I played the drums when I was a teenager.
I got good enough to be the lead drummer for my middle school orchestra. I was an excellent music reader. I was a master on the the snare drum and I was OK at playing basic backbeats on a full set (though I rarely had the opportunity to practice on a full set).
When I went to high school, I tried to join the band but was told I had to make a choice – take honor’s courses for college prep or take mainstream classes and play in the band. The schedule wouldn’t accommodate both.
Getting into college was my #1 priority so that was the end of drumming.
Until now.
After a 37 year break, I started drumming again.
This past month, I scoured Craigslist and Nextdoor for used drums. I searched Amazon, Guitar Center and Reverb.
Some used sets looked awful. Some were really expensive. Some looked like junk. I had a hard differentiating the good from the bad.
As with many of my Internet research projects, I got information overload until I finally broke down and visited a local drum shop (2112 Percussion).
With some expert guidance from a drummer who worked there, I purchased a Ludwig Elements Essentials set with sweet Zildjian cymbals.
Yesterday I played the drums for the first time in decades.
I had more fun than I’ve had in years. It actually made me smile.
I was prepared to be frustrated by my diminished skills. I thought I’d be challenged to make up for “lost time”.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t.
Sure my stick speed and control need work. My drum rolls aren’t as fluid and the riffs I once knew are faint memories.
But that stuff will return in time.
Even better, I found several YouTube sites with tutorials for drumming. I started working through these to improve my skills.
My goal is to become fluid, musical and creative on the set -all the things I never was before.
When I played drums as a kid, I followed the rules:
- Strict adherence to grip, positioning and tempo.
- Practice with “perfect form” playing “mistake free” to the written Marches in the lesson book.
- Rigid and controlled.
I still liked it, but I envied drummers who could sit down at a set and just groove.
So that’s what I am learning to do now.
It’s been a blast.
As a 51 year old man, I’ve let go of all things that made playing stressful as a kid. I don’t need to prove anything to anybody. I’m not in a rush to look cool or sound great. I certainly don’t need to be perfect. And I am not playing any more snare drum marches.
Playing the drums this way has been pure fun (For me. My neighbors might disagree).
As I get better, I hope to find some people to jam with. That would be fun too.
