamics or instrumentation - it's the drummer's job to set things up and lead into the next section.
These setups and fills help propel the band from one part to another and give a little punch to the parts that need it.
Complement and interact with other players.
A good drummer makes everyone else sound better.
It is not enough to sound good yourself and keep a solid beat; you have to play little licks and flourishes that pull the best out of your fellow musicians - without drawing undue attention to yourself.
When the guitarist is soloing, you have to listen to what's going down and anticipate what's coming next - and then add the right fills and accents and crashes to push the soloist to greater heights.
When you are laying down a groove, you have to work with the bass player to create the most solid beat.
I've always thought of drummers kind of like point guards in basketball: Both drive their teams, feed other players, and make everyone else look good - which sometimes means you make more assists than points! Add color and variety to the music.
If all you wanted was a solid beat, you could program a drum machine and skip the gig yourself.
The best drummers, however, go beyond simple time-keeping to make the song sound that much better.
Listen to any hit record from the 1960s that featured Hal Blaine on drums, or listen to any of Dino Danelli's old Rascals tunes, or listen to any big-band charts from Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa.
These cats laid down a solid beat and a little bit more, making the music come alive in a way that less competent drummers couldn't even dream of.
(For kicks, listen to The Rascals' "Girl Like You," and try to imagine it with just the beat, no other licks or fills.
All of a sudden that hit song sounds a little less special, doesn't it?) Play an occasional solo.
Oh, yeah, and every now and then you get to the forefront (figuratively) and play a little on your own.
A little flash, a little crash, and you are a star! Of course, these are just the musical things that a drummer does.
A drummer also drives a lot (to and from gigs), carries a lot of heavy equipment, sets up and tears down that heavy equipment, sits around waiting for the next set to start, and worries about making enough money to buy that next new piece of gear.
There's one more thing that drummers do: practice.
We can't forget practice.
Good drummers practice a lot.
Even when you are famous, you still practice - an hour or more a day, every day.
(That's because there's always something new to learn!) So, if you don't like practicing, don't like carrying around heavy equipment, and don't like playing with and interacting with other musicians, don't be a drummer.
(Maybe you should play harmonica - not much to carry there!)
The drummer is the pulse of the band.
You set the tempo, and you make sure that the band keeps the tempo.
You have to be rock solid all the time and not speed up when you get excited or slow down when you get bored (or when the music gets complicated!).
Drive the band.
Beyond keeping the beat, you have no make that beat exciting.
You have to drive the band forward, creating a groove that makes the audience want to get up and dance.
(This is tougher than it sounds, since you have to drive forward without speeding up!).
Set things up.
The drummer is the timekeeper and, in many cases, the conductor.
When there is something big coming up - the chorus of the song, the climax of a big solo, or a change in dynamics or instrumentation - it's the drummer's job to set things up and lead into the next section.
These setups and fills help propel the band from one part to another and give a little punch to the parts that need it.
Complement and interact with other players.
A good drummer makes everyone else sound better.
It is not enough to sound good yourself and keep a solid beat; you have to play little licks and flourishes that pull the best out of your fellow musicians - without drawing undue attention to yourself.
When the guitarist is soloing, you have to listen to what's going down and anticipate what's coming next - and then add the right fills and accents and crashes to push the soloist to greater heights.
When you are laying down a groove, you have to work with the bass player to create the most solid beat.
I've always thought of drummers kind of like point guards in basketball: Both drive their teams, feed other players, and make everyone else look good - which sometimes means you make more assists than points! Add color and variety to the music.
If all you wanted was a solid beat, you could program a drum machine and skip the gig yourself.
The best drummers, however, go beyond simple time-keeping to make the song sound that much better.
Listen to any hit record from the 1960s that featured Hal Blaine on drums, or listen to any of Dino Danelli's old Rascals tunes, or listen to any big-band charts from Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa.
These cats laid down a solid beat and a little bit more, making the music come alive in a way that less competent drummers couldn't even dream of.
(For kicks, listen to The Rascals' "Girl Like You," and try to imagine it with just the beat, no other licks or fills.
All of a sudden that hit song sounds a little less special, doesn't it?) Play an occasional solo.
Oh, yeah, and every now and then you get to the forefront (figuratively) and play a little on your own.
A little flash, a little crash, and you are a star! Of course, these are just the musical things that a drummer does.
A drummer also drives a lot (to and from gigs), carries a lot of heavy equipment, sets up and tears down that heavy equipment, sits around waiting for the next set to start, and worries about making enough money to buy that next new piece of gear.
There's one more thing that drummers do: practice.
We can't forget practice.
Good drummers practice a lot.
Even when you are famous, you still practice - an hour or more a day, every day.
(That's because there's always something new to learn!) So, if you don't like practicing, don't like carrying around heavy equipment, and don't like playing with and interacting with other musicians, don't be a drummer.
(Maybe you should play harmonica - not much to carry there!)