Research Portfolio based on being a drummer in a band.

The role of a drummer is vital to a band’s success, both onstage and commercially. From the outside looking in, the role of a drummer may seem less relevant, as a mad man sat at the back of the stage thumping wooden tubs with sticks may seem less sophisticated or musical to the other pitch-based instruments in the band. However, from basic 4 on the floor grooves to mind bending drum solos, every bar of a song’s rhythmic stability comes down to one thing: the drummer. In this research portfolio, I will explore all relevant responsibilities of being a drummer in a band. From required skills and knowledge to the intellectual and personal challenges, I will fully analyse what it takes to be a skilful, reliable drummer that any band would be lucky to have.

Qualifications and experience:

The academic qualifications required to become a drummer in a band is not necessarily strict. However, many aspects of musical education can allude to the fact that a drummer may have more experience or expertise than someone who did not undertake any formal academic music course. For example, Steely Dan was originally a 5-piece band in the early 1970s with a permanent drummer, Jim Hodder. Hodder in his own right was a solid rock drummer, being regarded for having good time keeping skills and being able to handle diverse grooves including funk and Latin-influenced shuffles. However, as the main songwriters (Walter Becker and Donald Fagen) began to write more demanding jazz infused arrangements, they moved in the direction of hiring top – tier session musicians with advanced technical and sight-reading abilities. This meant that, by the mid 70s, Hodder’s role had diminished, and the more academically trained drummers were brought in for recording sessions instead, one notably being Steve Gadd (who had graduated from the renowned Eastman School of Music in 1968) who played on their 1977 album “Aja”, of which on the title track only took him two takes to record. In reference to this, Becker told Steely Dan historian Brian Sweet in 2007 that “Steve Gadd, being a fantastic drummer, is a fantastic sight reader and didn’t really need to rehearse” (Sweet, 2007). These desirable traits are what sets apart an academically trained drummer to the rest and gives a drummer with a degree an edge over the competition. This is because a degree gives a sense of professionality and confidence that this person will be able to play to the highest standard, therefore more likely to get the job compared to someone without. That being said, the qualification itself only acts as a sort of sticker of authenticity, as professional skills such as sight reading or technical prowess are things that can be taught or learnt outside of traditional education. This means you can still prove yourself to be a professional, competent drummer without an academic qualification, it’s just that an academically trained drummer may come across as more experienced initially.

Knowledge, skills and personal qualities/attributes:

Being a good drummer takes more than just technical ability, it requires having significant understanding on what the job of a drummer is within a band, to keep a steady foundation for the rest of the band to build off. This requires a diverse range of knowledge and skills, involving different kinds of musical understanding, teamwork, dedication, and having a good sense of groove to show personal expression through your playing. Dave Grohl, (drummer of Nirvana and main songwriter/frontman of the Foo Fighters) in an interview for Farout Magazine, used John Bonham (considered as one of the greatest drummers of all time and main influence for Grohl) as an example of what a good drummer should be like, stating “I used to think that playing hard and being a show-off made you a good drummer. But now I’ve learned that keeping the groove is more impressive than playing a hundred fills every 4 bars. John Bonham played drums hard but kept the groove.” (Grohl quoted in Farout Magazine). The conclusion I can take from this is drumming isn’t always about being technically proficient but having a good understanding of music and feel to play what is appropriate. This requires magnitudes of creativity, maturity and restraint in order to play what it right for the song, not for your ego.

Duties and responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities of being a drummer in a band vary massively across both musical and non – musical requirements.

The typical duties and responsibilities of a drummer include:

• Providing rhythmic support and beat for all music pieces
• Collaborating with band members create and develop songs
• Practicing regularly to maintain and improve skill level
• Participating in rehearsals and studio recordings
• Setting up and tuning drum equipment before performances
• Maintaining and caring for drum equipment
• Keeping steady tempo during live performances, even amidst distractions and audience interaction
• Learning new music pieces quickly for performances or recordings
• Contributing to the creative process by developing new drum parts and beats for songs

(Interview guy editorial team, 2025)

As well as this list, Mark Schulman (who has played with artists such as P!nk and Cher) emphasize that their job is one of service, stating “I’m in the service industry. And I know that a lot of musicians look at it that way. But when I get on stage, I’m there to be of service to P!nk, to the band, to the audience, to the crew. I want to make everybody’s life easy.” From these I can understand that being a drummer in a band goes far further than just playing the instrument, but also being a positive, reliable presence onstage and off, bringing energy and professionalism to rehearsals, performances, and interactions with audiences and crew members alike.

Typical day for a drummer in a band:

The average day for a drummer can vary depending on what their particular focus is at any given time. For example, if the drummer is not currently touring or recording for projects, he may spend his day practicing keeping up to their current skill level, running rudiments, experimenting with new, interesting grooves or simply playing along to songs that they find challenging. These all will prep them for when the time comes to play with the band once again and allow them to bring some fresh ideas to the table. Contrastingly, if the drummer is on tour, they may hardly get any time to practice, having possibly only a single practice pad to warm up with before going onstage, meaning they will spend most of their day moving and setting up gear or sound checking to get ready for the show. If they are spending time with the band writing and recording new music, they may spend most of their day discussing with their bandmates about the creative direction of the project, or fine tuning their instrument to achieve an appropriate timbre for the track before they spend hours doing multiple takes to get the perfect drum track for the project they’re recording.

Financial and legal issues:

Being a drummer leaves you vulnerable to potential issues around being fairly credited and compensated for the work you contribute. Many drummers throughout recent history have ended up in disputes around royalty shares or writing credits, some ending in legal battles spanning over many years. For example, Sting (frontman and main songwriter of the Police) is currently being sued by bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland over “alleged lost royalties” (BBC, 2025) for songs they recorded together between 1977 and 1984. As well as this, Tony McCarroll (ex-drummer for oasis) sued the band for £18,000,000 in 1999 for unpaid royalties along with his share of their 5-album record deal with creation but only ended up receiving £550,000 (BBC, 1999). These are classic examples of where a drummer has been unfairly compensated for their contributions towards the product the whole band created, proving it is essential to be incredibly cautious with initial agreements when starting a band and making sure the circumstances of work that you agree to are fair and understood.

Marketing and Promotion:

In the modern music industry, being able to properly market yourself is essential for any kind of success. Many drummers individually will make their own social media accounts with videos of them practicing or clips from live performances. These can help push themselves further into the public eye whilst also gaining attention from certain drum or cymbal brands that could give out endorsement deals (Zildjian, Paiste or Pearl to name a few.) Deals like this are vital, as they can provide free equipment such as drums or cymbals for you to use, which are very expensive and can often need replacing dependant on how aggressively you play them. This means that neither you nor the band have to carry that financial burden, able to invest more into the projects you are working on. A prominent example of this being achieved successfully would be El Estepario Siberiano, who has amassed 5.2 million followers on Tiktok from posting clips of him playing technically demanding grooves and fills, gaining endorsements from Pearl, Meinl Percussion, and Evans Drumheads. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel announcing his partnership with Pearl, he attributed most of his success to his growth on social media, stating “I’m here because you guys watch those videos and like those videos. Everything that I own and everything that I have accomplished, I don’t owe to myself—I owe to you.” (El Estepario Siberiano, 2025). This goes to show just how much of the modern industry is made from social media attention, as people are able to showcase their talents and gain large amounts of success from simply posting covers or entertaining content on their social media, as opposed to the state of the industry pre internet, in which it was much more difficult to gain significant attention, and thus brand interest.

Intellectual and personal challenges:

Being in a band, for any musician, opens you up to having to work with other people in a creative environment, thus opening you up to potential creative conflict and disagreements. These arguments can start of small, but without proper perspective and understanding can become much larger issues, leading to people being pushed away or quitting the band if it gets that extreme. In order to prevent this, it is the job of everyone involved to walk into the experience with an understanding that there will be different perspectives on almost every decision made or situation entered, and so every member involved needs to have the maturity to understand a musical disagreement isn’t necessarily an attack on their musicianship, but an alternative suggestion that could be better than the idea you have. This also means every member must have the problem-solving skills to assess the issue and iron it out. For example, in an interview for the NME Ringo Starr of the Beatles commented on how the band handled conflicts in the creative process stating that “we didn’t get along. We were four guys, we had rows” but that“it never got in the way of the music no matter how bad the row was; once the count in, we all gave our best” (Starr in interview with Dan Rather, 2024).

Career progression / Development opportunities:

The main areas for progression and development as a drummer mainly comes from the reputation you build from being a part of certain projects. This means that the better the band does, the better you do. For example, a BBC 6 radio programme interviewing Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters has Hawkins claim that his main reason of being able to join the Foo Fighters was because of his background being the drummer for Alanis Morissette in her live band. In this interview he claims he met Dave Grohl through playing the same festivals as the Foo Fighters with Alanis, thus becoming good friends and, later down the line and after the Foos fired their old drummer, he later put himself forward for the job, and got it. (BBC Radio 6 Music, 2019). This clearly demonstrates how much of the music industry is based off the stature and respect you build from the projects you partake in, as Hawkins’ main point of development came from jumping from one band to another and gaining success from the development of those bands, not himself directly. This doesn’t mean that Hawkins doesn’t deserve individual credit, as he is held in a high regard by many all over the world, it’s just that the success of these bands he was a part of set the stage for him to earn his own credit later down the line.

Conclusion:

To conclude, the concept of a drummer goes far beyond playing the instrument, it is far more about treating yourself as a business in your own right. From upkeeping skills, to marketing yourself effectively, to being a professional positive figure that can keep the bands spirits high and friendships intact, being a drummer isn’t about the drums, it’s about who you are, and anyone who understands that is bound to be a respected and highly regarded bandmate and musician overall.

Bibliography:

Starkey, A. 2023. Dave Grohl explains what made John Bonham an “impressive” drummer. [Online] [Accessed 30 December]. Available at: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/dave-grohl-john-bonham-impressive-drummer/

AXS TV. 2024. Ringo Talks About How The Beatles Didn’t Get Along. [Youtube video], 10th October, [Accessed 5 January 2026]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqqpcWKOgEY Youtube (AXS TV channel)

BBC News. 1999. Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll settles lawsuit, 3 March. [Online]. [Accessed 4 January 2026]. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/288881.stm#:~:text=BBC%20News%20%7C%20Entertainment%20%7C%20%C2%A3550%2C000,by%20the%20courts%20on%20Wednesday.

BBC Radio 6 Music. 2019. Taylor Hawkings Drumming Masterclass. [Youtube video], 6^th November, [Accessed 8 January 2026]. Available at: Youtube (BBC Radio 6 Music) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwjEc8S0PRo

Sweet, B. 2007. Steely Dan: Reelin’ in the Years. London: Music Sales Group.

Cohen, C. 2021. Why P!nk Nicknamed Drummer Mark Schulman “Disneyland”. [Online]. [Accessed 2 January 2026]. Available at: https://medium.com/bands-to-fans/why-p-nk-nicknamed-drummer-mark-schulman-disneyland-66d1f2fa65cf

El Estepario Siberiano. 2025. MY NEW DRUM COMPANY – 5 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS SPECIAL. [YouTube video], October 14^th. [Accessed 5 January 2026]. Available at: YouTube (El Estepario Siberiano channel) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Fg8_10AXs&t=47s

Interviewguy. 2025. Drummer job description [Online]. [Accessed 30 December 2025]. Available at: https://interviewguy.com/drummer-job-description/

Savage, M. 2025. Sting sued by former Police bandmates over royalties, 3 September. [Online]. [Accessed 3 January 2026] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgjyjn9j74go