5 tips to make you more professional

A few tips that will revolutionize your professional drumming.

1. Know your equipment.

It's 2016, and drum equipment has come a long way in terms of technology. If earlier there were at most 5 different models of sticks, models of 3 plastics, and 1-2 types of wood were used to make drums, now, all this cannot be counted. Of course, you will be considered a more professional drummer if you are well versed in all the equipment. It is good to study the whole range of sounds and timbres that are now offered on the market. To know what kind of head you need for which song, what style of drums from which wood to choose, and in the end to be sure that your cymbals will produce a sufficiently powerful sound.

2. Be familiar with studio work.

The recording studio in our time is an integral part of the life of a musician.
Sooner or later you will still get to the studio. My advice is to learn as much as you can about working in the studio before you start recording. Read about microphones and their placement, about compression, about phases, etc. Then you can easily explain your sound wishes to the engineer, or if the engineer does not suit you, then do the necessary work yourself.

3. Listen and play different music.

Playing purely in one genre and being a pro in it is, of course, very good, but then again, we are adults and we have a question of earning money for a living. And for the drummer, it so happens that it is even harder to do this. Currently, there are a lot of different genres of music, so in order to have sufficient income, you need to strive to master a large number of directions. In addition, a deep study of various genres "pumps" you as a drummer, you start playing completely differently, stop narrow-mindedly performing everything strictly in one style and start adding elements of other genres. And that sounds interesting.

4. Possession of musical notation.

Even though you are a drummer, you are still a musician. Therefore, I consider the possession of musical notation an integral part of your professional life. You will not play solo all your life, sooner or later, you will still play in a team. To communicate in the same language with musicians and not slow down the creative process, you must be familiar with music theory. Some of the works are recorded exclusively in sheet music. You feel the music and phrasing differently, your playing becomes more professional and meaningful if you know how to read music.

5. Playing a melodic instrument.

You learn phrasing (arranging, performing and comprehending music in phrases) faster if you simultaneously know how (at least at a beginner level) to play a melodic instrument. Piano for example. It also develops your inner coordination and polyphonic mindset. This is when you think and hear your part not as a solid line, but broken into voices, leading each voice separately, this skill is indispensable in Latin American music. It's also very cool if you play the bass guitar. Bass with drums is the basis of the rhythm section and for a better understanding of everything that happens inside, you need to understand how it works.

Good luck in your studies, and good luck!