Drumming – It’s Not THAT Hard… Right? (Part 3)

by Jc Lam

It’s easier than it seems actually, once you get the hang of it. Well, I mean playing the drums that is. Sure, it involves technically more movement of more body parts than any other basic instruments (guitar, saxophone, and piano to name a few), and yet, to me, basic drumming seems a whole lot simpler. Today we continue from where we left off last week.

Drumming In A Band

So you’d have known how to hold the drum sticks and take a hit on the drums by now. What’s next? Well, unless you’re planning on being a lone drummer all your life, there’s nothing much else you can do.

At some point of our drumming career, whether professional or not, we would all ultimately need a band sometime. I mean, sure, drumming is fun. But how fun can it get if you’re always at it alone, right?

Drumming in a band not only forces you to bring out your best (as in a group, you are all codependent and you wouldn’t want your sloppy drumming to disrupt the band now, would you?) but in the process, allows you to improve yourself.

Teamwork is a big part of a band and communication between bandmates is essential. Thus, being a drummer in a band helps you practice these aspects of your drumming, teaching you how to adapt and, at times, be more spontaneous.

Now, before joining a band, you’d have to know what you’re getting yourself into by being the drummer. It’s never as easy as it seems – all the fame and glamour you see in today’s popular bands.

Playing in a band is not just about each instrumentalist playing their instruments side by side. It is about all of them playing in unity. And as the drummer, it is often said that you are the one holding the whole band together – the backbone of the band.

To some extent, that saying is, as a matter of fact, true. Well, for one, you are the primary time keeper of the band. And that means it is a big task for you, as the drummer, to keep the band on tempo (keeping the beat on a steady time progression without speeding up or down halfway through).

On another note, the drummer’s mistake is simply the easiest to notice among the rest of the bandmates. The reason is this. You, as a drummer, deal with beats. These beats affect the timing and tempo of the band. Thus, if you mess up, the entire timing of the band runs, and this is much more noticeable than, say, a wrong chord.

But once you’ve gotten comfortable behind your drum set with a band, and can keep a beat steadily, it all comes down to the fun part. This is where creativity and flexibility as a drummer comes in. You begin experimenting with different arrangement of beats with your band in coming up with new sounds.

So, with your new found knowledge, why hesitate? Once you’re ready (or at least think you are) for a band, it’s now time to look for the right people to do it with. After all, a drummer’s got to do, what a drummer’s got to do.

Next Week: Aren't all drummings the same?