Giving-up

[in_the_pocket]

How many of you had the tempation to quit from drums, you want to be a proffessional but everything is against you, the financial aspect, the mayeb fisical aspect because you don't have enough time or coruage to practice enough, man I'm quiting........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[drummin1]

Trying to make a living playing the drums is going to be tough and dicey no matter what. Most folks I know that use music as their only source of income supplement it in more ways than just playing, i.e. teaching. I own a drum shop to give me financial freedom to play the drums more for fun, plus I can play what I want and not feel compelled to take every schlock gig that comes along. Personally, aside from that, I know my life would feel incomplete if I didn't play drums everyday. It's the one thing in my life that I have stuck with, and that's because it's part of who I am. I cherish that greatly, and I'll keep on playing til they cart me off to someplace. Hang in there!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 04, 2005 11:53 AM: Message edited by: drummin1 ]</font>

[Pocketime]

Dont do it!! I quit once for about 10 years and the road back was less than fun to say the least. I discovered that my style and personality had changed for the better but it took a really long time to get back to where I was before I quit. Hang in there. Make your goals attainable and enjoy and cherish the place where you are now. It will come when the time is right. PT.

[Suspiria]

First off: Just because you think you may not have what it takes to become professional, doesn't mean you should give up!
I can't deliver figures, but I would assume that the minority of drummers trying to "make it" manage to make a living off it. I have decided for myself to keep drumming the most important thing in my life, besides any profession I may have in the future. I strongly believe that if you can tell this yourself, you'll have a new drive because the pressure is off a little. Settling with drumming as your main hobby rather than occupation is not "giving up" in my opinion. Hope this cheers ya up a little [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
Then there's also the phases that everyone goes through...Sometimes you want to start a rock band and tour the world or just beat the living hell out of your drum set. Happens to everyone here!!!

[cjbdrm]

We've all thought about quitting or have actually quit and come back to it, it's probably safe to say...

Why don't you tell us a little more about your situation. Maybe we can help you in some way. Lots of wisdom and talent here...

[FuseU1]

Good posts guys; & as was said, I've also thought about this before.

The bottom line is, even if you decuide not to have it as a profession [main source of income], just never completely stop - find time to practice or play, & have fun, & do so on your own terms as a serious "hobbie" [for lack of better word]!

You can STILL do gigs on the side. Look at a lot of guys in here, including one Steve H...which is amazing to me, because a player at his level should easily be able do it solely as a living aside from the career "day gig."

What I mean by that is, SH must've spent may hours outside school & [day-] work to get to awa maintain this level, a level of any serious FULL-TIME pro. Or did you get to "there" first b4 the day gig, Steve? [img]wink.gif[/img]

There ARE going to be those "dark hours" man...many a profession has them...so, decide but hang in there. [img]cool.gif[/img]

[Cameron_Mahoney]

It happens to the best of us, but the ones who keep pushing ahead and never quit are the ones who finally make it. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Derek DeFields]

First I would ask what exactly you are considering giving up? Playing? Trying to make your living from it? What have you tried so far and what did/didn't work out?

what makes you happy?

[PocketPlayer]

I recently heard a talk radio host discuss the mixed blessing of being artistic in nature. It can be a bit of a curse. We all know the killer guitar player who works at the local Holiday Inn...waiting.

I went through a transition that was very difficult, similar to in_the_pocket...not sure of his/her age, but when you near 30, you start to ponder a bit.

Moving into the work force was difficult as well because I realized many have no concept of "groove" and as I mentioned in another thread, many have no concept of "going for it" or trying to "make it." There is a character quality here that many never took the risk or never had the talent to explore. Therefore, you might be in a situation where you are taking orders from a nerd who has the creativity of slug. As a musician, we developed much more than chops--we developed a sense of communication and union few have experienced, like locking into a groove that is burning and you?re peaking creatively. Good stuff!

Bottom line for me--when I transitioned, I put away the kit for almost 12 years until a guy I worked with played keyboards and bugged me on a daily basis to buy a kit. Then I found HOD which got me back in the vibe of things. Then I started seeing Live music again. Then I felt like a jerk for quitting for so long. All part of life [img]smile.gif[/img]

My advice--think through what these guys here are sharing. Swallow some pride and realize everyone has these transitions in life. Get some good friends to talk with. Have good players give you feedback...are you really that good to make a living? Appreciate actors, musicians, athletes who have the stick-to-itvness to endure. Gotta respect that focus! Rethink drums as once a platform for stardom to an instrument for self-improvement both physically and mentally. Lastly, go back to having a lot of fun playing.

PS--Even when I had no kit, I was playing in my mind and tapping on everything in sight all day long. Even had a co-worked stop speaking to me for three months because I drove her nuts during staff meetings. She was a little anal I'd imagine.

[mja61]

I used to want to quit when I was younger and frustrated with my progress (or lack thereof, to be more precise). I also used to think that I would be able to make my living playing drums one day.

Well, that never happened, and drums/music are, at best, serious hobbies for me, and I make my living with an office job (like Dilbert). The nice thing is that I don't have to be involved with music I dont' like. I can focus only on music I enjoy playing. I've got a few guys that I get to play with regularly, and we've got plans to do a demo sometime in the near future (hopefully this year).

Plus, I am probably on more solid ground financially than I would have been had I just been playing in local bands, teaching, etc. So, in a way, it was actually a blessing in disguise.

Nowadays, I really look forward to any chance I get to play (which is not too often these days). The fact that it's not my career makes my appreciate the instrument that much more.