So You Wanna Be a Drummer... Really?

A Cynical Glimpse into What Challenges Await All the Would-be Drummers in the World

So there you are, in a crowd of screaming music fans enjoying your favorite band. The sound is incredible and you’re simply awestruck by what you’re witnessing. Your eyes rapidly scan the stage as you watch musicians play their instruments with what appears to be relative ease. The guitarists’ fingers fly around like crazed cylinders in a ‘60s muscle car while the lead vocalist belts out notes unreachable by mere mortals. As your gaze falls to the rear of the stage, your eyes finally find what they’ve been looking for… the drummer.

A show unto itself, a talented drummer is truly a sight to behold. Part circus act, part inhuman rhythm machine, the beats they produce are quite an intoxicating sonic mixture. All attempts to remain motionless while listening are futile as your body writhes and sways in time with that hypnotic sound.

But as you stand with your fellow rockers a few feet back from the stage soaking up the sights and sounds, your mind wanders momentarily and you wonder, “What’s a drummer’s life really like? Is it as glorious and worthy of the pedestal I have placed it upon? Is a drummer’s life encompassed by adoring fans, enormous wealth, and backstage benefits?”

Well my friend, consider this your invitation to come sit behind the drum kit and live the life of a drummer for a moment. And you may soon realize that most rock shows should come with a disclaimer that states, “The lives you’re about to view onstage may not always be as envious as they appear.”

As we begin, you may ask yourself what credentials I possess that allows me to speak so candidly about the subject at hand. Well, I have been a drummer for the better part of twenty years. The last ten of those found me backing various independent rock bands based in Southwest Ohio. My current band Northmont has toured the Midwest for the past few years and we’ve recently had our music featured on MTV.