Don't Just Run With It, Have Fun With It!

What is the #1 job we have as drummers?

I bet most of you said, "to keep time." While this is the usual tried-and-true answer to my question, I'm going to propose a different answer: To have fun! The #1 job we have as drummers is to have fun. I say this for a couple of reasons.

If we aren't having fun, then the band isn't having fun, and if the band isn't having fun, then the audience isn't having fun. You can tell when someone is having a bad time on stage, and it stinks. It's true that a bored drummer can technically play just fine, but that's all their playing will be, just fine. When the drummer is truly enjoying themselves, they bring a whole new level of energy to the music and performance! I can't help but smile when I see drummers doing what they love to do. Real passion is infectiously satisfying.

On top of enhancing music, having fun also serves as a powerful guide, leading us towards decisions that will bring us happiness. As Sigmund Freud once said, we are either heading towards pleasure or away from pain. In this case, drumming is the pleasure we pursue. When we have fun doing anything, we should listen to what our enjoyment is telling us, and run with it. You felt so joyously alive when you played the drums? Would you like to feel that way more often? Well alright, play more drums!