Why do drummers have such a bad reputation?

[JOSELLICA]

So I always here bad things about drummers; Other musicians often joke about drummers being dumb, unreliable, having wild out of control personality's, say how good drummers are hard to find....etc I also know a few people in bands, all of which have had endless problems with their drummers and have had to replace them numerous times. I am not saying I agree/disagree with these views but I want to know why it is that drummers seem to have such a bad rep?

[shikawkee]

My problem with drummers is that every time I find a great one they get a better gig for more money thus becoming unreliable...to me. However the problem is there are truly few who are great, on time, play in time, groovy, swing...so the great ones inevitably get scooped up. No band is great without a great drummer first.

[FatherAlabaster]

Because drummer jokes are funny. What do you call that guy that hangs out with all the musicians? The drummer. How many drummers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None, they have machines that do that now. Bass payers are fun to pick on too: how many bass players does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Just one, but he needs the guitar player to show him how to do it. Other frequent targets include rhythm guitarists, lead guitarists, vocalists, and keyboard players. Joking aside, there's something to it -drummers' equipment is more expensive to buy and maintain; they play a loud instrument so finding space and time to practice, as well as transportation for gigs, can be difficult and costly; drums take as much effort to master as any other instrument, but with less of the glory associated with lead roles; the drummers have to put in hard work, but are stuck with the melodic taste and technical ability of whoever is playing the other instruments, so they have to be really selective about who they work with. I'd imagine all of that, combined, would lead to less drummers than other musicians, and pickier skilled drummers who are in higher demand, with the effect being that it's hard to find a good drummer.

[deathstorm]

Hey alabaster speaking of expansive drum kits have you seen mike portnoys arcylic tama drum kit with a triple bass drum kit. That's got be a pain in the rear to transport.

[FatherAlabaster]

Hey alabaster speaking of expansive drum kits have you seen mike portnoys arcylic tama drum kit with a triple bass drum kit. That's got be a pain in the rear to transport.

Nope, haven't seen it. Three kick drums? Baahaha, self-aggrandizement FTW.

[deathstorm]

This drum kit I'm talking about alabaster

[BlutAusNerd]

Because drummer jokes are funny. What do you call that guy that hangs out with all the musicians? The drummer. How many drummers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None, they have machines that do that now. Bass payers are fun to pick on too: how many bass players does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Just one, but he needs the guitar player to show him how to do it. Other frequent targets include rhythm guitarists, lead guitarists, vocalists, and keyboard players. Joking aside, there's something to it -drummers' equipment is more expensive to buy and maintain; they play a loud instrument so finding space and time to practice, as well as transportation for gigs, can be difficult and costly; drums take as much effort to master as any other instrument, but with less of the glory associated with lead roles; the drummers have to put in hard work, but are stuck with the melodic taste and technical ability of whoever is playing the other instruments, so they have to be really selective about who they work with. I'd imagine all of that, combined, would lead to less drummers than other musicians, and pickier skilled drummers who are in higher demand, with the effect being that it's hard to find a good drummer.

Drummers do have it tough, but good ones can receive more respect than nearly any other role in modern music, if maybe less recognition. It's a dynamic spot to fill, governing the context in which the rest of the band's music is received, all while keeping them together can't be an easy task.

[deathstorm]

Nope' date=' haven't seen it. Three kick drums? Baahaha, self-aggrandizement FTW.[/quote'] look at the pic I just posted.

[FatherAlabaster]

look at the pic I just posted.

Wow, I was indifferent towards him but now I instantly despise him. Does he hire midgets to play all the portions of his kit that are out of reach? Is his kit lowered onto the stage by an invisible crane while he drives up to his drum throne on a motorcycle? It makes me wish he was still with Dream Theater so I'd have yet another reason to hate them even more.

[deathstorm]

Wow' date=' I was indifferent towards him but now I instantly despise him. Does he hire midgets to play all the portions of his kit that are out of reach? Is his kit lowered onto the stage by an invisible crane while he drives up to his drum throne on a motorcycle? It makes me wish he was still with Dream Theater so I'd have yet another reason to hate them even more.[/quote'] He plays the whole thing.

[FatherAlabaster]

He plays the whole thing.

Yeah, I was joking...

[deathstorm]

Yeah' date=' I was joking...[/quote'] I know you were ribbing me that thing is nuts

[RPA]

Thanks Satan, my band's drummer is very clever and talented in many ways (plays also guitars and keyboards), so it's easy to get along with him. But in few previous bands I've seen so many. Short example: guitarist explains structure of song. guitarist: "We play this riff (plays riff) 7 times, next bridge (plays bridge) once, the riff 4 times and solo for 6 bars. Everything clear?" drummer: "yeah, hehe... (furrows on forehead move, so he's thinking hard)... ... ...I don't get it (with sad expression)" Never trust the drummer, who can't play any other instrument. . Remember these words. It's a pure truth.

[FatherAlabaster]

There's something to that, it really does help if a drummer is fluent on another instrument and has practice writing songs in some other context than from behind the kit. Most of the best musicians I know are just that - musicians - and they can pick up and function to some degree on a wide variety of instruments. My own weakness, especially when jamming with rock players, is that I just don't know anyone else's songs. I've been playing for nearly 22 years but I've focused on writing my own music almost exclusively for that entire time, so I usually feel like an idiot when everyone else starts jamming along to pretty much anything.

[RPA]

I don't know how it works when you're playing drums, but playing your own music only is a much better exercise and base for jamming to everything. I know a lot of people who play covers mostly and they are noticeably worse as a creative musicians. Technique is not everything.

[FatherAlabaster]

I don't know how it works when you're playing drums' date=' but playing your own music only is a much better exercise and base for jamming to everything. I know a lot of people who play covers mostly and they are noticeably worse as a creative musicians. Technique is not everything.[/quote'] They're just different approaches for people who get different things out of playing music. I certainly wouldn't trade the songs I've written for the ability to play anyone else's music, but there's a lot to be learned from so much great music that's come out over the past, oh... thousand years or so (I love medieval stuff). Some of the best, most knowledgeable and most responsive players I know have done nothing but covers their whole lives. It's how most pros pay the bills. Edit - just to clarify, I'm primarily a guitarist and vocalist, though I've played bass on most of my own recordings and enjoy beating on drums when I get a chance.

[RPA]

Don't forget about big difference between playing by ear and mindless playing from tabs. ...Little offtop, so I stop talking about it

[GorboGorboze]

I think that part of why drummers don't get as invested in the bands that they are a part of is that they do not have to get wrapped up in the cord progression of a piece of music in the way that everyone else does. It is a subtle thing about the music they are not really a part of, and I think that is part of why they can be disconnected. Also drumming is somewhat athletic by nature and a drummers motivation can be more visceral and less musical than it is for other musicians, and many drummers are physically frigidity people, which makes them inherently a flight risk. If your in a band with a drummer I would recommend giving them a special opportunity to make a connection with the audience, which con be hard for some drummers (many of them are inclined to hide behind the kit literally and metaphorically), so try giving them a mike and letting them goof off a little. Audiences usually have an instinctive understanding of the need for such things and will not mind so long as the humor does not get to scatological or otherwise base. Also if you are trying to keep a drummer around remember that they like shinny things, and you should keep gifting them with sounding brass and chrome. It is expensive yes, but as mentioned earlier, they pay more to rock then you do anyway. It is a bit off topic, but I wanted to mention a healthful drummer tip which is to keep them hydrated. they sweat a lot owing to the physical exertion, so make sure they get plenty of water.

[Kumonorei]

My own weakness' date=' especially when jamming with rock players, is that I just don't know anyone else's songs. I've been playing for nearly 22 years but I've focused on writing my own music almost exclusively for that entire time, so I usually feel like an idiot when everyone else starts jamming along to pretty much anything.[/quote'] I know this feeling. I can play guitar reasonably well but I've never really put a huge amount of time into learning other people's songs. I used to jam with some guys that would constantly start up renditions of Metallica and Iron Maiden songs that I just never learned how to play, I'd be able to figure bits out as we went along but they always seemed surprised that I didn't know the songs... I'm sure I'd have no problem learning how to play them but I'm more concerned with being able to play my own music well. The only time I really learn anyone else's stuff is if there's a specific technique I'm trying to learn, in which case I'll learn the relevant part. Or, I'll learn a song if I plan on playing a cover of it with a band. I know people that are like walking songbooks though, they seem to know how to play anything.

[FatherAlabaster]

I know this feeling. I can play guitar reasonably well but I've never really put a huge amount of time into learning other people's songs. I used to jam with some guys that would constantly start up renditions of Metallica and Iron Maiden songs that I just never learned how to play, I'd be able to figure bits out as we went along but they always seemed surprised that I didn't know the songs... I'm sure I'd have no problem learning how to play them but I'm more concerned with being able to play my own music well. The only time I really learn anyone else's stuff is if there's a specific technique I'm trying to learn, in which case I'll learn the relevant part. Or, I'll learn a song if I plan on playing a cover of it with a band. I know people that are like walking songbooks though, they seem to know how to play anything.

Yup, that's pretty much identical to my experience. A lot of rock and jazz guys that I've met can't imagine not knowing their tunes; it's like a shared language that I don't speak. It can get frustrating at times. One thing I've noticed, at times, is the surprising difficulty or complexity of some of the songs I never bothered with. Like, I fucking hate the Beatles, but some of their stuff seems like it would be really interesting to learn anyway.

[RPA]

Mine experience is little bit different. I'm totally self-taught, never ever had a teacher, everything I can do or know about playing guitar is my own work and time spent on reading and playing. I've started from playing tabs, but I was bored quickly and abandoned it. I've learned some theory to have a foundations for further development - I mean notation, meter, scheme of sounds on fretboard, chords construction, simple scales. When I've mastered these and got more familiar with sounds - playing songs by ear and jamming, even out of hand seemed to be easy. This took me about a 2 years + about 1 year spent on playing thoughtlessly. Maybe I won't catch technical death metal riffs in a second, but I don't need it. If I will want to play technical death, I would build my own tracks, it's not music made for jam. Jamming to blues or rock just works offhand.