Certain events or I should say a certain event has happened recently
that has forced me to think about my own life, or that part of my life I
should say.. That part is when I was a drummer.. Played drums
anyway.. And it all started at the beginning, where it usually
starts..
I started playing drums (a drum) way back when I was quite little.. Exactly when I started is anyone's guess, my own guess is around 4 or 5 years old.. Mom & dad gave me a little toy drum for Christmas one year.. Then there were the ice cream buckets and coffee can drumset I set up and played on the back porch.. By the time I was in fifth grade I was sure what I wanted to play in beginning band.. The flute... Just joking, I was hoping to get to play the drums and got my wish.. Getting to play the drums was a dream but I had never seen a drumset before.. That fateful night at the highschool watching that guy play the drumset supercharged me.. I just couldn't get over seeing that and even now thinking about how I felt that night at that basketball game watching them play for the game.. So seriously COOLER THAN SHIT!!. I was hooked and also playing the drumset would derail my learning to play the snare drum for the rest of my life.. When you learn to play the snare and then move over to the drumset you take the rudements to the drumset.. In my case it was a few rudements but for the most part it was I learned to play the drums separate from the snare.. In other words it was like a completely new instrument, sort of.. I mean it was percussive like the snare but it was more.. You play the bass drum with your right foot, the high hat with your left foot and right hand and the snare drum with your left hand, throwing in fills and moving from the snare to the bass drum mounted tom tom to the floor mounted tom tom... My drumset was a four piece which was perfect for learning on..
I don't know when I started to listen to records or tapes while playing nor can I remember what the first group was when I did this, but it would put me in a stadium somewhere playing to thousands of adoring fans.. Live albums were hard to play to, but studio were the best.. The album I listened to the most might shock some people.. It was Boston's Don't Look Back.. But there were others.
I got the drumset for Christmas when I was in seventh grade, had it mastered by the time the anniversary of getting it came around.. Sure.. True learning the drums was easy, or seemed easy, so was I doing it right?? Let's see right foot on the bass drum.. check.. Left foot on the high hat.. check.. Well that was the basics I mean how hard does it get from here?? It can be as hard as you want it to be.. I looked for other groups records to play to, but the transitions from drum to drum was easiest on the don't look back album.. Hitting the fills right on was paramount but later I would add my own fills and everything therein..
By the time I was in high school I figured everyone knew I had a drumset and could at the very least play it marginally well.. By the time I was a freshman I was second seat (chair) on the snare drum but wanted the drumset as well.. The first chair was a senior as was the second on the snare or at least it was that way to start the school year.. The second chair was held by Kim, first chair by Lenore.. That left me where?? I had been a utility drummer in the high school marching band from the time I was in seventh grade.. I wanted more.. I wanted to play the drumset and was fairly upset when I didn't get it.. But I felt then as I do now that I could have gotten the first chair, I was given second chair because I showed up for band everyday.. It was my favorite class and would be through my senior year.. I didn't challenge for the first seat at all, I felt like the upperclassmen might not like that so I waited until the next year when I got the first seat by default but was never challenged for it.. Although I did worry slightly that Bruce might want it, he challenged for second seat from Jamie and got it.. For the most part the drum section was stable and everyone played what they wanted.. I was first seat, Jamie/Bruce second.. My brother Bob on bass drum, Randy-O on tympany, and Lori on bells and light duty percussion (I think she could care less to be there, and I didn't care what she did)..
I remember the pep band days and playing pregame and having Franklin seeming to freak out.. Truth is I wasn't really listening to the band at all, I was just playing loud... Rhythm, what rhythm.. The music teacher would try to show me how to play but I thought he couldn't play.. He really could sort of play the drumset, but then everyone can play the drums.. sort of.. Playing sustained is quite a difference.. If I could place myself as a drummer at that point I would say I was not a very good drummer in school...
By the time I was a junior, the summer between my junior/senior year I was asked if I was interested in joining a rock band.. I said yes and a classmate got in touch with a guy he knew.. And that is when it all started.. The highs, the lows.. The good times.. and the not so good..
Getting together with this guy at the local Dairy Queen, we talked and I felt like such an outcast even right then.. I had never heard of these guys, they were local kids in high school and the town where they went to school was big enough that there had to be talent.. Chuck was clearly the leader, he played guitar and tried to sing but was clearly out of his league singing.. The bassist was Bob, he as well tried to sing a little.. The drummer I was replacing was a screw off artist.. He played enough to get in the band, he was good enough to fool the other two guys.. (there was a girl in the band but she was a goof at best, playing keyboards).. The second practice would be in my hometown and the third and forth as well but after enough trouble from the neighbors we needed a new place to practice.. My older brother was going with a girl that lived in the country and he was able to talk to the girlfriends mother into letting us practice there, in what was an old dairy barn building thing.. We practiced there until September when the band would implode.. Bummer of the grandest scales, I really only wanted to play at the school for a dance so badly.. But that wouldn't happen.. Not with this band..
As the band progressed we were in need of a second guitarist and they let it be known.. So when they brought in several guys one was this little guy I didn't pay any attention to, I was trying to figure some songs out and playing with another guitarist I thought would be the guy.. Then the little guy, a little mexicanish boy, came in and I have to say I wasn't impressed but then again we were trying so many guitarists out and a lot of pretend guitarists.. The new guy, the new guitarist would be in the band for less than a week before the band imploded with the lead guitarist leaving to join another well established band, and the bassist joining another band.. The new guitarist I barely even got to know at all.. His name was Ernie something.. Ward I think.. I wanted the other guy, his name was Bob Ogle I think.. Hitting the end of the band was hard and admitting it was over was tough to.. I really liked playing, but it was just never going to go anywhere anytime soon.. Chuck joined another band that was well established named Blue Earth.. The other guys would do whatever and I would just go to school..
I started playing drums (a drum) way back when I was quite little.. Exactly when I started is anyone's guess, my own guess is around 4 or 5 years old.. Mom & dad gave me a little toy drum for Christmas one year.. Then there were the ice cream buckets and coffee can drumset I set up and played on the back porch.. By the time I was in fifth grade I was sure what I wanted to play in beginning band.. The flute... Just joking, I was hoping to get to play the drums and got my wish.. Getting to play the drums was a dream but I had never seen a drumset before.. That fateful night at the highschool watching that guy play the drumset supercharged me.. I just couldn't get over seeing that and even now thinking about how I felt that night at that basketball game watching them play for the game.. So seriously COOLER THAN SHIT!!. I was hooked and also playing the drumset would derail my learning to play the snare drum for the rest of my life.. When you learn to play the snare and then move over to the drumset you take the rudements to the drumset.. In my case it was a few rudements but for the most part it was I learned to play the drums separate from the snare.. In other words it was like a completely new instrument, sort of.. I mean it was percussive like the snare but it was more.. You play the bass drum with your right foot, the high hat with your left foot and right hand and the snare drum with your left hand, throwing in fills and moving from the snare to the bass drum mounted tom tom to the floor mounted tom tom... My drumset was a four piece which was perfect for learning on..
I don't know when I started to listen to records or tapes while playing nor can I remember what the first group was when I did this, but it would put me in a stadium somewhere playing to thousands of adoring fans.. Live albums were hard to play to, but studio were the best.. The album I listened to the most might shock some people.. It was Boston's Don't Look Back.. But there were others.
I got the drumset for Christmas when I was in seventh grade, had it mastered by the time the anniversary of getting it came around.. Sure.. True learning the drums was easy, or seemed easy, so was I doing it right?? Let's see right foot on the bass drum.. check.. Left foot on the high hat.. check.. Well that was the basics I mean how hard does it get from here?? It can be as hard as you want it to be.. I looked for other groups records to play to, but the transitions from drum to drum was easiest on the don't look back album.. Hitting the fills right on was paramount but later I would add my own fills and everything therein..
By the time I was in high school I figured everyone knew I had a drumset and could at the very least play it marginally well.. By the time I was a freshman I was second seat (chair) on the snare drum but wanted the drumset as well.. The first chair was a senior as was the second on the snare or at least it was that way to start the school year.. The second chair was held by Kim, first chair by Lenore.. That left me where?? I had been a utility drummer in the high school marching band from the time I was in seventh grade.. I wanted more.. I wanted to play the drumset and was fairly upset when I didn't get it.. But I felt then as I do now that I could have gotten the first chair, I was given second chair because I showed up for band everyday.. It was my favorite class and would be through my senior year.. I didn't challenge for the first seat at all, I felt like the upperclassmen might not like that so I waited until the next year when I got the first seat by default but was never challenged for it.. Although I did worry slightly that Bruce might want it, he challenged for second seat from Jamie and got it.. For the most part the drum section was stable and everyone played what they wanted.. I was first seat, Jamie/Bruce second.. My brother Bob on bass drum, Randy-O on tympany, and Lori on bells and light duty percussion (I think she could care less to be there, and I didn't care what she did)..
I remember the pep band days and playing pregame and having Franklin seeming to freak out.. Truth is I wasn't really listening to the band at all, I was just playing loud... Rhythm, what rhythm.. The music teacher would try to show me how to play but I thought he couldn't play.. He really could sort of play the drumset, but then everyone can play the drums.. sort of.. Playing sustained is quite a difference.. If I could place myself as a drummer at that point I would say I was not a very good drummer in school...
By the time I was a junior, the summer between my junior/senior year I was asked if I was interested in joining a rock band.. I said yes and a classmate got in touch with a guy he knew.. And that is when it all started.. The highs, the lows.. The good times.. and the not so good..
Getting together with this guy at the local Dairy Queen, we talked and I felt like such an outcast even right then.. I had never heard of these guys, they were local kids in high school and the town where they went to school was big enough that there had to be talent.. Chuck was clearly the leader, he played guitar and tried to sing but was clearly out of his league singing.. The bassist was Bob, he as well tried to sing a little.. The drummer I was replacing was a screw off artist.. He played enough to get in the band, he was good enough to fool the other two guys.. (there was a girl in the band but she was a goof at best, playing keyboards).. The second practice would be in my hometown and the third and forth as well but after enough trouble from the neighbors we needed a new place to practice.. My older brother was going with a girl that lived in the country and he was able to talk to the girlfriends mother into letting us practice there, in what was an old dairy barn building thing.. We practiced there until September when the band would implode.. Bummer of the grandest scales, I really only wanted to play at the school for a dance so badly.. But that wouldn't happen.. Not with this band..
As the band progressed we were in need of a second guitarist and they let it be known.. So when they brought in several guys one was this little guy I didn't pay any attention to, I was trying to figure some songs out and playing with another guitarist I thought would be the guy.. Then the little guy, a little mexicanish boy, came in and I have to say I wasn't impressed but then again we were trying so many guitarists out and a lot of pretend guitarists.. The new guy, the new guitarist would be in the band for less than a week before the band imploded with the lead guitarist leaving to join another well established band, and the bassist joining another band.. The new guitarist I barely even got to know at all.. His name was Ernie something.. Ward I think.. I wanted the other guy, his name was Bob Ogle I think.. Hitting the end of the band was hard and admitting it was over was tough to.. I really liked playing, but it was just never going to go anywhere anytime soon.. Chuck joined another band that was well established named Blue Earth.. The other guys would do whatever and I would just go to school..
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