In the world of music, the drummer is often underappreciated. Little do we know it’s the drummer who is the heartbeat of the band and holds everyone together. While the vocalists and guitarists might garner all the attention, without the drummer, everything all falls out of place. These pivotal roles are vital in any group or style, but what are the benefits for you if you choose to pick up the sticks? In this article, we’re going to be looking at the benefits of playing in a band that I have experienced as a drummer, whether it be health, networking, or just sheer fun.
Developing Personal and Professional Skills
Playing drums isn’t just about the fun of the performance. There is so much more that happens behind the scenes. Whether that be organisation, time management, or communication, playing the drums can be a journey of personal and professional development.
Time Management Skills
Aside from learning the timing behind the drum kit, it’s also equally vital to manage your own time as your drumming journey progresses. You will need to carefully schedule your practice sessions, whether by yourself or with your bandmates. There is also the organisation of events or shows where you must consider everything from setlist times to load out for venues. These are all ways that you will develop time management through playing drums.
Building Personal Networks
Moreover, performing with a band as a drummer means creating a solid professional network. Working alongside other musicians, sound engineers, and music industry professionals affords opportunities to build bridges that lead to future collaborations and live performance bookings. When people say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, it definitely rings true when you’ve been in the industry for long enough.
Improving Cultural Understanding Through Travel
An underrated part of being in a band is the ability to travel the world. Through my experience playing drums, I’ve been able to visit many countries on tours. I get to experience new cultures, lands and people I wouldn’t have in a regular job. This can help better understand the world and other people, something lacking for those staying in their bubble.
Physical and Mental Health Benefits for Drummers
When you see the drummer at the back wailing his arms like a madman, you surely didn’t think of physical or mental health benefits, did you? Well luckily, there’s a host of benefits that one can get from smashing tubs. Here are some of them.
Better Physical Health
Drumming, at its most basic, is a four-limbed activity that involves 80+ muscles in the body. If you’re playing the drums, being coordinated and having decent body strength is necessary. It also depends on your genre. My experience playing metal has meant that I exert myself since the style of music should be loud and aggressive.
This combination of factors provides a workout, and when done correctly in a performance or practice situation, it is very similar to a 30min to 1hr cardio session. Playing for these amounts of time can increase your heart rate and improve cardio endurance.
Lowers Stress and Anxiety
Drumming is linked to lower levels of stress and anxiety. The meditative rhythm of drumming allows your mind to enter a trance-like state where the main focus is simple and repetitive, just keeping the beat. The tension of everyday life can be released in this concentrated state. It’s also a no-brainer that pounding on a drum is an excellent way to expel pent-up energy, which makes some people think of drumming as a lovely form of anger management.
Boosts Cognitive Function
Cognitive function might also be boosted by drumming. Playing intricate rhythms requires not just coordination but also timing. When a drummer deals with a complex pattern, different sections of the brain light up and get to work. That better engages the individual musically and demands more from them cognitively, and the improvisation aspect of it also requires more problem-solving. So they’re solving problems in real-time at the moment as well as playing complex timings and syncopated rhythms.
The rapidly changing music world provides many advantages to drummers playing in bands, and those advantages extend well beyond the sheer delight of creating music. Playing music in a group fosters personal growth and can pay dividends in professional development. It encourages better physical and mental health, and it builds social connections, almost as playing music opens doors to new relationships. So, if you’re considering picking up the sticks, it could certainly offer more benefits than you think!
