Drummers like Hens teeth.

[Quilly]

Hi People, Where I'm from (SE Ireland) there seems to be a serious dearth of decent drummers. Most good ones are in at least 5 bands. Our excellent drummer has recently decided to quit our band (we're a bunch of old fogeys and he's a young lad destined for stardom), so it looks like we'll be doing semi-acoustic gigs until another one comes on the scene as we're not really into electric drum machines. Is this the same situation in your neck of the woods?   

[mr zed]

I'll just leave this here....

 

 

[Delberthot]

In our case every man and his dog claims to play the drums but trying to find a good one is pretty difficult to the extent that we almost considered a drum machine.

Seriously, we even had one guy turn up to an audition and said that if we chose him he'd buy a drum kit as he didn't actually have one. Another guy told us that it was the first time he'd played with a band and another it was the first time he'd played the drums 🙄

Obviously the type of drummer required varies from band to band but we needed someone who could control their volume but it was amazing how many heavy hitters there were, which is great in a rock band but in a wedding/function band in a venue that may have a noise limiter and where we don't want to be deafening the audience it's pretty important

Edited August 30, 2018 by Delberthot

[discreet]

Good drummers are scarce everywhere. The problem is that most non-pro drummers aren't actually drummers, they're people who failed at all other instruments and have decided to 'give drums a go - it's basically just hitting stuff, isn't it?'

I've played in bands with precisely two pro-standard drummers - one is in my current band (thank God) and the other was in a band I played in 40 years ago. I thought all drummers would be that good. How wrong I was!

Edited August 30, 2018 by discreet

[TheGreek]

A good drummer is worth their weight in gold - but as everybody knows, they are rare beasts indeed. Other bands and life commitments also do their best to undermine efforts to engage their services.

You may need to kidnap anybody who comes up to scratch.

[Bobthedog]

Do they?

[Dad3353]

17 minutes ago, Bobthedog said:

Do they?

Another urban legend, I'm afraid. 

[ambient]

Local music colleges can be a good source for finding talented musicians, especially if you’re gigging regularly and getting paid.

Edited August 31, 2018 by ambient

[NancyJohnson]

Yep, hen's teeth.  Despite the failing of his private life and me having to endure the odd gruesome sh*gging story, the last drummer I worked with was spectacularly good and a keeper.  He had as much as given up before he joined us, playing in a series of terrible cover bands.

Sometimes I wonder whether I should have played drums instead of bass, but as someone who was criticised early on as 'not being able to clap in time', I suspect holding down the beat behind the drums wasn't for me.  That said, as bass player infected with continual GAS, I suspect that had I actually played drums the pleasant extension in our house would have transitioned from a light airy summer room into a dark, smelly, soundproofed drum cave, containing something like this:

[NancyJohnson]

6 hours ago, ambient said:

Local music colleges can be a good source of talent, especially if you’re gigging regularly and getting paid.

The construct on this sentence could infer a couple of different things.

[petebassist]

I think that's true everywhere, the same goes for keyboard players I hear. I have a lot of respect for drummers, it's an under-rated profession. With more and more electronic canned beats playing everywhere you go it's so nice to hear a proper acoustic kit.

[Newfoundfreedom]

Weirdly I've never found drummers to be a problem. I personally know 4, and by that I mean real life friends who I know from outside of the music scene who just happen to be drummers. The one in our band who lives just down the road from me and I've known for years but we've only just got around to forming a band, two friends back in the UK who are both good drummers and (as far as I'm aware) aren't even currently gigging, and my sisters ex who is in a professional,  gigging, recording and signed band. 

Now, a good lead guitarist without a massive ego on the other hand. Now that's a rare beast indeed. I'd even settle for a half decent keyboard player. 

Edited August 31, 2018 by Newfoundfreedom

[NancyJohnson]

14 hours ago, discreet said:

Good drummers are scarce everywhere. The problem is that most non-pro drummers aren't actually drummers, they're people who failed at all other instruments and have decided to 'give drums a go - it's basically just hitting stuff, isn't it?'

Ooh, the irony and contentiousness.

I don't think I know any drummers who felt they were such an abject failure at another instrument that they thought it was a better option to switch and play something the size of a Fiat 500.  Drums are hard work. 

I think the primary reasons behind the scarcity of [good] players is largely down to space, cost and time investment.  During their formative years, they were likely as passionate about the drums as we are about the bass, and they likely received encouragement from a tolerant and sympathetic parental set.  As time moves on though, priorities change and for the most obvious reason, drummers tend to move from being drummers to someone who just plays drums at rehearsals and gigs.

 

Edited August 31, 2018 by NancyJohnson

[therealting]

I guess I’m lucky in that I’m well connected here on the pro scene in London, but there are no shortage of decent drummers I can call. What I really struggle with is finding people who are both good singer / frontmen and guitarists - that’s my main bread and butter, and depping out gigs is a real struggle!

[mikel]

1 hour ago, NancyJohnson said:

Ooh, the irony and contentiousness.

I don't think I know any drummers who felt they were such an abject failure at another instrument that they thought it was a better option to switch and play something the size of a Fiat 500.  Drums are hard work. 

I think the primary reasons behind the scarcity of [good] players is largely down to space, cost and time investment.  During their formative years, they were likely as passionate about the drums as we are about the bass, and they likely received encouragement from a tolerant and sympathetic parental set.  As time moves on though, priorities change and for the most obvious reason, drummers tend to move from being drummers to someone who just plays drums at rehearsals and gigs.

 

Good points.  I started drumming, on pots and pans, literally, in 1960.  Drums were too expensive, noisy, space taking, and impossible to transport unless parents had a car. Most parents did not have cars. Jump forwards to now and little has changed, except I have transport and an electronic kit to practice on. Practice on the full kit is limited to band practice or gigs. Its part of the reason I took up bass as a second instrument, its great to be able to play at home on a real instrument any time I want without disturbing half the street. Feel lucky you can do that.  Drums will always be my first love as nothing gets close to the feeling of driving a band and making people move and dance. If the beat's not right then the band's not right.

[TheGreek]

The venue we use for the Herts Bash has been donated four kits by mothers whose children have gone off to Uni. Suggests that practicing drums at home isn't something that Mums are keen on.

[discreet]

18 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

The venue we use for the Herts Bash has been donated four kits by mothers whose children have gone off to Uni. Suggests that practicing drums at home isn't something that Mums are keen on.

Also suggests that Unis aren't very keen, either.  'Uni'. Why do I hate that word so much?

[only4]

I’ve found it to be a bit feast or famine, who ever you need at the time is never around, you’ll probably find a good drummer when you really  need a guitarist!

[discreet]

2 minutes ago, only4 said:

...you’ll probably find a good drummer when you really  need a guitarist!

When would you need a guitarist??

[Woodinblack]

Always had good drummers. Was quite a shock when I went for an audition in a band and their drummer was just lifeless.

[Norris]

Apparently bass players are the rarity in my neck of the woods. We've had to dep the drummer a few times, but if I can't make a date the band doesn't play

[discreet]

1 minute ago, Norris said:

We've had to dep the drummer a few times, but if I can't make a date the band doesn't play

Completely understandable. Where are they going to find someone as good as you at short notice?

[NancyJohnson]

29 minutes ago, Norris said:

Apparently bass players are the rarity in my neck of the woods. We've had to dep the drummer a few times, but if I can't make a date the band doesn't play

Hahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahaahhhahahaha. etc.

You wanna try working with my old singer.  Can't play?  Then tough stinky poo.  We'll find someone who can, irrespective of whether you write 90% of the material or not.

 

[Wolverinebass]

10 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Hahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahaahhhahahaha. etc.

You wanna try working with my old singer.  Can't play?  Then tough stinky poo.  We'll find someone who can, irrespective of whether you write 90% of the material or not.

 

Also, can't find an audience sixty miles away from home? Oh well..... Didn't think of that when you took any gig to the detriment of the band. Div.

[NancyJohnson]

35 minutes ago, Wolverinebass said:

Also, can't find an audience sixty miles away from home? Oh well..... Didn't think of that when you took any gig to the detriment of the band. Div.

I don't think there was one full set of teeth in that place.  The sound-guy was doing lines in the toilets while we were on and why the feck didn't you tell me I was wearing those Josie and The Pussycat kitten ears before we started playing?  😄