Drummers As Musicians

I've started this column at Dane101 where I interview drummers. This morning I thought of a new question to ask future victims:

There’s an old joke along the lines of, “your average rock band has four people in it: three musicians and a drummer.” There’s also the theme in the movie Spinal Tap that drummers are disposable and easily replaced. How do you think non-drummers view the role of the drummer in bands? Do you think others consider drummers to be musicians? Are drummers considered important? Are they considered disposable/replaceable? What do you think about all of that?

I don't know that the question is phrased very eloquently, but it gets the point across. Are drummers musicians? Are drummers artists? Are they unique?

The answer, of course (I think anyway), is a variation on "it depends." And as far as I'm concerned, the same is true of anyone who plays any instrument. But I think drummers get a bad wrap more often than other kinds of instrumentalists/singers.

To the uninitiated eye, playing drums is about hitting things and being loud. And maybe also about being fast in some cases. None of these things sound like art or even music on their face.

In the drum magazines there's alot of talk about "playing musically." This is kind of a nebulous concept to grasp. What does it really mean? The best I can grasp it, it means playing in context with what is going on in the song. That means listening to the other players and making your part compliment, not detract from, their parts. And keeping to contribute to something overall that is pleasing. Does that make it art? Who the hell knows? Not everyone thinks the same thing is pleasing...so whether it is art might depend on who you ask. But if pressed, even if you don't "like" something, you probably are able to concede that it might be pleasing to someone else. Conversely, if something is displeasing to most people, that's probably pretty easy to identify too. Lines blur sometimes...death metal...or maybe rap...comes to mind. You've got to have a mindset to accept some things as art if they really conflict with your own sensibilities.

This all gets back to my reoccurring question...how do you know what's good? And the corollary...how do I know when I'M good...and not just kidding myself...or being overly self-critical.

But that's a larger question...here I'm thinking more specifically...if we all agree that the music is good...does it matter who the drummer is? Could you replace the drummer with a machine? Could any drummer of the same level of playing ability replace another? Is drumming art or science? Expression or pure physical/mental skill? Magic or muscle memory?

I don't know that I know the answer.

I think it is easy to say that SOME drummers are not musicians. They aren't really paying attention to what's going on around them. They aren't contributing to something that is pleasing. Even if they aren't technically hitting "wrong" notes. These are "guys" (ok, people, but it seems more likely to be guys...so sue me) who play too loud or try to get in too many licks. Or maybe the opposite...maybe they are boring...leave too much open space. I think it's harder to identify the latter of these. Sometimes leaving space is good...and sometimes it's boring and not musical. That's a tougher call to make.

And maybe...being able to make that call...that's what turns a drummer into a musician. Knowing when the time is right to shine and when the time is right to lay back. That's music. That's art.

And there's stuff like nuance too. Phrasing. Accents. Balance. Consistency. That all contributes to it being art.

So what about me? I'm young in my learning. I don't yet have all the skills that I need to make it art. I'm still putting the motions into muscle memory. It isn't unconscious for me yet. I'm thinking alot and working hard. But...I would like there to be a point in time that I get to where I'm not thinking so hard...and I'm adding phrasing and accents. Things are balanced and consistent. And I can listen more to what's going on around me and react accordingly.

I think I'm on my way. I'm just not a master yet. But I do listen to the other musicians as much as I can. I don't try to show off...partly because I don't have the physical skills to show off...but even when I've developed more so that I COULD show off if I wanted to...I don't think that's in my nature. I don't like to draw attention to myself. I want to prove myself...but I don't want to draw attention to myself. I'll always be more about groove than flash.

Not that my personality automatically translates into being more of an artist than a show off is. But I do think it means that I'm not as likely to get distracted away from the art.

And that said, I don't think that I'm a particularly creative person...not particularly artistic. I'll be happy to get things technically correct and to not overplay it. There are surely people out there who have that creative tilt though.

So, in conclusion...drummers CAN be artists...but not all are. But that's the case with all people who play music. There are less artists than there are people who play music. I guess, as long as you're having fun, I don't know that it matters, though.