The drummer, more than any other musician, is routinely subjected to dumb, uninformed put-downs. It seems to start very early in life. For example, very young drummers-to-be might hear their parents say, “Oh no, not the drums. They are so loud. Can’t you play the piano or the flute instead?” My favorite comment from these early days was made by a “friend” who suggested to my mother, “Perhaps your son should learn to play a real musical instrument first!” Another one was, “Why do you have to take lessons just to pound on the drums?” I also liked, “It’s easy to play the drums because you don’t have to read the notes.” Occasionally, we still hear lines from other band members such as, “Don’t play any fills; just keep the beat. We’ll play the music.” The most prevalent comment might be, “Can you play more like so-and so?” I usually […]

August 1984 Issue