What does it take to build a career in drumming? The Professional Drumming Career Guide is vast with lot of options. Everyone seems to have different definitions of success these days. If you develop the following key skills and learn how the industry works today, you’ll have a better chance of making a living as a professional drummer.
Drummers back then had a few options if they wanted to play drums for a living:
1) Join a band and get signed
2) Become a studio drummer
3) Become a drummer-for-hire
4) Become a private drum teacher
Those options and times have changed.
These days, you have so many more opportunities thanks to the internet. The question, “How to Become a Professional Drummer” has various answers. The Steps to Become a Pro Drummer are tried and tested. So, in addition to the list above, here are some ideas on things you can do using today’s technology:
1) Become a remote studio drummer.
This is where other people send you their tracks and you record your drum parts and then simply email them the files back. This will help you understand on the various journeys on how to become a professional drummer.
2) Build your online profile with covers.
Lots of drummers are doing this now. Look at Cobus Potgieter, Luke Holland and Meytal Cohen. All have built great careers that started off by simply uploading drum covers of themselves online. This would be a great step in the journey of how to become a professional drummer.
3) Teach drums through video chat.
This is a very popular method of teaching these days (and I think it’s going to blow up more in the next 5 years). You can essentially get lessons from specific teachers on whatever you want. For example, if you want to learn more about Latin drumming but your town doesn’t have someone who specializes in that, you can easily find a teacher online who has expertise in that area.
4) Start an online drum lesson website.
This is what I have been doing since 2002. We’ve went through many iterations with FreeDrumLesson.com, DrumLessons.com, and now Drumeo.com. I think the concept of individual drummers starting their own lesson sites – such as MikesLessons.com, StephensDrumShed.com, MyDrumLife.com – is also going to explode over the next few years as well.
5) Do online live streaming concerts.
This hasn’t gone totally mainstream yet, but it has the potential to once a larger scale band starts to do it right. I would love to watch an exclusive concert with Dave Matthews Band (my favourite band, I absolutely love Carter Beauford’s drumming!) and be able to interact with other people watching live at the same time. There are many added value items that can be given to online concert goers like VIP passes or the ability to interact directly with the musicians.
Now, these are just a few ideas. The internet is still very young. New technology will continue to develop and drummers will take advantage of those opportunities.
It really bugs me when people are so close-minded to think there are only a limited number of ways to be a successful drummer. Not everybody measures success in the same way, and there will always be a number of ways to use your talent.
For me, if I was touring with a band right now, I would not feel successful. I don’t particularly want to go on tour and play live. To be honest, I don’t even have the time to gig regularly in my home-town and I have no desire to tour the world or gig five times a week. I have two kids, and love being close to my family – so being away every night isn’t an option. But that doesn’t mean I can’t play music, or can’t be a successful drummer in my own way.
Do what you love. If your passion is to teach drums online, do that. If you want to put up cover videos and build your online profile, do that. If you just enjoy jamming with your friends on the weekend, do that. If your goal is to play in your local church and volunteer that way, then do that. You’ve achieved success. Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t a real drummer because you didn’t follow the exact same path that they did. The start to your professional journey
There will always be haters, it’s just the nature of the business – and when art is involved they seem to come out even stronger. So please, don’t let it bother you. If I let it bother me, it’s likely that Drumeo would have never been created. Chase your own drumming success, in whatever way you define it.
6)Figure out your Drumming Styles and Genres
Playing live has become so technology driven that knowledge of electronics is paramount. If your sights are set on the session world, you need to be adaptable to any style the work demands. Modern pop alone encompasses everything from R’n’B and rock, to grime, dubstep and even Latin. Study popular tracks in these styles, learning the characteristic rhythms and feels, and you’ll be equipped to deliver whatever’s asked of you. You may also be required to perform alternative arrangements or remixes at the drop of a hat, so be ready to re-interpret the music, quickly – remember, the studio clock is always ticking. Knowing how to read music isn’t so essential these days, but learn to write simple cheat sheets and you’ll have quick and easy references for song structures.
You’ll also be expected to deliver whatever sound the artist is after, so invest in a cache of workhorse gear, particularly snare drums and cymbals, and spend time learning how to tune properly. If budget restricts what you can buy, use a portion of your fee to hire what’s needed.
7)Get Switched on to Electronic Percussion
Playing live has become so technology-driven that knowledge of electronics is paramount – whether it’s understanding how to trigger samples or backing tracks from a sampling pad like Roland’s SPD-SX, or using triggers to enhance or layer your acoustic drums with additional sounds. This combination of electronic and acoustic drums will make your kit sound fuller and more consistent, meaning you can deliver a greater range of sounds.
Artists and musical directors will expect you to have a working knowledge of electronic gear. In fact, it’s become such a critical skill for modern drummers, particularly if you’re playing electronic genres, that session drummer and electronics ace Andy Gangadeen – who plays with Chase And Status and Sigma – now consults with drummers on their hybrid set-ups and electronics systems.
8)Be Involved In Your Music Community
Chris Beck (Soloist, Cyrus Chestnut, Rufus Reid) said succeeding as a drummer is all about community.
“It’s a community of people who gather together, and by word-of-mouth, your name can get to some Bandleader’s desk, and then they give you an opportunity,” he said. “Most of the time, it’s just word-of-mouth. It’s just simple things like showing up on time.”
These tips for drummers will greatly help you understand the nuances on how to become a professional drummer.