Isnt it amazing that we pretty much know INSTANTLY when a drummer is going to sound
good on a drum set? The ONLY purpose for me writing this is to be constructive. With the right awareness, we can make adjustments and improvements. I have taught hundreds of drummers to play and Id like to quickly share what I have observed as the most common reasons why drummers sound BAD on the drum set: 1) Bashers 2) Rushers/Draggers 3) Confused 4) No Timing Bashers see the drum set as something to attack and be as loud and wild as possible. These folks need some anger management. Rushers and Draggers can be pretty darn good drummers who just have a non-musical tendency to speed up or slow down making the music sound really bad. Confused drummers dont have an intuitive sense of when to stop or change sections and playing the drums is just a giant perplexing whirlwind for them. No Timing drummers are like the bass drummer in Mr. Hollands Opus where he gave him a football helmet and tapped onto his head to help him try to find the steady beat. How many drummers does it take to screw in a light bulb? Only one but he keeps speeding up and slowing down. All of us have been one of these archetypes at some level and at some musical point in time. The question is, are we committed enough to face the truth and take steps to improve and get better. Please feel free to email me and ask any further questions or just get my free ebooks: Drum Set Magicand Drum Lines For Kids. Todd Omohundro has played over 5000 performances as a drummer, piano player and singer. He has taught music for over 17 years in private and public schools. Todd started an elemenrtary drum line that has played at 76er games in Philadelphia.