There are not too many drummers that have ever picked up a pair of drumsticks and not have had that universal dream of playing in front of huge crowds to adoring audiences night after night in cities around the world. The ultimate drummers fantasy, right? Huge stages, massive sound, enormous crowds, small fortunes every paycheck, free gear, vacations all the time, and you don’t even have to do anything except show up and do what you love to do. Why wouldn’t everyone want to do that, right? Simply put, for most, that is strictly a fantasy, even for the people really doing it.
Being a professional drummer does not mean being a rock star. The real professionals are quick to point that out, including the nationally touring people you know by name, in the bands that you go to see. Don’t get me wrong, the national drummers enjoy many great benefits at their level, and most if not all have certainly earned the rights to those special perks and bonuses, but the modern day working professional drummer is anything but a fantasy. The truth is, most modern working pro drummers are creative, aggressive, and hard working entrepreneurs that have built up a good clientele from working tirelessly, making contacts, and sacrificing to get their brand (themselves) out into the market and firmly established. With the myths dispelled, now we can begin our journey to become a Professional Drummer.
So, you have been playing for some time now and you feel that you are ready to move to the next level, but there are no job fairs or indeed.com openings for it, so how does one become a “Professional” drummer? Well, first we should define that title. The easy definition of a professional is someone that is hired/paid to perform a job, service, or task. In the case of being a drummer, it’s all three, and then some (at least in my experience). So, step one of course is to be at least proficient at playing the drums and to be as versatile as you can with regard to styles/genres. As with any job or service, the more you can offer, the more valuable you will be in the eyes of perspective clients. Notice how I used the term clients, not client. This leads to my next point.
While some people get lucky and end up in a band that does well, chances are that you will not be able to make much money in one band. The next step is to figure out your availability and play in as many projects, bands, or musical situations as possible. Starting out, you may have to take on free shows or low paying work, but whatever your situation, always try to make everything you do work for you, and always set realistic short term goals and work hard to attain them. If you accept shows/situations for no money, get them to give you a good reference, and ask them to help you in your goal to make it as a pro musician. I have found this to be crucial in starting out. Good references and being open and honest with people about your intentions always tends to lead to better outcomes. As you play more and more, you can ask for more and more. My advice here is to not get greedy. If you get a low offer and you have no gigs, some money is better than no money.
It also helps early on to have a long term goal in mind, or even a reference of someone you would like to emulate. For me, I knew that I wanted to play for a living, and I also knew that I did not want to be stuck with just one genre or style of music. With that I dove headfirst into many different styles and situations and found that very instructive and rewarding. I also had drumming heroes to loosely base my goals on. First call studio and live guys like Josh Freese, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jeff Porcaro, Kenny Aranoff, and more recently, Gavin Harrison, were not only drumming inspirations, but their versatility and ability to play with anyone, and always be in demand, while still having a personal identity, were huge to me.
After making a bit of a name for yourself and having some references and hopefully media to show perspective clients, the next crucial move is to make yourself more visible to potential clients and create a way-point for them to get information, contact you, and get them to music/video/media that will help persuade them that you are who they need. A website is likely the best way to go, and is most appealing to people looking for you, but even a good social media presence can help tremendously. Word of mouth will always be invaluable, and in truth, is still going to be your primary source of new work. For this reason, every show should be your best show! Always bring your A+ game!
I can’t tell you how many times I have played a show where it seemed like no one was interested or there were not many people there, but the passion for the music and the performance was enough to get a contact, or another booking, or a tip, or any other positive result. Another tip I can give you is to always be thankful to the audience and your fellow musicians. Even more importantly, always make friends with the sound tech, and thank them even if everything sounded horrible. Chances are you will get them again at some point (especially if you are playing the same places a lot) and they can make or break you and your band. If they remember you being cool and easy to work with, your life will be much easier and your band will likely benefit from that.
Another very useful tip is knowing your role in the band/mix/performance. Always put the music itself first, your band mates second, and you as a distant third. This is the major difference between most professionals and other drummers. Being able to play sick drum fills at insane speeds might wow other musicians, but more times than not, it is not going to serve the song, and at the end of the day, is not going to get you any work, and without work, it’s going to be hard to be a professional. This bring up Ego. Ego is useful, to an extent. Most people jump to demonize Ego, but you need just enough Ego to be confident and always bring your A+ game. Anything beyond that however, is unnecessary and will usually hurt you. Try to find that magic spot where you can be the beast that you are and still be respectful and grateful.
Unfortunately, there is no one tried and true way to become a professional musician. Once people know that is your goal and you work at that with the help of bands/fill-ins/sessions for a while you will begin to get pretty busy. This is where you start realizing that being a professional drummer is not actually just about drumming. Now, you are also a business manager, event planner/coordinator, media specialist, logistics manager, driver, traveling sales director, and in my case, I add harmony vocalist, percussionist, recording engineer, live sound man, webmaster, media specialist, and songwriter to the mix as well. Again, the more you can offer, the more valuable you are. Also learn to be a great manager of your time, keep excellent records, communicate effectively, keep your calendar/dates effectively, and always do what you say. Be dependable, show up early, help as much as you can, keep learning and improving as you go, and let people see your professionalism in all you do. If you can do those things, you are well on your way to becoming a professional!
PS; Once you get paid the first time to play your drums, you are a professional drummer. Grow it from there!