Anyone tried drumming?

[ordep]

I play both drum and bass in different bands; not amazingly but probably enough to hold a groove. 
 

Understanding drums will make you a better bass player and vice versa. 

[NigeJ]

Yeah... failed miserably 😄

[cheddatom]

4 hours ago, ordep said:

Understanding drums will make you a better bass player and vice versa. 

...yep or any other member of the band. I'd love to be in a band with a singer who can hold down a beat on the kit!

 

From my experience in the studio, those who just sing seem to really struggle with timing. Rappers are the exception to this

[Dad3353]

Just now, cheddatom said:

...yep or any other member of the band. I'd love to be in a band with a singer who can hold down a beat on the kit!...

 

In our little 'family' band, our Singer was the Drummer (and good at it...); I played bass. After a while Our Youngest picked up bass, so I switched back to drums (I'm a drummer...) and now our Singer is free to express himself fully as Singer/Frontman. He has no timing issues. 

[Franticsmurf]

On 17/05/2022 at 13:36, Bassassin said:

I can play a bit, and for me it's massively important for songwriting, meaning I'm able to program realistic (and physically playable!) drum parts & fills on my own stuff. It's always good to be able to hand a finished song to a 'proper' drummer and hear how a musician who really understands the instrument interprets & changes it - but it's pretty cool when they decide to play that fancy fill exactly how it was programmed! 😎

Same here. I wanted to learn how to programme decent fills and I was given the remains of an ancient Carslbro electric kit that had been plundered for spares. It has no dedicated hi-hat or snare pad but for my needs its perfect. I started to understand fills, but more importantly for me as a bassist, I started to get what the drummer was doing, and that it wasn't just banging things with sticks. 😀 

[KingBollock]

When I was 12 years old, my dad decided to get rich by making my brothers and me play instruments and be a band that he would manage… He decided that I would be the drummer. I was a huge Iron Maiden and Motörhead fan and didn’t want my dad to have it all his way (especially as what I really, desperately wanted for that Christmas was a radio controlled monster truck, not an instrument!), so I said I’d play bass. He hadn’t even thought about bass and he agreed.

 

Ironically I believe I would have been a more natural drummer than I am a bass player. I loved playing the kit my brother got.

 

I had planned to get a small electronic kit since we were moving into this house where I would have room for one. Unfortunately I have dodgy rotator cuffs, which I wasn’t going to let stop me. But then I suffered quite extensive nerve damage that make my left leg all but useless. Just sitting upright for more than 3 hours causes a lot of pain. More than 4 hours can make it so I can’t walk for a couple of days.

 

So, as much as I really would love to do it, I don’t think it’ll happen. Mind you, if I saw a kit going cheap enough, I might well still be tempted.

[cheddatom]

There are special seats for people with injuries. Ahead Spinal Glide is what I use. You can get a back rest, (or not, depending).

 

You don't have to hit hard, just play around the kit, keeping the limbs nice and loose. I have all sorts of wrist problems (can't play normal/long scale/6 string bass any more) and as long as I don't get carried away, drumming always makes me feel better.

[rushbo]

I played drums in a band for a few years, when the band I played bass for was going through a quiet phase. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I learned a lot about how music works, but unfortunately the main lesson I learned was that unless I put in A LOT of effort to improve, I was never going to be anything better than a C+ drummer. And the world is already awash with C+ drummers.

 

It was great fun and I really enjoyed the physicality of playing the drums. I didn't enjoy lugging endless bulky kit around, however... The band made a (self produced) album and a couple of EPs, some of which I can listen to without wincing too much. I was never going to be the drummer I wanted to be, so I hung up the sticks, flogged the kit and made more of an effort on the bass.

 

I'm back in my happy place.

[Velarian]

On the rare couple of occasions I’ve been able to sit behind a drum kit I discovered that I’m absolutely hopeless. I can only do two things at the same time - Snare and hi hat, snare and bass drum, bass drum and hi hat, but as soon as as I introduce a third element one of the others stops. 😂

 

I think I’ll stick to playing bass (badly). 

[YouMa]

I got behind my old drummers kit once and he showed me the ropes and it felt a bit like learning to fly a helicopter. Big respect for drummers.I will stick to bass and guitar I think.

[Dad3353]

48 minutes ago, YouMa said:

...  it felt a bit like learning to fly a helicopter ...

 

Helicopters..? Easy-peasy, chum. Paradiddles, though... 

[YouMa]

Drummers are the best person in a band and more underrated than bass players. They always are eccentric and have big cars in my experience. My favourite member of the the band. If you find one you gel with keep him fed and watered,loved,cherished.They are a bit like women.You don't know what you got till it's gone.

[Marvin]

I'm 100% certain I'd be awful, probably worse than my fumbling efforts on bass.

 

The closest I've got to drumming is when I sat behind the drummer's kit at practice  and she said 'you actually look like a drummer you know'. 

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, Marvin said:

... and she said 'you actually look like a drummer you know'. 

 

It's the eye-liner that creates that effect. 

[MNY]

I gigged for a few years as a drummer in various bands. Playing a bit of everything but I really liked to play groove orientated music. I am not really a gigging bassist though, certainly not in recent times at least. 

[diskwave]

Started drumming four years ago tho I could always bash them but figured I needed to "learn" them properly, including setup etc. So I did, and played in a couple of bands but got so fed up with the schlep I packed it in and recently sold them. It's no biggee I learned a ton over the past years so can always put it to good use if need be, in fact the hi-hats paid for a beautiful Tenor recorder which I'm really loving, and yes thats a whole nother story.

Funny enough my bass playing has improved hugely beacuse of the drumming I think.

[Gray C]

Had a go on drums at a few band practices and have a huge respect for drummers. The co-ordination needed for hands and feet needs incredible concentration. Couple that to keeping time and playing for hours on end and it’s an unenviable task. If a drummer lets you have a go on his kit remember to respect his snare and cymbals, those are his Crown Jewels. I still think the best drummers are naturals, born not taught. 

[Boodang]

I got asked to join a band as their bassist last month (I was recommend by a friend). I turned up for the first rehearsal as a bit of a try out, the drummer wasn't there as he was on holiday, so while we were warming up I jumped on the kit (can never resist a drum kit!). Upshot is, by the end of the session they want me to be their drummer as they prefer my feel. I didn't really want to do that to the drummer so I said let's see when he gets back as I was happy to play bass. Thought it was going to be an awkward conversation but it turns out he'd rather play bass than drums. Turns out he's a really good bassist! So, looks like my main gig is on drums for the moment. 

[Nail Soup]

17 minutes ago, Boodang said:

I got asked to join a band as their bassist last month (I was recommend by a friend). I turned up for the first rehearsal as a bit of a try out, the drummer wasn't there as he was on holiday, so while we were warming up I jumped on the kit (can never resist a drum kit!). Upshot is, by the end of the session they want me to be their drummer as they prefer my feel. I didn't really want to do that to the drummer so I said let's see when he gets back as I was happy to play bass. Thought it was going to be an awkward conversation but it turns out he'd rather play bass than drums. Turns out he's a really good bassist! So, looks like my main gig is on drums for the moment. 

Love a happy ending! 

I feel the lure of an unoccupied drum kit too…… but wouldn’t be cheeky enough to jump behind the kit at a first rehearsal……. especially with my drumming skills!

[Boodang]

3 minutes ago, Nail Soup said:

Love a happy ending! 

I feel the lure of an unoccupied drum kit too…… but wouldn’t be cheeky enough to jump behind the kit at a first rehearsal……. especially with my drumming skills!

Yeah, problem is I've just moved to another country, hence looking for a new band to join, and my toys (basses and drum kits) are a long time catching up, hence the opportunity to have a drum was irresistible! I borrowed a bass for the initial session, I must give it back.

[mikel]

I am  a drummer who plays bass. I came to bass after 30 years of drumming. It has made me a much better drummer as I now realise I was not leaving enough space for the bass. The mechanics of a good rhythm section are much more obvious to me now I do both. And I appreciate how difficult the bass is. Guitar and vocals??? Ha, easy peasy, they are the icing on the musical cake.

[leschirons]

Now been relearning drums for about 10 weeks. Really enjoying it as I'm now confident about doing my pal's three gigs. Wouldn't surprise me if the basses ended up in the loft and I  continued with drums. I think the physical side of it is doing me a lot of good. The down side is that I'm now buying new heads, another snare drum and now looking at changing a couple of cymbals.

The instrument changes, but not the GAS. 

[mikel]

16 hours ago, leschirons said:

Now been relearning drums for about 10 weeks. Really enjoying it as I'm now confident about doing my pal's three gigs. Wouldn't surprise me if the basses ended up in the loft and I  continued with drums. I think the physical side of it is doing me a lot of good. The down side is that I'm now buying new heads, another snare drum and now looking at changing a couple of cymbals.

The instrument changes, but not the GAS. 

Cymbals? Dont get me started. An endless search for the perfect "Tish" sound. And a very expensive search.

[nilorius]

Drums are not for bassist to play, but to listen.

[leschirons]

On 05/06/2022 at 14:17, mikel said:

Cymbals? Dont get me started. An endless search for the perfect "Tish" sound. And a very expensive search.

I get it. I have fairly expensive 16" Zildjian K custom dark crash on the right. It just doesn't do what I want!  Think I need a thin one but there's all this talk of "dry, dark, light" and other daft words that I  don't understand in this context. I guess it'll mean going into a shop with a stick and hope that they've got a kick drum within reach.