Every Drummer Needs to Hear This Wise Advice from a Veteran Musician

I was on a gig not too long ago that I was super nervous about. I had reason to be worried, because I hadn’t played this type of gig in over 2 years. I felt like I was stepping into a different world, one where I was sure I’d loose my footing and fall flat on my face. First a little bit of backstory…

I majored in Percussion Performance in college. That degree entails all the usual music classes, with lots of lessons and ensemble performances on top of that. Throughout the 4 years I was in school, I performed on non-drumset percussion instruments who knows how many times. I played percussion with the wind ensemble, orchestra, brass ensemble, choir, musical theater, percussion ensemble, plus additional recitals and random concerts (and I’m probably leaving something out). I was blessed with LOADS of performance time during college, which was great because of the learning environment of a college music school. It’s essentially a “safe bubble” within which you can gain experience and make mistakes. I definitely took advantage of that. :)

But after being out of school for a couple years, I got called for my first “real” percussion gig. I was terrified.

Almost all of my drumset-playing experience comes from outside school, from playing in church as a high school student to playing in cover bands during college. I think the fact that I had played so much kit outside of school helped me to feel significantly more confident in my abilities, compared to how I felt about my percussion skills. I knew I’d learned a lot about percussion, but I just didn’t feel like my skills were “up-to-snuff.” All of that considered, when I got the call to play a concert in an orchestra made up of professionals and a few symphony musicians, I just didn’t think I measured up.

I arrived early for the first rehearsal to get my gear set up and in place (I was playing primarily timpani, with a sprinkling of other auxiliary items). The other percussionist (the REAL percussionist from the Symphony) was already set up and ready to go, and he was thumbing through his music. His setup was massive, consisting of a concert bass drum, tam-tam, chimes, bell tree, xylophone, multiple cymbals, hand drums, shakers, tambourines…you name it. He truly did this for a living and he owned all of his own equipment. This intensified my feelings of inadequacy.

To my surprise, however, he quickly introduced himself and greeted me warmly. Before I knew it, we were in the midst of a conversation about percussion, drums, music school, life…all that good stuff. A few minutes before downbeat, after getting my music in order and playing through some passages, he leaned over to me and told me something I’ll never forget. He sensed my nervousness, though it had certainly subsided since walking in. Looking around the seated orchestra then looking me in the eye, he said, “Hey - Don’t forget to have fun. With this stuff, you HAVE TO.” This summed it all up. He knows this is hard too... I thought to myself. I’m not crazy. There’s no way symphony musicians can spend their lives doing this without absolutely LOVING what they do and having fun every moment of it.

As simple (and maybe cheesy) as the saying of “don’t forget to have fun” is…it really struck a chord with me that night. Sometimes you get so bogged down in feeling like you have a huge standard you have to measure up to, but you may just need to loosen up and enjoy life. Hey this is a life lesson just as much as it’s a music/drumming/gigging lesson. I learned to apply that to every future gig (percussion gigs included!), always reminding myself to “not take myself too seriously.” You have to take music seriously to some degree to grow and make progress, but you’ve gotta let loose eventually and just enjoy it. That mindset shift can be a major turning point.

God Bless,

Stephen