While most people try to learn how to play an instrument that create sounds with pitches, like a guitar or piano, some people learn how to play percussion. I chose to learn how to play the drums because I had a natural ability for it. While it might not be the most beautiful sounding instrument, the drums sure can get you in the mood to listen to your favorite song or get up and dance.
Say you get tickets to your favorite band’s concert, usually they have a solid drummer who can carry a nice rhythm. What happens if he gets sick and can’t show up? Yes, there will be a back-up drummer, but if there wasn’t, the concert wouldn’t be at its full potential. If you listen to a song with the drums playing, then listen to the same song without the drums, the song sounds incredibly different. Now, why am I saying all of this? I feel as though people don’t give drummers enough credit for what role they play in a band. The drummer always seems to be at the back of the stage while the guitarists, at the front of the stage, high-five the fans and interact with them which will, in turn, make the fans love the guitarists more. The drummer doesn’t get to meet anyone or interact with anyone as often, they just sit back and let everyone else take the credit.
Guitars can be very mobile, so any guitarist could carry around a guitar and play at any time of the day. As you probably know, people can’t carry around a drum set anywhere they go. This results in people hearing all about a guitarist and how well he or she can play. How do drummers get well known? It remains much more difficult. The most common way that drummers get known continues to be the internet. Youtube continually turns mediocre drum players into famous drummers within months or years. One of the most well known drummers, Casey Cooper, continues to be famous on Youtube. Some people might call his channel “The greatest drumming channel on Youtube.” In order to get well known on Youtube, people have to be dedicated to what they do and strive to get that recognition.
I have nothing against guitarists, I myself am actually an intermediate guitar player. I just think that people should give drummers the opportunity to show their skills because I am very confident that if you take the time to sit down with a drummer and listen to what they can do, you will be amazed.
