In Appreciation of Drummers

I remember the drummer in my first band.  His drum set was a number of different sized overturned cardboard boxes and I’m pretty sure that I remember him using some sticks gathered from a tree in the back yard for drum sticks.  He didn’t have any formal training but then, he didn’t know my friend Cyndie.  Well, we didn’t have the internet either so that would have made a recent share from her pretty difficult.

However, a combination of her recommendation, this computer, and the internet shows how important a good drummer is – and how hard it is to keep the beat.

My guitar teacher always had a metronome at my lessons and one summer he encouraged learning a second instrument so I chose the drums.  Both really reinforced the need for a steady beat and, quite frankly, how I didn’t have it.  So Max Weinberg has nothing to fear from me.

If you want to test your drumming abilities, then you need to check out “Got Rhythm?“.

The premise is pretty simple but incredibly humbling if you think you have any musical abilities.  You start by clicking along with the program in your browser.  That’s the simple part.  Then the program sounds fade and you’re on your own to maintain the beat.  I tried – the best I could do –

Maybe I’m better suited as an airline pilot?

It’s very simple to get started and you’ll want to improve your score.  I think it’s an excellent example of how to gamify music.  Maybe it’s a way to identify the next drummer in your class?  At the least, your students will get a sense of how important rhythm is.

While you’re at the site, make sure that you check out all of the other musical applications on “The Sound Board“.  It’s a great deal of fun and very well crafted.  I really enjoyed “100 Years of Rock” and “The Capacity of an iPod Visualized as Vinyl“.