“Being A Professional Drummer”
When asked what I do for a living I’m proud to say, “I’m a professional drummer.” Earning a living playing the drums is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. However, it did not happen overnight. As a matter of fact is it has taken most of my adult life to get here. I have spent countless hours practicing, learning songs, taking lessons, rehearsing with bands, playing one-nighters for little or no money, and the lists goes on. I know it may sound like I’m complaining, but I’m not. I wouldn’t change any of it. I hope this article sheds some light, and helps make life a little easier for some of my fellow drummers. I would like to start by talking about the business. Remember this is a business, so it needs to be treated as such. I forgot who said it, but one of the best quotes I’ve ever heard was, “anyone who wants to make their living playing drums needs to have a stick bag in one hand and a brief case in the other.” In other words, you need to present