What makes you a serious musician?

[rtown]

I'll always consider myself a hobbyist. This is my fun outlet. I don't need another job. That's my gauge for bands I'm in. No fun = bye.

 

[dustjacket]

Easy.

Black turtleneck.

 

[repete]

I thought of quite a few things but it really comes down to my hat and footwear. Sometimes I don’t wear a hat but I almost always wear shoes of some kind

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

I am serious.... I mean dead serious.....about WANTING to be a musician!

Unfortunately, I'm just a neanderthal with a gig here and there......

 

[owr]

After working a full time job all day I just loaded up the car with drums and hardware for a 90 minute rehearsal. Also loaded up keyboard, amp and stand + all related cords for the visiting keyboardist joining tonight. AS you all know, thats going going to happen 3 more times before the night is out.

The rest of it is easy (enough) and fun. Its the first part that makes me "serious", or insane.

 

[DamnSingerAlsoDrums]

I started playing in a band of lead singers who sorta play-pretended they were a band, all guys mostly playing their non-primary instrument. Just for shneetz and gigglez. And we laughed a lot,not only at oursevlves, at each other for how bad we were but mostly at how much fun it was still. ...

But the band grew and grew and we started playing for more people than extended famillies and friends. T'was then that I started thinking, well if we're becoming a "real" band, I'd better start doing everything I can to become as real a drummer as I can possibly be!!

So began hundreds upon hundreds of hours scouring the net, fueled by my drumming bulimia, watching, listenning, learning, connecting, exchanging, asking questions (and of course a whole lot of goofing off on DFO....)

And then hundreds upon hundred hours on the kit, trying to beat my hands and feet into obedience. Playing along to online lessons, recordings or just free stylin' it.

Even learning to record myself, at first as a tool of self critic, but soon, lock down forced my band into separate and distanced recording, so I had to become both a drummer AND an engineer... That was a trip...

So yeah! I think I'm as serious and dedicated as I can be, but I'll still write and laugh about tasteless and juvenile fart jokes with the rest of youse, I take as proof the many mods warnings I've had and the healthy numbers of laughing emojis that my posts gather...

 

[JimmyM]

I think it’s for others to decide but folks do think I’m pretty good.

 

[blueshadow]

I’m having a hard time taking this thread seriously

 

[crash]

The fact that you play music because you want to. Not that you're forced to. No drummIng gigs lately, but I've been covering ukulele gigs. I'm a musician. I will play what I need to! It's a gig, and it's gonna be fun!!

 

[Hypercaffium]

I'm a hobbyist, not a professional, but I'm damn serious about drumming. I go to school, I study pretty much every day, I do my best to be as proficient as possible.

 

[drummer5359]

I like to think of myself as a humorous musician, sometimes I can even be funny.

My avatar photo was taken at a wedding where I provided rim-shots as the bride and groom exchanged their vows, written to be fun and funny. This was after I played "Here comes the bride" on bass through an organ pedal. Yes, they could have used a proper organist, but what fun would there be in that?

For years I accompanied an Irish musician on stage as his percussionist/straight man. Irish music is often presented with as much emphasis on humor as there is on the music. When we could get a belly laugh out of the audience it was as rewarding as playing music well. Often, we did both at the same time.

Every photo of me on stage shows me smiling and or laughing. I'm an entertainer, helping people have fun is what it is all about. Often that involves some schtick, I'm good with that.

Do I take playing music seriously? Absolutely. But if you get too serious, music risks the loss of being "fun".

 

[Whitten]

Does it matter?
And yes....it only matters if you are trying to agree endorsement deals.

 

[langmick]

You show up to a gig and have your gear ready, your head ready and you can play it all the way through without drama and at a high level.

Doesn't matter if you have a high-end kit or a Pearl Export, it should sound good.

I look to Alan White as my idea of a serious drummer. Of course there are others, but his demeanor and ability to play hard music while retaining his composure and feel.

 

[Tubwompus]

Back from my pre-teens into my mid-20’s, I regarded myself as a “serious” musician because I was on a mission to learn everything I could cram into my brain about not just drumming, but music overall. So I studied, studied, studied and looked for opportunities to get to play every style of music that I possibly could. It was essentially a hyperfocus scenario that’s supposedly common with ADD. Along with all that came a lot of self-pressure, which was unhealthy.

Now I just hit stuff with pieces of wood.

 

[CC Cirillo]

I’m serious in that I try my best to be respectful.

If I’m playing a cover and I think the song is silly, I remind myself that someone out on the dance floor might have fallen in love to that song.

If I’m working out an original, I tell myself that whatever the direction the song is going—and even if it is obvious that it it is going to be chucked—I owe it to Apollo to give it my best.

There have been times a lackluster song has blossomed because I took it seriously, didn’t give up on it.

In short, what makes me serious is I never roll my eyes. God knows it isn’t any natural musical talent. Sure wish I had some o’ that.

 

[Houndog]

There are several levels of serious .

 

[bob e michael]

i'm a very serious player now .... never used to be though

 

[Squirrel Man]

There are several levels of serious .

I was gold chocobo level serious on the e-kit last night

 

[langmick]

 

[Rock Salad]

I think we here are all fairly serious. It's a drumming forum. How well that translates to our playing "varies"