Worst decision you ever made related to drumming.

[repete]

Number one is hearing protection. Learning to watch tv and read subtitles at the same time is an art. Number two would have been to continue with lessons a little longer. I started with lessons at the age of 12 but my brothers band, he was 14, practiced at my house. I would play along to the drummer on my snare drum and play his kit on off nights. I picked up drumming pretty quickly by just doing that so I stopped taking lessons after a year or so. I’ve been playing for 42 years now and while I’m a good drummer I wonder what kind of drummer I would be now if I stuck with lessons.

 

[utetwo]

I gave up drumming when my first child was born and had to “grow up.” I sold my Ludwig Classic 1966 with an 18” K cymbal for $250. Five years later, I went back to drumming, joined a community orchestra, 2 concert bands, 2 big bands, did a number of small combo jazz gigs. Before the pandemic closed things down, I did 160+ Rehearsals and gigs in a year. It’s my world since I retired.

Alright. If the world hasn't ended in thermonuclear war by the time I retire, I'm doing this. Thanks for the retirement hobby!

 

[Hypercaffium]

Pretty much. I grew up in an apartment and my parents wouldn’t allow me to have drums, but they knew I had an interest in music, so they bought me a guitar, which led to a lifetime of mediocrity on the instrument...

Sorry to hear that.
Guitar is a wonderful, versatile, powerful instrument. That's why it's the most polular around the world. Playing guitar helped me to understand many things in music, including rhythm of course.
I've always been a musician and played many different instruments since I was a little kid, but somehow not drums even if it was my first love when I was a little kid, according to my parents. I used to listen to the Queen and Michael Jackson for hours while "drumming" on a pillow, so they gave me some sticks I still have at home. I think I posted a picture here, I'm not sure.
I've been a professional singer an pianist, played guitar for almost 30 years, I play bass since 3 years now and I've started drums a month ago. I'm starting to realize that drums are probably the instrument that is more connected with MY idea of music and expression. I'm learning very fast and I hope to become as proficient as I am with other instruments, because it's really fun.
I regret nothing by the way, all the instruments I've studied helped me becoming a better musician and to understand how music works. I started playing drums with a clearer idea of what to do, at least.

 

[jccabinets]

Definitely taking a 20 year break.

 

[mtarrani]

Arguably, it was taking up drumming in 2004 after a 37 year hiatus. Truth be known, I enjoy my work as a consultant and consider it to require a lot more creativity than drumming. In fact, I like it so much more that I came back out of retirement to reignite my consulting career full time in my 70s. Probably not the answer the OP was expecting

 

[John DeChristopher]

Where do I start... Like my old pal @frankmott , I started on a right-handed kit, playing open-handed/left hand lead, but after about six months, switched to a lefty set up. I'm self taught and played "lefty" traditional grip, not realizing I was technically a lefty drummer, and when a drummer friend saw me play, he suggested switching to full lefty. As Doug/Frank said, I immediately felt more comfortable playing the bass drum with my left foot and quickly adapted to playing the kit in the traditional sense, but left handed. I wish I'd kept at it on a righty set up, or better yet, forced myself to learn to play full right handed.

My second worst decision was not getting formal lessons as a kid. I just had no interest because my older brother and best friend both took drum lessons (this was the early 70s) and only had a practice pad and sticks, and eventually gave it up.

Another bad decision, though it really was unavoidable, was not playing for 20 years during most of my time at Zildjian. I've heard similar stories from others here, so I know I'm not alone. Life happens and I have no regrets about my career and how things turned out. Thankfully I got another chance to play music after Zildjian, so for that I'm grateful. And I dove back into drumming with a new purpose and better understanding, thanks to seeing so many great drummers in an intimate setting and just listening.

Lastly, I regret selling my first drum set from the Sears Catalog in 1972. A blue sparkle MIJ (probably Star) that I sold when my dad bought me my first Gretsch set. Which I sold to buy a Simmons kit. Man, was I dumb. Ironically, a year later, Simmons was my first job in the drum industry, so maybe it was fate?

 

[dale w miller]

Pretty much. I grew up in an apartment and my parents wouldn’t allow me to have drums, but they knew I had an interest in music, so they bought me a guitar, which led to a lifetime of mediocrity on the instrument...

Me too which is why you just bought a bass.

 

[wflkurt]

I got to go with not wearing ear protection early on too. I wore those earphones that you use to go shooting guns when I started playing in 1982 but by the time I was gigging all the time, I did not use anything until I hit 30. At 50 I'm paying for that now. My wife tells me that daily... Lol

I'm a very loyal person and I think I stayed with a few bands longer than I should have, potentially missing other opportunities.

All I have ever wanted to do since I was 12 was play drums. I did a semester at College but left to pursue playing drums full time. I should have stuck out College to get a degree. Instead I played as much as I could and had mostly crappy jobs in between gigs. I have had a State job for 21 years with benefits which is good. I just might have a better state job if I had a degree. I still try to play as much as I can though.

 

[glaze148]

This can be anything but for me it was after one band had broken up playing in and around Boston. Got together with a few people to try and do a wedding band thing. Two weeks into it I threw my sticks down and said I’m done. First time I ever quit a band. Went from playing mostly originals to standard wedding songs. I just couldn’t take it I’m glad I stopped it after only a couple months.

Mine was just the opposite. Gave up years of original material playing and concerts, and got into a 20 year run of actual paying casuals for money. I missed the creativity, but learned a lot about being versatile.

 

[dale w miller]

Ra Ra Riot?

Yes. Interesting that you figured that out. They called me the day before after not hearing from them for a month & a half. I barely had enough time to relearn two songs.

 

[Hypercaffium]

I'm self taught and played "lefty" traditional grip, not realizing I was technically a lefty drummer, and when a drummer friend saw me play, he suggested switching to full lefty. As Doug/Frank said, I immediately felt more comfortable playing the bass drum with my left foot and quickly adapted to playing the kit in the traditional sense, but left handed. I wish I'd kept at it on a righty set up, or better yet, forced myself to learn to play full right handed.

Why you say that? If you are lefty and feel more comfortable playing a lefty kit, just play a lefty kit. As a lefty ambidextrous playing a regular kit I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

 

[underratedcowbell]

Yes. Interesting that you figured that out. They called me the day before after not hearing from them for a month & a half. I barely had enough time to relearn two songs.

That's a shame. They're a good band, or at least they were. I kinda lost interest in them after their 2nd LP, but I still hear their debut "The Rhumb Line" now and then. Love their Kate Bush version of Suspended in Gaffa!

 

[John DeChristopher]

Why you say that? If you are lefty and feel more comfortable playing a lefty kit, just play a lefty kit. As a lefty ambidextrous playing a regular kit I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

I guess it's the frustration of not being able to play other drummers' kits, or them not being able to play mine without switching the drums around. I also play guitar (badly) lefty. I'm "mixed-handed" meaning I do some things righty and some things lefty (not to be confused with ambidextrous which is being able to everything equally with both hands) so I think if I'd had a teacher and or pushed myself when I was 12, I probably could have learned to play righty. Then I'd be able to use the swivo-matic tom holder on my Rogers kit I'm over it now, but when it comes to drums (and most instruments) it's a right handed world.

 

[backtodrum]

Stopping for 15 years... hence my username backtodrum and selling my original cymbals back in the day.

 

[mfk252]

I took a long break after I had solidified my studio chops in grad school. I never planned on making a living exclusively from drumming/music but I stopped completely once I started my career as an Engineer. Ironically in was working in NYC and figured I'd easily find other people who used to play professionally and were now into their careers but still wanted to occasionally kick off the dust to keep their chops up. Despite many attempts to pull something together I left NYC seven years later to start up my own Engineering business without playing a single note.

Fortunately I bumped into an old bandmate from New Orleans several years later at his gig at an amusement park in Florida and he asked me to sit in for a song later that night in front of a fairly large crowd. Maybe 30 seconds after my first downbeat I realized OMG I can still play a fairly greasy groove! This was followed by terror - OMG I hadn't performed live in over 12 years, I better not screw up since these were all very good musicians! Once we were halfway through the song I was chastising myself for stopping for so long.

I called a bass player buddy a few days later (I had his number for two years prior) and haven't stopped for about 11 years. I did take a while to get my technical abilities back (well at least most of them). If someone called out a solo for me back "in the day" I used to have many creative ideas immediately come to mind when I was younger. That part of me didn't come back. While solos would be out of place with any of my post-break projects, I still wish I could compose and execute on the fly like I used to.

 

[thejohnlec]

I’ve often regretted selling my first Radio King snare.

Reading. I’m a pretty solid reader rhythmically, but I never put in enough time to read melodically. This would’ve led to infinitely more percussion gigs.

Never too late I guess...

 

[Cauldronics]

While I get the premise of the title, it seems a little heavy-handed to me. Like a mistake made in a drumming career could become a capital offense or tear apart families. But anyway...

After some thought about saying I had no real regrets and reading the level of regret people showed here, I removed my first reply.

My worst drumming related fouls would be:

Losing a bag of cymbals that had a K Custom 20" brilliant finish ride, K custom dark 17" crash, some good hats and another crash. Band mate and I were unloading at my Mom's house after a gig and one of us left it on the street..... It took a long time to get a nice cymbal collection again.

Not making the most of a good band at the time. I was a decent drummer and good enough for the band, but too inexperienced to know that if I dived in more, we could've had more gigs and recorded at least some music in a studio.

It would've been good to leave a few bands much earlier. The ones where it's more of a weekly chance to hang out with friends and no real ambition to do anything. Made worse by talking like we were going to gig and record.

 

[NoMotivationDrummer]

This may seem kind of stupid, but my biggest mistake was buying a Roland VH-10 with an open box. I spend $280.00ish on it and low and behold, it was defective. The thing would not calibrate at all and I had to send it back in shame. I felt embarrassed because it was my fault. Lesson learned: NEVER BUY OPEN BOX VDRUMS

 

[Squirrel Man]

Took a 17yr hiatus.

I think about where I could be at right now if even kept up with it on a practice pad & learning fundamentals and theory over those years.

 

[sixplymaple]

My worst decision was ordering a 22”x8” woofer with my custom DW kit back in 2005. I was young and dumb. Complete waste of money...