more bands than drummers?

Baggio

Have noticed a good few threads,,and actually 4 just this morning here looking for drummers....is there reallly such a shortage folks??..most of ya know me ol' loudmouth rush fanatic....but am drumming with 2 outfits these days.,,,,so am pretty much at full stretch...i still find it strange that sooo many bands are looking for drummers all the time.....is it because there are so few?..or is it because there are so many pooor drummers as far as everyone else is concerned?..am curious to know

best of luck in your searches folks

ciao'...Baggio.......

greenandwhite

Lots of crap drummers about, most of them tell you they've been playing years yet they still cant play in time or listen to a demo and copy what they hear. Definitely the hardest part of the band to find

JC 2K3

There are very few compared to guitar and bass players, and when you find one there's a 50:50 chance of them being crap. I've heard drummers who've been playing for 2 years who I'd be better than, and I don't even play drums.

The thing about drums is that it requires so much improvisation and a very good ear to be able to play any way decently in a band.

mrmojo

The problem with drummers is once you've played with a good one, its really hard to play with someone whos not that good. I've jammed with five drummers in the las three months, two were good but not interesred, the rest weren't worth the time. Most decent drummers want to join an already formed band and slot in. They never really wanna start a new band. Of course if theres any decent drummers who want to prove me wrong, PM me!!!

Chonker

mrmojo wrote:

The problem with drummers is once you've played with a good one, its really hard to play with someone whos not that good. I've jammed with five drummers in the las three months, two were good but not interesred, the rest weren't worth the time. Most decent drummers want to join an already formed band and slot in. They never really wanna start a new band. Of course if theres any decent drummers who want to prove me wrong, PM me!!!

I think your right.

I'm in a great cover band, and looking for a good but ready to gig 2nd band. I simply havn't heard or seen anything that I like. Really though a decent drummer will always take the slotting in option, simply because most new bands tend not to move forward. I want to gig every night if I can get it. I don't want to spend months rehearsing, waiting for guitarists or what ever to learn their sh*t. Here's a solution use a crap drummer to get the band solid and gig ready then bring in a decent one.

Baggio

interesting thoughts lads for sure,
Any of you come across any decent girl drummers?..i know of a couple that play in bands, but havent actually seen/heard them. Gonna teach my little one to play, she's already dead keen to get in behind the mighty"Red Machine" hehe so a good head start for little miss herself
Back to your points lads...do you all agree on letting a drummer have a free hand in terms of improvisation or in terms of creativity?..or do many of you insist on basically telling the stix person how you want it etc...or have you found a good balance when actually having a decent drummer?

all general questions i know...am curious..who knows,.,,maybe i can put a few words out to possible stix people if any are curious about joining a new band.

ciao' amigos,...Baggio....

mrmojo

Baggio wrote:

interesting thoughts lads for sure,
Any of you come across any decent girl drummers?..i know of a couple that play in bands, but havent actually seen/heard them. Gonna teach my little one to play, she's already dead keen to get in behind the mighty"Red Machine" hehe so a good head start for little miss herself
Back to your points lads...do you all agree on letting a drummer have a free hand in terms of improvisation or in terms of creativity?..or do many of you insist on basically telling the stix person how you want it etc...or have you found a good balance when actually having a decent drummer?

all general questions i know...am curious..who knows,.,,maybe i can put a few words out to possible stix people if any are curious about joining a new band.

ciao' amigos,...Baggio....

I found a band in Dublin that have a girl playing drums, quality stuff. Not that that should be surprising though..... Now to answer your questions Baggio. I think that improv is a very important part of drumming, so long as its done within moderation, some drummers tend to forget that its their job to hold the band together!!! If the balance is right, then it sounds great, but the drummer has to be good enough to pull it off.

www.myspace.com/mrmojoireland

This is my old band. The best drummer I've ever played with, one of the best in Dublin anyway. I think this guy managed to get the perfect balance.

mrmojo

Chonker wrote:

I think your right.

I'm in a great cover band, and looking for a good but ready to gig 2nd band. I simply havn't heard or seen anything that I like. Really though a decent drummer will always take the slotting in option, simply because most new bands tend not to move forward. I want to gig every night if I can get it. I don't want to spend months rehearsing, waiting for guitarists or what ever to learn their sh*t. Here's a solution use a crap drummer to get the band solid and gig ready then bring in a decent one.

Tried this, unfortunately it was never going to work. You know yourself when it just doesn't feel right. Might have to try again though, I haven't played a gig in five months!!! I'm cracking up here!!!!

2stageturbo

I think one of the main reasons there is such a shortage is that its not the easiest thing in the world to get into. Im playing bout 15 years and i still remember tellin my folks i wanted a kit.They,and my sisters tried everything to stop it happening. But were there's a will there's a way.Drum kits are expensive and a pain in the hole to move around.lot easier to pick up a guitar. oh yea, your neighbours will hate you along with your family. NOBODY WANTS TO LISTEN TO A DRUMMER PRACTICE.:p

Chonker

2stageturbo wrote:

I think one of the main reasons there is such a shortage is that its not the easiest thing in the world to get into. Im playing bout 15 years and i still remember tellin my folks i wanted a kit.They,and my sisters tried everything to stop it happening. But were there's a will there's a way.Drum kits are expensive and a pain in the hole to move around.lot easier to pick up a guitar. oh yea, your neighbours will hate you along with your family. NOBODY WANTS TO LISTEN TO A DRUMMER PRACTICE.:p

500 quid will buy you a good starter electric kit.. 50 for decent headphones... save the rest for a good shrink to help figure out why the rest of the band dont listen to you:D

rachelisms

Alright Baggio!

Not much to say on the subject of drummers except "I NEED ONE!!!!" but I saw your post and just thought I'd say hi!

Rachel.

Phillip

unfortunetly every band i have seen looking for a drummer or any musician for that matter is based in the east mostly dublin so this in itself doesnt help.......on that note if any bands in the west are looking for a good drummer pm me!

gracehopper

Yeah,
I'm starting one of them curs-ed new bands and looking for a drummer. We had one guy that replied but then told me he was moving to limerick to become an aircraft mechanic. He seemed sound enough but, drummers!!! they always want to be something else like guitarists or air craft mechanics!!!

anyway, If there is anyone interested. PM me.

heres the link to my thread: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055130073

DerKaiser

2stageturbo wrote:

I think one of the main reasons there is such a shortage is that its not the easiest thing in the world to get into. Im playing bout 15 years and i still remember tellin my folks i wanted a kit.They,and my sisters tried everything to stop it happening. But were there's a will there's a way.Drum kits are expensive and a pain in the hole to move around.lot easier to pick up a guitar. oh yea, your neighbours will hate you along with your family. NOBODY WANTS TO LISTEN TO A DRUMMER PRACTICE.:p

You have summed it up there, the reason that there is so few good drummers is that it's an expensive art to take up, it also involves lugging around the heaviest of the bands equipment (unless you have an organist that owns a Hammond B3!), also, it's not the nicest thing to listen to unless you are a drum freak, most people pick up guitars, not because they are cheap or light, but because they can play melodic tunes they like, bass and drums are different, they're rhythmic accompaniment instruments, but really rewarding for those who stick at them, so I would encourage young musos to play drums or bass or even trumpet rather than guitar, you'll have a better chance of a paying gig

Dirty Frank

I'm a drummer without a band. Its gettin scary readin all your posts cus I came on here lookin to find a band and now I see whats expected off me I'm beginnin to think I should pick up the practice pad more often!

Anyway, anyone need a drummer!?:p

Baggio

Some interesting views alright...

this thread does seem to have gathered legs eh?...well Dirty Frank.,,,never mind the practise pad my man attack the real kit as much as you can,,is the best way ....personally i thnk ALLLL drummmes should be the leader in the band as I am!!...no one tells moi what to play!! hhah still is nice to hear opinions/thoughts concerning drumming for this song or that from my ever so patient band mates!,,,,,
Stilll I like to retain full control over what I do..and it sure is fun putting my own slant on many of the drumming moves we do in our classic rock band...many people say you cant be creative in a covers band, i think thats where YOU MUST be creative or else your just going over some other guys hard work from the past, ...so while retaining the integrity of any song..a decent player of any instrument MUST put his/her slant on it...or othrwise you'v not achieved anything!

anyway lesson/rant over haha - see ya's on 1st sept in Fibbers if ya want to critisize ol' loudmouth here and tell me what a hell louuussyyy job i made of "That Song!¬"

ciao' amigos...Baggio.....

Spuddeeez

Hi All,
I find your views on drummers in Ireland very interesting. I would like to know what opportunities there are out there for young, budding drummers to get good tuition/lessons as I personally think this is vital.
More often than not, at a guess, a lot of beginners have the wrong idea of what it takes to get up to speed on their instrument and the amount of practise it demands.
I'm a wannabee drummer myself but way passed my 'sell-by' date but I have an e-kit at home I love to practise on. Don't think I'll ever make to it band level at this stage though.

gillenk

alright Baggio and all who have contributed so far!

myself and my mate based in north dublin were in a band recently check out site to see what kind of stuff we were doing. and if memory serves me correct baggio was in one of the bands we played a gig with at one stage!!

http://thelastblackout.bebo.com

influences include foos nirvanna zeppelin radiohead.....

we looking to practice every week (once) and to get gigs going.

I sing and play keys and my mate plays guitar. have a few other musicians interested and meeting them for a jam this weekend in city centre if your interested give me a shout. input into material etc would be greatly appreciated from drummer and freedom to add own style would be great (if not essential)!!!!!
*** *******
cheers,

Kev

Magic Eight Ball

The problem is the standard of drummers.
I’ll never forget the time a supposed experienced drummer of a number of years asked me what a metronome was!!
Or the countless drummers I meet who don’t know the rudiments, let alone able to play them.

The drums has this stupid image of being a ’simple’ instrument to play.
I remember one person asking me why I bothered taking drum lessons as all I have to do is bang a drum! Or ‘every drummer secretly wants to be a guitarist’ or some other ****e line.. Which leads to people taking it up half arsed thinking it’s simple, and that equals a lot of rubbish ‘drummers’ around the place.

Sure from my gig going experience around the city, 9 out of 10 drummers rely heavily on the basic rock 4/4 beat, with little or no variation from it.. Need I say more?

yevveh

last blackouts break up? i saw yis in dorans in august, good show. i know bill through a friend.

Baggio wrote: »

interesting thoughts lads for sure,
Any of you come across any decent girl drummers?..i know of a couple that play in bands, but havent actually seen/heard them. Gonna teach my little one to play, she's already dead keen to get in behind the mighty"Red Machine" hehe so a good head start for little miss herself

Yeah Baggio, friend of mine is a good girl drummer. She hasn't played in about 8 months cos she had to sell her kit due to lack of space but she's picking up an electric kit now. I can't say I've heard her play properly but she is well into the aul drumming and knows a hell of a lot about it. It shall be interesting.

Drummers are definitely the hardest band members to get. Our drummer went to Germany for a study year there in September and we're trying out a new chap, hopefully this week. I think it's definitely important to add your own style, nothing bores me more than listening to plain drumming. Biffy Clyro and Battles for example have top notch drumming, Tool, Dream Theatre, Rush, etc. - a lot of bands have drummers that stand out so much because they have the ability and desire to take the fore. If a drummer had an idea for a song and set it out like the rest of us do with our bass/guitar ideas, then fine, I'd be more than happy to try it out. Our drummer who left showed us a great Indian rhythm and a great tune came of that. It's all about skill, ability to be diverse, and being positive and into drumming and the band it's great your daughter has an interest, she's lucky to have you around to teach and influence her!

Neo#

thanks yevveh, yeah the last blackout are no more. 2of the lads (bill included!) didnt have the time anymore. As kevin said there we are trying to get ourselves up and running again though. But we are looking for a drummer and we all know how hard that can be. Who knows we might find someone like Trevor there to pick up the stick! Hi trevor;)

Baggio

hey rachel, gillenk, neo,yevveh and all
sorry to hear "thelastblackout" are no more....yeahh my second band (Big Money) and I played with ya's in temple bar music centre...was the veryy last gig in there as the old place...was a good night...your drummer and Dave from Audium both used my much luved and feared "red machine" drumset hahha...anyway was a goood night for sure.
Hope yas get a decent one, Bill could play - dam nice chap too ...myself?..Im kinda hungry for more action the big money lads have scarecity of time these days but are sound...even Never Say Die (first band) seem lackiing in push these days,,,even tho i luuuv playing with them...so am possibly looking into playing more myself...from a selfish point but honest point of view i want my kit and drumming to be seen and heard,,,why not?..it's all about entertainment after all
Trouble is most folks who see me play or the size of the kit usually run away screaming seemingly intimidated somehow and im just a nice freindly wee chap after all!,,,anyway would ideally like a goood paying giging band perhaps estabished classic rock covers act who need a drum solo and someone who through utter madness thinks he's Neil Peart

anyway good thread lads,,interesting thoughts all round

ciao' amigos..Baggio....

Baggio

Oh and Yevveh,
...goood stuff about the lady drummer - goood stuff, tell her to keep it up and ask her to join www.drummingireland.com great bunch of lads on there and it's free all the way...any advise she needs, the boys are veryyy willing and decent about helping out

rock on amigos...Baggio..............

Bastack

It is good to see that drummers are in demand for the right reasons and not just to fill a gap in the band which is what it used to be! I have been playing for many years and I by reading the posts above have always liked the starting new bands thing. That way you get involved in all the writing of tunes and not just told what to play ..

Just my 3 cents

Holiday Sunrise

yevveh wrote: »

last blackouts break up? i saw yis in dorans in august, good show. i know bill through a friend.



Yeah Baggio, friend of mine is a good girl drummer. She hasn't played in about 8 months cos she had to sell her kit due to lack of space but she's picking up an electric kit now. I can't say I've heard her play properly but she is well into the aul drumming and knows a hell of a lot about it. It shall be interesting.

Drummers are definitely the hardest band members to get. Our drummer went to Germany for a study year there in September and we're trying out a new chap, hopefully this week. I think it's definitely important to add your own style, nothing bores me more than listening to plain drumming. Biffy Clyro and Battles for example have top notch drumming, Tool, Dream Theatre, Rush, etc. - a lot of bands have drummers that stand out so much because they have the ability and desire to take the fore. If a drummer had an idea for a song and set it out like the rest of us do with our bass/guitar ideas, then fine, I'd be more than happy to try it out. Our drummer who left showed us a great Indian rhythm and a great tune came of that. It's all about skill, ability to be diverse, and being positive and into drumming and the band it's great your daughter has an interest, she's lucky to have you around to teach and influence her!

Yeah I know Bill too. He's a good guy. I was very sorry to hear he went back on the heroin

yevveh

Neo# wrote: »

thanks yevveh, yeah the last blackout are no more. 2of the lads (bill included!) didnt have the time anymore. As kevin said there we are trying to get ourselves up and running again though. But we are looking for a drummer and we all know how hard that can be. Who knows we might find someone like Trevor there to pick up the stick! Hi trevor;)

Tis a shame, but sure, you'll get something started again

Baggio wrote: »

Oh and Yevveh,
...goood stuff about the lady drummer - goood stuff, tell her to keep it up and ask her to join www.drummingireland.com great bunch of lads on there and it's free all the way...any advise she needs, the boys are veryyy willing and decent about helping out

rock on amigos...Baggio..............

I shall mention it!

Holiday Sunrise wrote: »

Yeah I know Bill too. He's a good guy. I was very sorry to hear he went back on the heroin

And here's me thinking he was on track and off the smack. That's what you get for trusting someone with addictions!!

Holiday Sunrise

I dont distrust Bill cos he's a drug addict.. I distrust him cos he's a red head

My name is Mud

Alright Baggio - interesting topic

This is wierd..im looking to join a band, but every time I seem to get anywhere with one, it ends up like a dictatorship.

If GOOD drummers are such a rare commodity, why is it that once a band gets one, they feel like they should dictate what the drummer plays? If a drummer told a guitarist what to play, there would be uproar!

In not blowing my own trumpet here, but im a pretty good drummer, 15 years experience, all the gear and more (3 kits, about 40 cymbals, a crazy amount of hardware), but I cannot find a band that is willing to let me be creative. Baggio, we should get together for another drumjam sometime!

Its bizarre... i look at all the ads on this board, and all of them are the same... is anybody going to be daring enough to be different with musical styles, and also give me creative freedom?

PM me if interested...

Baggio

Ah the Mudman
goood to see ya mnim hows things?..yehah I can see what you mean...its one of the reasons Im a bit scared these days to try for other bands...I KNOW what Im at and dont need anyone to tell me what to play...having said that I do swap ideas with my 2 bands members...coz sometimes their ideas are worth trying etc...it's all down to respect and confidence in your bandmates in my opinion...my long suffering and over patient band mates ...know Ill do what needs doing and if i cant do the orignal part perfectly,,ill come up with something as good as or more interesting to cover it...
One thing tho for anyone else reading this , "My Name Is Mud" and I had a good get together whilst i was drumming to RUSH albums in studio to keep sharp...HE IS a seriously talented guy and anyone who reallyy wants a good drummer who has ideas and can play damm well,,,, Id suggest those of you who want A REAL drummer...JUMP ON HIM!!!
Keep trying mr.mudman...you shouldnt have to try very hard tho , but I feel yur frustration, I was just lucky to get with my 2 outfits, their all sound to play with.,..although both outfits are a tad too quiet these days and i need more action!! hehe so who knows i wouldnt mind doing some jamming with someone etc....so yeahh maybe a "drumathon" or some jamms with music hungry folks from here...we shall see

ciao' amigos...Baggio.............

Zombienosh

aye drummers, ive been looking for one for a while, to start a two peice thing, just me and a drummer....... but cant even find a drummer.

jus_tin4

yea i have been playin drums about 6 months and bein able 2 play drums one of d most demandin things ever!!!!I personally believe tat u need 2 get lesson at d start at least 2 get d basics weither tat b just d rock beat or watever!!but i also think it is so important for a drummer 2 understan tat drums arent just about hittin drums as hard and as fast as u can but u have 2 be in control the whole time as d drum r mayb d most important instrument in a band as they control everything from d beat 2 d tempo!!!!!i think RUDIMENTS r like d most important thing ever for a drummer and if u dont no them u sudnt b a drummer let alone in a band!!!even though im only at them about 4-6 month i have been told i v solid!!!!so i think tat drummer can b tought but mayb great drummers r born!!

DrumSteve

ha its pretty funny cos i had an acoustic kit but i could never practice on it cos the neighbours went mental. so then i went out and bought a roland tour e-kit (which cost a **** load) and ive never looked back.

personally ive been playing in bands for a few years now and i can honestly say lugging heavy drums into dorans to play with a new band in front of no one isnt really worth the hassle. thats why most drummers prefer to slot in with a "ready made" band.

Its just so much easier and it makes it feel like the effort is worth it. also as regards guitarists telling drummers what to play? thats just stupid cos id never tell a guitarist what to play, but deep down i think every guitarist wants to be a drummer cos in a way its a lot less pressure being hidden behind the kit.

gillenk

Baggio my man!

you'd be more than welcome to jam with us!! god damn it I love that red machine of madness!! And I must give it to you you are a nice friendly chap! We are as you know going down to route of originals and trying to get back on the gigging scene - not as well paid as most other gigs but as you said we get to play our stuff and it gets heard if nothing else. So if you ever get an urge to jam just give us shout and we'll do somethin!

Kev

Malice

There are definitely a lot more bands than drummers around. This has always been the case in Galway in my experience anyway. The drummers seem to come in a few varieties: You have the ones that are very good but already committed to at least one if not two other projects. Then you have the ones who can play but aren't very motivated or open to instruction. Finally you have the ones who are just not very good. I still remember a couple of years ago playing a song over and over again while the drummer tried to get his head around 3/4 time :mad:. He just couldn't do it for whatever reason and after a couple of frustrating sessions we just gave up on him.

Baggio

GillenK (Kev).....
.might take yu up on that sometime...things kind of hectic lately...although my 2 main bands seem veryy quiet...i need to play live more..and get paid!!,,,me thinks (with a humble attitude!!) Im worth it!,,,and am not gonna sit around forever waiting for gigs/cash to comethrough the door etc ehhe..still id like to play with interesting players...not metal heads tho...just too 1 dimensional for me...

ciao' amigos...Baggio.....

gillenk

yes baggio an auld paid gig wouldn't be most welcome - goin mad here not gettin to play much! anyway give us a shout at some stage if wanna jam or whatever.

cheers!

galwaydrummer

To get good at the drums you really have to sit down and concentrate fully on all the boring, monotenous little problems. To get results fast it requires a lot of motivation. However like everything, you have to get the basics perfect to progress. And alot of the weaker drummers havn't learned to "walk before they run."

30 Minutes of Quality practise is better than 4 Hours of bashing the drums pretending we're playing in Croke Park. I spent a full year being guilty of that!

A lot of drummers tend to get the most work done quickly on a Practise pad, where it's much more difficult to be distracted; After which it's simple to bring Rudiments, technique, stick holding to the kit. I remember sitting down with a metronome doing really slow 'free-strokes' excercise on the practise pad for a good 2 hours until I programmed it into my playing, if I lost count then I'd have to start again competely! Something I never would have done on the Kit. They were the best 2 hours of practise I ever spent!

phil mc grane

hey people dont be so hard on our young under experienced drummers they will get it when their time is right;;
my name is phil from dublin i am 40 but mentally 12!
ive been playing drums since i was 8, i play all styles i love and live to play drums,ive played with a few different bands, done session, recorded, recently purchased a double based pearl black deep shell kit that i enjoy playing very much;;
im looking to getting into a bit of session work again unless the right band comes along? oh and by the way im not full of crap, or 50 50 im a damm good drummer and live to get involved with a hard working band.
so if you feel like really giving a real drummer a go, txt me on 0872816198 or email me at philmcgrane@hotmail.com......... cheers

smurf32

iv been playing drums 18years now,I think the prob is every body wants to b a rock star when they should b trying to learn there trade.I cant for the life of me understand why things have changed in that respect over the last few years.
some of the bands i have played with over the last 3 years just dont get it and never will there allways late for jams and think that 1r2 jams a week is cool,they could have a studio full of gear that they cant use.All gear and no balls!
I am a fulltime musician i play all day every day but i cant take on any more part time proj its bringin me down.
In my ex there is not to many bands out there ready to step up to the mark why?
because they cant and it is as simple as that! if somebody makes contact with me for a jam and it takes them more than a week to get there **** together they can forget it i dont have that sort of time, if it takes that long to get ur band in for a jam there not into it move on r dont call me.
long gone r the days when a band can b ready to gig in a week r 2 now its more like a year.
why o why o why
stay safe
smurf;)

Tommy the Cat

Also a drummer with 16 years behind me, currently in two bands with a third on the way. I live in Bray so its a pain traveling with gear into town and relying on public transport. Went for a couple of jams in town which were disastrous. Received a cd a week before I was due to rehearse to do some homework. The cd sounded good so I was excited. The rehearsal was put back 3 hours on the day leaving me stuck in work which pissed me off. So I get there and the singer's late by an hour even though she lived in town, and the bass player and guitarist were even later. Then the bass player proceeds to hide behind a pillar...genius that. There actual performance/playing was diabolical. They were all over the gaff and apart from the singer being hot I would of been out of there in a shot. I'm glad drummer's are in demand, so if you get a good make sure you treat them right!