Professional Advice Archives | Page 3 of 3 | Total Drummer

Become a drum teacher

How to become a drum teacher Become a drum teacher to make your passion your living Become a drum teacher and use your passion to make money. The rewards are huge, not only because you can easily earn twice the average salary, but also because you will never need to wake up and go to a job you hate again. You never need to take orders from a boss you don't like again. You never need to feel frustrated because you'd rather be drumming than doing whatever you're doing eight hours a day again. It really is possible and it really…

Stage Fright for Drummers

Stage Fright for Drummers How to conquer stage frightStage fright is real. The archetypal tattooed, macho drummer is prevalent; but even big hairy rock drummers get scared![This is a stage fright article that was first published in Rhythm magazine January 2013]- VIDEO BELOW -Most drummers have experienced nerves in some capacity before a gig, audition, or recording session. It may occur just before the performance or days in advance, and manifest itself as a nervous anticipation that stimulates an inspired performance, or a debilitating dread that actually prevents you going on stage.For those who suffer these negative aspects, they can seem…

Musician Self Doubt – 8 Ways to Conquer It

Musician Self Doubt - 8 Ways to Conquer It How to conquer musician self doubt Musician self doubt can be a big problem for all of us and I think you'll agree with me when I say we've all experienced it at some point to some degree. That awareness of self is part of what makes us human so it's definitely not something to be ashamed of. But it can be inhibiting when getting on stage and performing in front of an audience. Below I want to discuss 8 key strategies for conquering musician self doubt. And the great news…

Seven Essential Drumming Audition Tips

Seven Essential Drumming Audition Tips Audition tips to help you hold your nerve I think you’ll agree with me when I say that auditions are pretty scary scenarios. No matter how much we prepare, we often go into that audition room and give an under par representation of what we can really do. I have my share of audition nightmares like most musicians but over time I developed some key strategies to help me perform at my best in this pressurised situation. In this article I want to share some of the key audition tips with you so you can…

Drum Warm Up | Drumming Advice

Drum Warm Up A Drum Warm Up Is Crucial A proper drum warm up is crucial. Many drummers prepare for their drumming performance with a pint of beer and a cigarette before they climb on stage and demonstrate a gruelling two hour set, exerting great physical effort and putting significant strain on their body. This might seem satisfactory for some more gentle styles of music but in general, playing the drum set is a very physical activity and to enable optimum performance, as well as playing longevity, it would be a good idea to fore-go alcoholic or nicotine nerve calmers…

How to become famous – Tips to boost your drum career

How To Become Famous! Top tips on maximising your chances of getting your big break How to become famous: - I know the title is a little attention grabbing but hey, you're reading it! Really it's about creating our own luck to boost our music career rather than the X-factor fueled dream to become famous. This is an article I wrote that was published in Modern Drummer December 2007. I know that was a while ago but the advice (including some from well respected drummers such as Bill Bruford and Carmine Appice still stands firm. “Sorry Sting, my schedule is…

Drum Audition – How to get the gig

Tips to smash your drum audition How to succeed in your next drum audition I haven’t met many musicians who enjoy a drum audition. They can be incredibly nerve racking environments and cause us to feel inhibited, tense, sweaty, scared, unrehearsed, unsure of what is expected and distracted by minor things that normally go unnoticed. Not ideal reactions to a situation in which we’re supposed to demonstrate how good we are at playing our instrument. If you suffer from these problems, they can be overcome, and maybe the best remedy is just to get out there and gain experience by…

Military Music Career

Military Music Career Get paid to play drums and travel the world A military music career might not be something you've considered before. Most of us dream of playing music professionally, enjoying a secure salary, travelling the world, sharing the stage with the likes of Jools Holland and entertaining the Queen but surely this is just a dream unless you’re one of the lucky few? Think again because this is exactly how the 833 musicians of the Corps of Army Music spend their working days. Spread across 23 bands, with another 20 territorial bands in addition, these players are living…

Want to be a cruise ship drummer

Become a cruise ship drummer Travel the world and get paid to play drums Cruise ships are a fantastic opportunity to make a living from your playing and improve your playing in a variety of styles whilst travelling to every corner of the world in style, but be warned; it could be your dream job or a tedious and claustrophobic nightmare. GETTING THE GIGPeople pay large sums to enjoy a cruise and the entertainment is one of the big pulls. As a result, musical standards are high requiring a thorough audition to pass. These are often conducted via a phone…

How To Tune Drums

Learn how to tune drums This is a crucial skill that every drummer needs. It's crucial that you know how to tune drums. So many times I hear students tell me that they need a new snare drum or that their toms are terrible. Sometimes it might be true but before they raid their parent’s bank accounts I always offer to check out their existing drums. Often it’s a simple case of an a poorly tuned drum. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO TUNE DRUMS? A Drum Key Or event better Evans Torque Key HEADS If anything does need replacing, it…