Real musicians

[Drummer4life13]

Okay, me and my friend were talking about music and different musicians through our era. I mentioned the drummer from Avenged Sevenfold and how he was such a great musician, and my friend said "Drummers aren't musicians."
Well, I disagree. I think that if you make music, you should be considered a musician. What do you think? Do you think drummers should be considered musicians, or do you agree with my friend?

[ToshX]

Re: Real musicians

Well, they're considered musicians, but I think it doesn't look terribly hard to hit something with a stick at the right time :/

So, what else is there to discuss?

[Drummer4life13]

Re: Real musicians

R u kidding?!?
Its hard to get the right rythem down and to learn how to use your foot in beat with your hands.

[ape0]

Re: Real musicians

I play guitar and I played drums once and it's pretty easy to drum a simple beat, but when you get to really complicated stuff, that's when it's hard.

[Matrixdude]

Re: Real musicians

Well I am a drummer myself and I have to agree with you that drummers are in fact musicians.

They create MUSIC using the most common, most heard of (most likely) instrument. I myself actually write songs and notes for the drums which is basically what a true musician does. I don't think there's really a question about it that drummers are musicians. I don't see why anyone would say we aren't but I guess some people who don't play drums, such as your friend, think of it as basically a tempo and beat keeper (which, basically we are) but it's so much more that once you sit on the throne and begin to actually play a song.

So yeah, I guess my point is that we, as drummers, ARE musicians, let it be set, snare, bass, or any other marching band or maybe even household drumming instruments such as buckets or whatever you play to drum with, no matter what, you are a musician.

[Verruckter]

Re: Real musicians

What you need to know is that in any band with a drum, it's the musicians that follow the drums and not the opposite. This means drums are the base of every type of modern music. Without drums, it sounds empty. Ever tried to listen to Metal, Rock, Hip Hop, Pop or even Jazz and Blues without drums? Doesn't quite sound the same, doesn't it? The drums is not there to complete the music, it's there to be the foundations.

Therefor, drums is an instrument.

Well, they're considered musicians, but I think it doesn't look terribly hard to hit something with a stick at the right time :/

So, what else is there to discuss?

It's not really hard to strike power chords either or to sing in falsetto, yet most people do it and it's called music, and runs on MTV.

[Relambrien]

Re: Real musicians

The main purpose of drums are to support the other instruments to make the song sound "complete," with a beat and other background sounds. Drums by themselves don't really make a type of music most people would like to listen to, but things like guitars by themselves often do. This is why some people have difficulty accepting drummers as musicians.

Think of drums as the support class from your favorite video game; not that popular by themselves, but they complete a team and make it unstoppable.

[csoup1414]

Re: Real musicians

well, it depends really
my middle school music teacher always hated it when the drummers didnt really PLAY anything, they just randomly hit the drum
now, since im in a high school band that is really good, the instructor says the drummers are playing music
it also depends on the drums...like the quads have different tones (our quad player actually plays "mary had a little lamb" and the mario theme song on them) and then the base drums can have different tones to them (the play the songs on that too)
well, if you're just randomly banging (non perverted) then its not really music unless it has a beat that you can move to...then i say its music

[devonin]

Re: Real musicians

Well, step one: This isn't a CT topic and should probably go to Chit-chat

Step two: Terms like that are best interpreted as regards whether it is your profession. I'd define a musician as "Someone who makes their living performing music"

I play all kinds of musical instruments, some of them quite well, but I am a student, not a musician, because I don't make my living at it.

If you try to apply it more generally than that you run into all the problems of subjectivity.

What is an artist? Someone who makes art? Someone who makes -good- art? How can you possibly define "good" and "bad" creative expression? Is a musician anyone who can make any noise come out of an instrument? Do they have to have skill? How much skill? How do you gauge it?

As far as I'm concerned, outside the bounds of "People who make a living at music" the only possible way to define it more generally is "Anybody who says they are"

[Flesh Field]

Re: Real musicians

Well, they are obviously musicians seeing they help the band create music. Also for all you dumb dumbs out there drummers are one of the most important members of a band, for if a guitarist makes a mistake - the drummer can cover for him. Also it takes lots of dexterity and a good rhythm to play the drums.

Two of the best drummers in the world are John Bonham from Led Zeppelin and Chirs Adler from Lamb of God.

P.S. Avenged Sevenfold sucks, they're emo/goth whiny sucky peices of... -mumbles on for 2 minutes about how much they suck-

[devonin]

Re: Real musicians

As long as you understand how purely subjective those terms are. There's no such thing as a "Best" at -anything- except insofar as they match the particular subjective qualities you are looking for. My list of "best" drummers is nowhere near the same as yours, if simply due to the lack of Gene Krupa on it.

[slipstrike0159]

Re: Real musicians

First off, this shouldnt be in CT or Chit Chat, it should be in media... WHERE MUSIC IS DISCUSSED (among other things).

Now that thats out of the way, lets jump right into this.

Anyone who think that drums in of themselves arent an instrument that requires an educated musician is either ignorant or just have no clue and are saying random words. If you have ever heard a GOOD drumline, then you will notice within the first couple measures that with JUST drums many different musical terms are put into effect.

Also, to play the complicated stuff on the drums you need just as talented of a musician if not a MORE talented musician to perform it with decent accuracy. I really dont think many people understand just how hard rythms can get and do get because they play instruments that deal with many other musicality factors. With the drums a lot of things are stripped away so they can focus specifically on the rythm and beats which makes it extremely difficult most times.

As a side note, most bands (at least with the mainstream ones) only use their drummers as a beat keeper and to give a good rythm foundation and not much more.

[Dragula219]

Re: Real musicians

Two of the best drummers in the world are John Bonham from Led Zeppelin and Chirs Adler from Lamb of God.

Rofl.

[Relambrien]

Re: Real musicians

Rofl.

I might as well jump on you before Devonin or someone does. Regardless of whether or not this thread belongs in CT, the fact remains that currently it is, so please don't post unless you have something to add to the discussion.

[Dragula219]

Re: Real musicians

Ok, I'll play by the rules. And on this topic I'll be damned if I'm not close minded in my opinion.

If you don't think percussionists are musicians, you are musically retarded. Music most likely started with ONLY percussion, and percussion is the basis of music because it creates the tempo. Drummers are the true leaders of bands, because everything revolves around the percussion (point being: If the drummer ****s up, most of the time the whole band will.)"BUT DRAGULA! ACOUSTIC MUSIC DOESN'T HAVE PERCUSSION!!!!" Yeah, and that's why good acoustic artists use their strumming pattern to create a type of percussion.