former drummers: what broke the camels back?

[bon viesta]

i got a drum set when i was 12, now being 15, and there are really 3 things that did me in with drums: the cost of the drum gear i wanted, the lack of anything to satisfy my “vintage” desires without buying something that’s 50 years old, and how loud drums are. but without drums, i wouldn’t be musical nor would i be able to play simple piano or want to be in the rhythm section, so my time as a drummer certainly wasn’t a waste. and i still play when i can. what’s your little story?

 

[Gregc57]

I played drums in working bands in my teens till 20 or so. I always played some guitar and found a group where I could do a little of both. The rhythm player/singer also doubled on drums. Soon after, I was buying guitar gear and playing guitar full time. I still have a 70's Slingerland set and play them when I get the urge. You know what really sucked? Breaking down and moving that set. That gets old.... and heavy. I feel for drummers and always try to lend a hand.

 

[gln1955]

I looked around and saw who was getting fired, so i never even started on drums.

 

[Bob_Ross]

what’s your little story?

Got my first pair of drumsticks (from my neighbor, jazz drummer Jerry Betters) when I was 4 years old. My grandmother noticed how much fun I had with those sticks so she got me a practice pad when I was 6. I remained self-taught, but without a drumkit, up through high school; the last two years of high school I borrowed the school's kit for concerts and rehearsals. Then in college I was always borrowing someone else's kit, and after college I lived in a big house with a rehearsal studio in the basement so someone always left a kit there

...and then when I was ~26 years old the well dried up. Didn't have an a place to keep a kit, didn't have access to a kit, and didn't really have enough reason to justify buying my own kit (by this time I was playing bass as a fulltime pro). So I spent at least 10 years without access to a drumkit. And when I finally sat back down behind a kit after that decade-long draught, I sucked.

That was what broke the camel's back for me.

I still keep several pairs of sticks in a drawer, just in case.

 

[Qlanq]

Not a drummer, but I loved this guys playing:

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I also started as a drummer, got my first set with my earnings from a paper route, about age 14. I played until I was 25 when I sold my Simmons kit. Loved the Simmons for the weight and ease of hauling only one trap case with all my drums and one case for the stands. I started playing out at 18 and had some great times.

What happened at 25? As we approached our wedding, my bride and I decided to get all of our debts wrapped up individually before the big day. The last two items I owed $$ on were the drums and her engagement/wedding ring. I sold the drums and got enough to pay off both debts. I had a bass laying around and that forced me to learn how to play it or at least pick it up more often. We've been married just over 31 years and these days I love playing bass so it all worked out.

I don't regret my years on drums because it taught me alot about tempo and rhythm, which I think is a great skill for playing bass too!

A few years ago I stumbled onto a "too good to resist" deal on an Alesis electronic kit and kept it around for a couple years until I realized I didn't miss drums as much as I thought I did. Now I only own basses and guitars.

 

[Indiedog]

Not a drummer, but I loved this guys playing:

You are a kindred soul!
Andy was wonderful. So melodic and tasteful.

I saw my uncle’s kit in the 60s when I was 6. Fell in love (the ride with SIZZLES!!).

Got my first set ($100, no hi-hat, and only two cheap cymbals) from Manny’s in 1973 when I graduated 8th grade.

Got a used 6 piece Ludwig Vistalite for $120 in 1985; sold it in 93 when I got married. The marriage lasted as long as a pair of sticks last. But had to wait till 2002 to get another kit—my dream kit: Pearl Masters Studio in Birch. 10 piece. Yeah, baby.

Noise? Needs lots of space? Expensive?

Well, yeah, but one has to have priorities in life. Right?
DRUMS ARE WORTH IT!!!

 

[Bob_Ross]

Noise? Needs lots of space? Expensive?

Well, yeah, but one has to have priorities in life. Right?
DRUMS ARE WORTH IT!!!

Indeed. I have a sneaking suspicion that if the missus and I manage to get our dream house upon retirement, we're gonna have a room with a drumkit in it. Every time I've talked about owning a drumkit she says "Oooh, if we had a drumkit in the house I would learn to play!"