What Would You Have Missed Out On If You Never Took Up The Drums?

[glynch]

Literally everything. It's a part of who I am.....not just a hobby. I can't imagine my life without playing drums and not just playing. Also gigging in bands.

 

[Pat A Flafla]

Yep. My entire life, family, what I own, everything, since it was a life decision I made early on.

 

[MrDrums2112]

For starters, my longtime bandmates. We have been best friends and have enjoyed playing music together for many years. We have had so many great, memorable gigs and tons of laughs along the way. I would have missed out on years of summer community theater shows, and Sunday church gigs. I would also have missed out on the drums shows I have attended and the great friends (family really) I have come to now as a result of being involved in them. I have also made some really good friends on this forum.

I don't play drums for a living, but I don't define myself by what I do in my day job. I define myself through my drumming and music. To say that drumming has saved my life (many times over the years) would be an understatement.

 

[retrosonic]

Hundreds of wonderful hours at gigs!

 

[Heartbeat]

Literally everything. It's a part of who I am.....not just a hobby. I can't imagine my life without playing drums and not just playing. Also gigging in bands.

^ This! I would be a completely different person without drums -- someone unrecognizable. Drumming has been at my core ever since I can remember. It's a passion that runs so deep, it's difficult to put into words. Drums/Music saved me through so many difficult times. When people let me down, my drums were always there. And I've met incredibly wonderful friends, even some of my drumming heroes, though music.

Although, I could've done without the band drama.

 

[Matched Gripper]

I’d have missed the hours and years of the joy of making music. On the other hand, but for the drums I’d be a much better golfer.

 

[yetanotherdrummer]

It's all I have ever cared about doing, since I was 9 years old. I was never into sports (or school ), music became my life.

I have no idea what kind of life I would have had without music.

 

[JDA]

Gretsch wood finishes, pearl, cast hoops, chrome snares, throw offs, hi hat stands, twin toms, Speed Kings, snare stands, floor tom legs, fiber cases, Trap fiber cases, Ching rings, clear heads, Remo heads, wood hoops, hi hat rod, maple sticks, 16" floor toms..

 

[dirtcity]

Most of my closest friends, traveling the country and meeting so many wonderful people...

The sheer joy of being on stage. The peace that I feel while performing. I don't think you can understand it unless you've done it.

 

[mtarrani]

To be honest: I would not have missed out on any of the important events in my life. In fact, I started in 64 and quit in 67 and didn't look back because I had a 22 year navy career followed by an intense consulting career that did not leave time for drums.

I moved to FL in 2004 and my brother talked me into borrowing his kit and taking drums up again. My girlfriend at the time encouraged it, and after a shakeout period I started getting back into it. But it didn't result in connections or other events that changed my life in any significant way.

While I am playing out right now in safe, outside venues on a regular basis (every weekend), my first love is working as a consultant. I came out of retirement to take some interesting projects and if I had to give up drums or doing consulting work the drums would go. Even if each paid the same, I would still choose the consulting work because it is more personally rewarding and certainly challenging.

So, when I first quit playing drums in 67 I was not planning to ever take them up again. While I enjoy playing now it has not changed a thing in my life in any meaningful way.

 

[Deafmoon]

Well I know one thing, If I didn't take up the drums and study and learn to read music, I would have never become a Vice President of Finance in business, cause mathematics was never a skill I excelled at til I understood the relationship through music. An interesting twist, but for me it worked!

 

[mtarrani]

Well I know one thing, If I didn't take up the drums and study and learn to read music, I would have never become a Vice President of Finance in business, cause mathematics was never a skill I excelled at til I understood the relationship through music. An interesting twist, but for me it worked!

That made me smile because had I never taken a course in fluidics to better understand aviation fuel pressure regulators, I would have never gotten into the IT field. The connecting point between the two is I had to learn Boolean algebra and Boolean simplification to understand fluidics, which, in turn were immediately relevant to computer logic at a low level for hardware and software. What a long, strange trip, eh?

 

[Malc]

I would've missed out on :
1.Buying cars based purely on whether my kit would fit in them.
2. Being the last band member to get to the bar after breaking down the gear at the end of a gig.
3.Buying houses based purely on whether there was enough space to set up/ store my gear.
4.Not being able to hear properly.
5.Not having a bad back.
6.Constantly coming up with ever more convincing reasons for buying more gear.

But,do you know what? I'd not want it any other way ( well apart from the ringing ears).

 

[thejohnlec]

Music has allowed me to experience so many wonderful things, I wouldn’t know where to begin. Travel, great relationships, crazy funny times, meeting my wife and having a family, making some money... Too many positives.

 

[jptrickster]

I would've missed out on everything. Music is Life!

 

[Stickclick]

I would have had more floor space in my living room.

 

[sternerp]

I’m so envious of all of you who have lived the drumming life since childhood. I learned how to play drums in elementary school in the early 1960’s and played in the orchestra thru seventh grade. I lusted after a Ludwig kit, like Ringo. I even saw the Beatles at their last show in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.

I could not get my parents interested in buying me a drum set, and they steered me to the piano and then organ, which they thought were how I could play “real” music.

When I was about 50, and being diagnosed with bladder cancer, I made the decision to buy that drum set before I was dead. After a few years of wood shedding, I started playing in garage bands and eventually landed in a swing group that some friends had formed. I’m now 66, and am a pretty decent intermediate player.

I own a vintage 1968 Ludwig Hollywood, a 1964 Rogers Swingtime, a Gretsch New Classic, and ten vintage Ludwig, Rogers and Slingerland snare. Definitely an addict.

Being my the third trimester of life, I still have dreams of more drumming into the future, and look forward to gigging again when the pandemic is over.

 

[Matched Gripper]

I’d have missed the hours and years of the joy of making music. On the other hand, but for the drums I’d be a much better golfer.

I’m going to amend my above post to add the following: learning to play the drums is how I first experienced the level of, and the value of, the kind of intense, sustained commitment, devotion, discipline, and focus, needed to reach a goal, start with nothing and turn it into something. That experience served me well in later endeavors.

That is why I maintain that music eduction as public policy is as important as any other aspect of education.

 

[davidh]

Where to begin!! In 1960 when I started on snare in a bagpipe band whch was respectable, the drum set was seen as dangerous and would lead to drugs, booze and loose women. All true, but being a drummer as gotten me out of as many life jams as it has gotten me into them. Probably the best was when I fell into a wierd cult (S.....ology!) after taking too much acid... but after a while the call came "anyone play the drums?"- YES!! and next thing I was out of it gigging and recording and then soon gone for good.
Close shave! Phew.. thanks drums

 

[drummerbill]

The best years of my life !!!

Bonding with my father as a youngster, learning rudiments, going to my first concerts experiencing Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Louis Belson, Roy Haynes, Woody Herman, decades of concerts....I treat now , he's still bopping at 85 !!!!!

Going through the Regional /Allstate Orchesta practice/ audition experience and meeting future rock stars in the section.

Developing personal confidence, performing in front of large groups of people. Hilights including performing at The World Trade Center in front of thousands , shortly before the 9-11 tragedy. Performing at The Stone Pony before a sold out Franky Vali show. Touring the east coast with my first true lady love, having roadies, and a 28 foot box truck...

Chicks. (Way above "my" star rating)

Meeting my wife, leading to children (the greatest gift).

Recording with talented folks over the years, leading to musical gifts my kid's kids can enjoy.

Almost two decades of performing with two agency bands which funded my modest home purchase , extra cush for the family and bills..

A books worth of humerous stories, unbelievable learning experiences.

Friendship. I have been gifted with the greatest support group of musician friends, aquaintences, business associates, financial planner.

I could write a book on this topic...... I love reading all the gifts drumming has rewarded those DFO brothers and sisters stories in this thread !!