You have a good point. In a sense, drummers can do more if they produce that "vibe" you're talking about (they makes beats, and in a sense melodies). We are definitely underrated by those who know nothing about producing music, only listening to it. They think we just bang around because it looks simple to the untrained eye. Anybody who plays music better show some love lol. Man I miss my beauty, I don't have a kit no more :(.

I'm glad you feel the pain, we're not alone. But practice pads? It's just not the same man, it's just not the same lol.

You should try playing in a limited volume environment... When I used to play with my old band in school I was constantly the loudest element and everyone had to turn up to match me. That is a pretty awesome feeling.

That said, I picked up the bass a year or two ago, trying to get some melody into my musicianship... I think it's sometimes a lot more rewarding to learn a song on bass than drums. But I do love playing drums, especially to bands like Queens of the Stone Age where you can just appreciate jamming out.

Coolest thing about drumming is that you're nearly always in demand, but it's hard to form bands because it's tough to do a lot of songwriting. I do a lot of the arrangement in my band, organizing the riffs and whatnot, and sometimes I'll contribute a riff or suggestion, but it's not quite the same.

Theres your reason. Being the best comes with a price.

It is very rewarding, as a drummer, to learn a song on another instrument. I still think it's a good idea for drummers to invest in another instrument. Most drummers I know play guitar for example.

It's true that we're always in demand, there aren't too many of us. I think a lot of people consider learning drums but then decide to invest in guitar or bass because of it's versatility and also because it's portable. Owning a drum set is a pain in the ass when it comes to storage, noise, tuning, and moving. So much work involved which I think is the reason there aren't too many drummers.

That's true. As a drummer, you become very important since you are always in demand yet hard to find.

hmm... well im a synth drummer, does that count? i use FPC and live* drum synths... when i reach 15 posts and i can actually posts links or videos or whatever ill post some of my totally epic drum *synth* solos =P

You can produce melodies with drumming. Drumming is not only about creating beats, its also about crafting unique sounding and textured sounds and rhythms. Of course "melodic" drumming is different from melodies produced from a guitar, but I believe there is much more to percussion then just "keeping the beat," even when you are the one that is the rhythmic backbone.

I understand what you mean though when you have a desire to create the sound more heard and recognized in a band, especially when the kind of music you guys most likely play is rock where the drums "keep the beat" attitude is very strong.

For a portable drumming alternative, you could beat box :D.

Why are most songs in 4/4 time signature?

Because four is the highest number drummers can count to :drummer: [pid dat dat - crash]

Actually...according to me:
- The drums and the bass guitar are the very heart of the band.

DRUMS: They keep the rhythm of the song, the tempo of the song...the very beat of the song.

BASS: The bass is perhaps, the most important thing in a band. It keeps the melody full, fills the rhythm and deepens it...the bass guitar is a bridge between melody and rhythm.

I play a lead guitar and I'm a singer, but without those two instruments, you are going nowhere :D

drum melodies
 

Hi, Sam-Y,
You wrote about the limited power of drums to produce melodies. As a novice drummer I haven't had a lot of experience playing, but for the few songs I've played (during home recording) I've tuned the drums so that they make the notes that match certain parts of the song. For example, right now my high tom is D, my mid tom is B, and my floor tom is G. So, when I play with the melody I do feel very much part of it and I am helping to create it (beyond just the rhythm, which is of course important). I am going to try to adjust the tuning to match additional songs and see how that works. I wondered if you do this with your drumming, too?

I am envious that you get to play with a band at all! Since I'm doing home recording, my band usually consists of Me Me Me and occasionally one other person. The advantage of this is I get to play a lot of instruments, and so can compare how I feel about them (violin vs. electric guitar vs. drums vs. electric piano, for example). I do like the electric guitar because of the versality others mention, and the feeling of power combined with sensitivity, but in actuality when I play the drums (with earplugs in), it feels very cathartic and I can understand drums being your passion. I like the fact that you interact with the drums with your whole body (feet and arms).

I also agree with others that the drums are the backbone and they provide the basis of a lot of the drive in rock music: the sense of the heartbeat, which can be subtle or intense, but always is very much of the primal draw of beat-based music. The drums are cumbersome to move them around, I agree. Piccolo players have it a lot easier.
--Erica