Eleven reasons why you should not play the drums
1. You will not make any money.
Musicians don’t make much money. The vast majority of us supplement our income with a day job. Plus, programmed drums can be cheaper. If you’re lucky, you can be a poor professional who competes with drummers who care more about music than you. The richest drummer is Ringo Starr, who a lot of people seem to mock as if he sucks. Even the richest drummer has a curse.
2. You have to haul stuff.
You spend more time hauling than performing. You must own a car, unless you live in New York. Don’t expect others to haul your stuff–that’s why they are playing another instrument. You spend 2 hours/day just setting up and breaking down your equipment. You are the only person in the band with a car. Or worse, you don’t have a car, and you’re constantly being kicked out of the band because you’re such a mooch becuase you’re so poor buying equipment.
3. Equipment is expensive.
Drumsticks, Cymbals, Heads. They constantly break, and must be replaced or you can’t play. No, you’re not getting a sponsorship remotely soon. Only superhumans get sponsorships. You need a cymbal bag to store your cymbals, or they will break more quickly. You need a stick bag. You need a freaking car.
4. Playing is hot and sweaty.
You can’t play anywhere without having to change your clothes every time, or else you smell bad.
5. You aren’t the center of attention.
The singer should get all the attention, for a great reason. Everyone likes to sing. People rarely get a drumbeat stuck in their head. They never see you anyway, because there’s always a person or a cymbal in front of you in every direction.
6. You’re loud and annoy people.
Pike Place Market bans percussion for this reason. And you seriously have to go out of your way to play quietly. People would rather just hear a singer/songwriter.
7. It takes a long time to learn, and it’s repetitive.
Stop playing drum fills all over the place because you’re bored. The musicians mostly want someone to lay down a beat. Beat It, by Michael Jackson, is a massively successful song with the simplest possible rock beat for 5 minutes straight. That is what they want.
8. Most people don’t want to hear a drum soloist. If they do, it’s in context of a song.
See rules 5, 6, and 7 for more info. You’re not going to be a solo artist. Everyone hates that person on the street who plays drums on buckets.
9. You probably don’t have a sense of rhythm.
If you don’t constantly tap on things and annoy your parents, then it’s too late. You must practice to a metronome all the time.
10. You take up a lot of space, and usually play in a corner.
You’re trapped behind your drums, while everyone else gets to move around and interact with the audience. If you have to go to the restroom, you need to physically move your hi hat to get out. Or you’re pushed at the back of the stage, and may fall off on your back.
11. You have a bad attitude.
The previous ten rules bum you out, and you complain all the time. No one wants to play with you anyway.
The only reason you should play the drums
Because you know inside your soul, this is what you are meant to do.