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i might have to learn drums......
- Thread starter TheMaynorD
- Start date
Buy a drum machine, and learn to program it.
25 Best Drum Machines for Making Awesome Beats (2019 Reviews)
25 Best Drum Machines for Making Awesome Beats (2019 Reviews)
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Come to oklahoma i have a gig for you
I'm gonna chime in, along with @RustyAxe, on the humbug side of this. I think there are lots of good reasons to learn to play drums, but being frustrated in the search for a good drummer isn't one of them. If you put as much time and energy looking for a drummer as you will have to do to become a drummer yourself -- one good enough that you would want to hire you -- I'm sure you'd be able to find one much faster than you can become one.
I bought(stole) a pretty nice kit to save my drummer having to carry his stuff out of his car, down the basement stairs and back. Every drummer who has played them wants to buy them from me. I will sit on the throne with my granddaughter on my lap as she bashes away, but I know I could never pull off a shuffle to save my life.
Drums are hard. Harder than guitar or bass by a long shot. At least with those instruments you can learn enough to get by relatively quickly, then grow into a better player through practice and playing with others.
Try doing that behind a drum kit. People notice when a drummer is off, it throws off the entire band as well.
I started as a bass player, in my first crappy punk band in high school the drummer kept his kit at my house, so I started goofing around. I then learned drums and bass simultaneously for a few years, alternating lessons on each instrument every week. I picked up bass quickly and felt competent and confident after a few months.
Drumming was a long, difficult slog.
Eventually after a couple of years of drum lessons and daily practice I felt reasonably competent. Then for a few years I played drums in several different bands, gigged out a ton, playing a wide variety of music, punk rock, stoner rock, metal, funk, blues, even some hip-hop and R&B. I got better very, very slowly. I never felt 100% confident, still couldn't play the parts I had in my head, my fills were atrocious. I did get compliments from others, so I don't think I sucked as bad as I thought but it was extremely frustrating to put SO MUCH time and practice in and still feel noticeably worse than every other drummer I played a show with.
Eventually my drums were stolen and I took it as a sign. I moved over to bass 100% of the time and I feel SO MUCH better. My playing improved so quickly that I was honestly a little shocked at my own progress. I'm now 100% confident in my playing, can pick up most music pretty damn quickly (I'll never be a jazz player) and have a blast playing out.
Now, that was just my experience, some people are more naturally suited for drums, it surely isn't as difficult for everyone as it was for me. I did everything right, took the lessons, played with others, practiced every damn day for years and still wasn't where I thought I should be.
So, that's my long-winded way of agreeing with Rusty and the others that it might not be as simple as just learning drums and making the switch. OKC isn't exactly a small town, keep looking for drummers, someone will come along eventually.
Try doing that behind a drum kit. People notice when a drummer is off, it throws off the entire band as well.
I started as a bass player, in my first crappy punk band in high school the drummer kept his kit at my house, so I started goofing around. I then learned drums and bass simultaneously for a few years, alternating lessons on each instrument every week. I picked up bass quickly and felt competent and confident after a few months.
Drumming was a long, difficult slog.
Eventually after a couple of years of drum lessons and daily practice I felt reasonably competent. Then for a few years I played drums in several different bands, gigged out a ton, playing a wide variety of music, punk rock, stoner rock, metal, funk, blues, even some hip-hop and R&B. I got better very, very slowly. I never felt 100% confident, still couldn't play the parts I had in my head, my fills were atrocious. I did get compliments from others, so I don't think I sucked as bad as I thought but it was extremely frustrating to put SO MUCH time and practice in and still feel noticeably worse than every other drummer I played a show with.
Eventually my drums were stolen and I took it as a sign. I moved over to bass 100% of the time and I feel SO MUCH better. My playing improved so quickly that I was honestly a little shocked at my own progress. I'm now 100% confident in my playing, can pick up most music pretty damn quickly (I'll never be a jazz player) and have a blast playing out.
Now, that was just my experience, some people are more naturally suited for drums, it surely isn't as difficult for everyone as it was for me. I did everything right, took the lessons, played with others, practiced every damn day for years and still wasn't where I thought I should be.
So, that's my long-winded way of agreeing with Rusty and the others that it might not be as simple as just learning drums and making the switch. OKC isn't exactly a small town, keep looking for drummers, someone will come along eventually.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
This. You can't keep a drummer, but you think you can just half @$$ it yourself. What if someone said that to you about bass?
Kinda funny that my reality check is considered "humbug" ...
Now get off my lawn!Kinda funny that my reality check is considered "humbug" ...
I learned to play drums poorly.
I wanted to try something new. I'm in my 40s and have been playing bass since I was a teenager. My issue with switching instruments was that starting out on drums, I sucked. When I was 13 I sucked at bass, but it was OK then because every musician I knew also sucked. But at 40... all the musicians I know are really good at what they do. It was hard to get over the hump of practice/lessons to the point where I felt like I could join a band with people my age. I ended up answering an ad for a bass player and went back to bass.
Sounds like that might not be a problem for you. I will say, learning to drum made it much more possible for me to sing and play bass. That was always REALLY hard. It got a lot easier after I learned to drum.
I wanted to try something new. I'm in my 40s and have been playing bass since I was a teenager. My issue with switching instruments was that starting out on drums, I sucked. When I was 13 I sucked at bass, but it was OK then because every musician I knew also sucked. But at 40... all the musicians I know are really good at what they do. It was hard to get over the hump of practice/lessons to the point where I felt like I could join a band with people my age. I ended up answering an ad for a bass player and went back to bass.
Sounds like that might not be a problem for you. I will say, learning to drum made it much more possible for me to sing and play bass. That was always REALLY hard. It got a lot easier after I learned to drum.
I say go for it. Yo may never get gig ready as a drummer, but it certainly doesn't hurt to learn another instrument and keep your ship sailing waiting for the right guy to come along.
That's exactly how I became an accidental frontman. We went through singer after singer after singer. The two other guys said, why don't you sing in rehearsals just to keep things going. So I did - and within a year I was passably fronting a country-rock band - all the while playing bass! Did that for a couple of years until a decent singer came along. You'd be surprised what you can do when you set your mind to it - and have a half-ounce of talent.
I also started my band life on drums and then moved to guitar/bass shortly afterward because I hated being behind the kit and detest carrying and setting those damned things up every time I wanted to jam.
Agreed, that it's no cake walk to be a good drummer. Not saying don't give it a whirl, but expect a bit of a battle. Could be it's just me.
I have good rhythm and can provide solid percussion support, but when you make me use 4 limbs at once, it gets pretty ugly, very fast. I have a kit at home (for rehearsals), but after a couple of hours of making some noise, I figured my time was better spent on being a better bassist. I'm sure my neighbors are happy that I made that choice.
I have good rhythm and can provide solid percussion support, but when you make me use 4 limbs at once, it gets pretty ugly, very fast. I have a kit at home (for rehearsals), but after a couple of hours of making some noise, I figured my time was better spent on being a better bassist. I'm sure my neighbors are happy that I made that choice.
Always good to learn a new instrument. Be prepared to be humbled. That's ok too.
For me, there are two major components to drumming that set it apart a bit. You have to have natural ability to do it well. And you have to have a swagger/confidence to do it well. Just my opinion.
For me, there are two major components to drumming that set it apart a bit. You have to have natural ability to do it well. And you have to have a swagger/confidence to do it well. Just my opinion.
Face it, if playing drums was easy, we'd all be fired.
I'm another one in the camp of using a drum machine to augment your playing. It definitely doesn't replace the real thing but it can be a useful tool. In my originals band, our drummer is present for rehearsals maybe half the time. I think this is fine because I can run the drum machine with my bass and we can have the beat held down. Also, a drum machine is like the Terminator and is remorseless when it comes to tempo. If the band wavers, it doesn't care and continues on its way. It forces everybody to listen or train wrecks happen.
Bones
Bones
Make sure you turn in your TB membership card to the mods before you start, or prepare to run off by pitch forks and torches....
Yeah, even more so. Drums are acoustic instruments so...
Regarding E-drums, I've always thought of them as complements rather than substitutes to an acoustic drum set. They give you a range of percussion sounds and "pyeww" synth sounds, which are fun to use around an acoustic core kit.
Ridiculous. Drummers are animals with rhythm and things to beat on. Bass players provide the key link between the drummer and the more human instruments like guitars and saxophones and voices. Don't go to that dark side my friend.
(btw - drummers are also my best friends, but then I'm not a dog fancier)
(btw - drummers are also my best friends, but then I'm not a dog fancier)
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