How did yall get started?

[CalKel2]

I'm curious to know how everyone got started on the drums and in music period.

I've sung in a lot of different choirs and groups since I was about 4. I took up a little clarinet in elementary and junior high school. I had a few piano lessons too. I didn't feel "the call" to play the drums until I was 17. I was walking home from a job at a supermarket and I heard some drums being played like a few blocks away. I was walking around the neighborhood trying to find them and I saw a church having an outdoor service. They were in middle of a shout and the drummer was ripping it up. I was out there for like an hour and a half just watching the drummer doing his thing. On that next Sunday after my church service, I went up to the drummer for the youth choir and asked him to show me a few things. He showed me a basic beat, singles, doubles, and paradiddles (he had a strong marching background).  A little after that I took up lessons for a couple of months and started playing at church. So what about everyone else?

[ddw4e]

I STARTED WHEN I WAS 2 (BEEN PLAYING FOR 17 YEARS NOW)...MY MOM BROUGHT ME A JUNIOR SET FOR CHRISTMAS AND BEEN PLAYING EVERY SINCE...WHAT I USE TO DO WAS PUT MY SET IN FRONT OF THE TV AND WHEN BOBBY JONES COMES ON SUNDAY MORNING, I WOULD HEAR THE BEAT AND TRY TO COPY IT...NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT WORKED AND IT'S PAYING OFF....NOW I DON'T PLAY THAT MUCH NOW CAUSE I AM ON EITHER THE PIANO OR ORGAN BUT I PLAY THEM WHEN I GO TO MY CHURCH....

[Skystar]

My name is skylar and ive been playing drumset since i was 9yrs old. I got start when i was younger than that but really didnt play that much. I remember the first time i played i was very sick. See i come from a musical background, my mom plays the organ and my dad sings, my brother and i play instruments. I went to church with my mom so i could feel better and no one was playing for praise and worship when we got there. So my mom floated down the aisle and got on the organ, I was like a few steps behind and i kindly sat down and magically started playing. Most of this story i really dont remember cuz i was sick but my mom told me thats how i started. She said that at first i was playing off beat but got on evenatually. From then on i practice in the air and try to play whats in my head. I took up band in 4th grade and that helped me with my hearing and reading and writing so i can share my gift with the world.
Stay with it my follow drummers playing drums is a wonderful thing and also is a good stress reliever(lol)

God bless~

[Msmjfig]

I don't really consider myself a drummer. When I was a kid, about 8 or 9 I'd play on my friends drum set, and every chance I got at church when the adults weren't paying us kids much attention I'd run to the drums or the piano. I also tried to play the guitar when I was 12 or 13 but girls weren't encouraged to play those type of instruments, and I played the coronet in the school band. I was just so facinated with music.

About a year ago I decided to pursue the guitar again, after about 4 months on lead guitar I switched to the bass and I love it. I also play a percussion kit, (congas, timbales, chimes, and other hand percissions) I play these to help with my timing. Through the use of this site, gospelkeys, and other music sites, I've started to play the keyboard. I took lessons as a kid but I couldn't sit still long enough to learn how to play, but now I'm back playing every instrument I played as a kid except the trumpet. My son plays trumpet so I guess that's why I don't have a desire to play it again. What can I say I just love music.

[T-Block]

Well, I got started with music from the womb. My mom used to play the drums when she was pregnant with me, so that just naturally transferred to me. My dad thinks that I was beating the drums inside my moms stomach when they felt me kicking. Anyways, I got a drumset when I was about 2 or three years old. I played that thing so much I would try and imitate what I was hearing on the radio. Then, at age six, one of the drummers at my church got up to shout, and I just went up there and did my thing, and I been playing ever since. I knew how to keep a beat and everything right off. Later on, I started getting into the keyboard and bass guitar so I mostly play those right now. But, I still got my skills on the drums when I am needed. I am 21 years old right now, and one day I hope to tackle the organ.

I've been playin since I was 5 ( 14 yrs. old now ). My mom bought me a junior set too. I used to beat on the bench at our church.  
         
                                 cckdl  

[terrencepearcyjr]

 Everybody elses story is a lil different than mine. I moved from Detroit, Michigan and got away from the violence and whatever and we started goin to church on the regular basis. The drummer who played fascinated me. Because he was like a hip hop drummer. This was in like 99 and i just played after service for like 3 or 4 months and played with my pencils in school and i played my first service called what a mighty God we serve. And in about .....6 or 7 months i became head drummer. Cause i was an extremely fast learner and now i have graduated to head pianist and organist but i play mostly drums and piano. But God had to bless me cause my rythym was so off when i started drums it was crazy. :oops:  But i came out pretty good and now i'm going to further my music in College when i graduate in the Hottest "Class of 2005".  If you feel the itch to help me out a lil with my tuition feel free to and be blessed. Email:terrencepearcyjr@yahoo.com

[lildrummerboy4]

Good Afternoon LGM
My mother tells me that I've been beating on things since I was a baby. Before we joined a church I use to get canned yams and quaker oatmeal containers and beat on them with pens and pencils. Once we joined the church I learned by watching the drummers at the church. When we moved to Maryland I started playing for real, and I've been playing ever since. God Bless!!

Chris K.

[nhwildcat91]

i got started all because of my mom in the 6th grade i got into band in school. i didn't even want 2 b in band. i always went 2 church and i sang on the choir and we was doin kirk franklin's stomp and she need a beat cuz its a hype song. i was the only one in band playin percussion so they tried me out and i gave a a regular 2 &4 on snare and 1&3 on bass and i been playin from there ive been playin for 5 years now and i wish i would have started when i was a child but people tell me im good for some1 who has been playin for 5 years though

[Icecold24k]

I started in music by playing the drums at age 3 I started playing at my church at 4 and I was good at 4 but when I was 3 I was real bad but I kept on and I never was discouraged and now at age 16 I been playin for 13 years and I have dabbled with old school church styles and new school and hip hop and now I am blessed to be playing as head drummer at my church Mt. Zion M.B.C  Richmond,CA as well as playing for the Northern California Chapter of Gospel Music Workshop of America and I also will be looking into playing in the next recording as well as playing for my cousin who is a gospel solo artist . I now am working on the piano and organ and will not be discouraged and hope to be at least 75% as good as Iam on the drums.

[JoyCH]

I watched my mom play then I took lessons.

Joy

[thedrummerschoice]

same here my uncle played drums so i would beat the stairs and the bench now es i got my first jr. set well actually i broke like 2 of them so i played with haloween buckets then i got my real first set when i was 4 im 17 thats how i got started

[boijoi32]

my story is much like lildrumma's my mom,sisters,and bothers said the knew the calling for music ministry was in me when i started walking at ten mths. old,i would pick up anything that i could hold in my hand,get me a couple of pots and pot lids for cymbals and handle my bizness.I played my 1st church service at age 1,and I've been doing my thang from that time til' now.and i'm 31 now.

[Carolina001]

I took band in the 6-8 grades.Didn't play in high school.Took up playing the drumset around age 15,after my cousin got his first set.I begin playing
at church at the same time..

Seeing a black guy play drums on The Lawrence Welk Show,along with
a friend taking band in middle school got me hooked.For the new
school guys,Lawrence Welk was,I guess a variety show..my dad
watched every week.This was late 70's early 80's..

As of now,I'm still playing in the same church with 7 choirs..Wheww..
For the past 5yrs I've basically practiced/played(2 services)for all of them
every Sunday..while being an over the road trucker..But I give thanks
to God for sending some help..We now have 2 other drummers who
have joined..an older guy from a jazz back ground and a young guy
about 23..Now this guys stuff is on point..I just play for the mens choir
now..I'm just an old school dude trying to hang with the new school
crew..

www.Bethlehembaptistchurch.com

Carolina001/Greenville,SC

[dwdrummer]

I kind of just came out of my mothers womb playing. My first beat came out when i was 2 or 3 and it all went from there.

[evangelist215]

I started playing when I was 14yrs old...yeah i know that's kinda late. But One of my friends started me off by teaching me the intro to "Bended Knee" by Boyz II Men. and then realized that I could at least hear three part harmonies naturally, so;  i just couldn't stop playing ever since then. I would have never guessed that I'd be playing for churches now. (FYI. I'm 20 now)

[Jniles_NCF]

well i started playing drums since iwas like 2 or 3 i would bang on the chairs in the church while my dad played bass. when i got older like maybe 5 or 6 i started playing on a real rinky dink set i had at home it was a bass drum, a snare and a hi hat stand, no cymbols just the stand, iwould use the washer and dryer for cymbols. i would sneak into the musican pit and just listen to them while they played. started playng keys like seriously a year ago but i always liked picking out little melodies i made up. i remeber when my older siblings was in junior high school and they had band i would try and play their sax or my bro trumpet , i never mastered those but i always loved music. i started playing drums in church at like 10 or 12, and playing keys at like 19 ( really late) God has truly blessed me musically. my uncle plays proffesionally, i don't htink there is one instrument that he can't play. i come from a very musically inclined family. just about every body on my fathers side plays an instrument or sings.

[sambadrummer]

i started in church, we i was about 2 what i can remember know, is that i always would look at the drummer of our church, so at home i would bang on the pots and pans, at the age of 5 my dad bought me my first kit, a  piece lugwig set, it was brown and old, but i did not care i had my own drum set, so i self taught myself and at age 6 i played the drums in a kids service, it was unforgettable, i was so small the drummer was playing the kick drum. in the fourth grade i sign up to be in the band, and of course i took percussion, where i learned the basic rudiments and learned how to read sheet music, and went to highschool and played in the band, and know i playing for my God in church.  

Thanks to God, had oppurtunity to play worldly music, but my talent came from above, not below.

[coldheartedfreak]

i started out in church too. haha was listening to the drummer during the service and kinda got the inclination to play haha though im better off playing keyboard. haha so i just got my friend who was a drummer to teach me some tricks and i kinda just played a little here and there. still learning new stuff everyday now though. =) hope to beable to play for church someday

[cckdl]

I started playing the drums when I was 5( 9 yrs.). My churchs former drummer is  who inspired me. I also started learning how to play the organ when I was 12(2 yrs.). My churchs organist inspired me to play. Now I play the drums for my church. I'm still learning how to play the organ and I pray to God that he will give me an complete understanding of the organ. :idea:

                        Be Blessed,
                                         cckdl