Musings on Social Media and Online Drumming

Someone on the Drummerworld forum recently asked if Instagram and social media were still suitable places for drummers and if they are good places to grow in a digital space.  I ended up having more to say about it thatn I first thought, so I'll share my thoughts with you here.

 

In general, social media is garbage these days.  I shudder when I think about how much time I have wasted on these platforms, and sometimes still do.  But, as much as I disparage it, I still have accounts, and use them.

 

For some drummers, social media is the end; a career goal, to be an "Instagram drummer", or a "YouTube drummer".  And I get it.  The prospect of working from home, playing whatever you like, knowing thousands of people are consuming and enjoying your work, and getting paid of the privledge is appealing.  But anymore, the chances of that happening are not really any better than getting a steady high-end gig like studio work, touring, or Broadway.

 

For most of us, social media is a means to different end.  And for me, it's something like this:

 

As a user/consumer: 

I've never used TikTok, so I can't comment on it, but I still think Instagram can be good, especially if you use it wisely and put a little bit of effort into your algorithm. It will still try to serve you garbage, so you have to be careful not to fall into the doom scroll addiction trap (which is frighteningly easy to do). But if you occasionally hit "Not interested" on the crap, and give likes to the good stuff, then there is a lot of nice content out there.

With less time to practice these days I use Instagram the way many of us used to use Modern Drummer Magazine, when we would all put the magazine up on the stand and try the little nuggets they published in there. On my Instagram account, I have a few different folders, organized by drumming topic.  I save the good stuff, and then try them out when I only have a short time to practice.

 

I still think YouTube is worthy in a similar regard.  There's some great long form content out there.  I remember the days of having to buy or borrow a VHS tape or DVD, and now it's all just there for free.  YouTube comes with a similar caveat to Instagram, though, in that you have to be careful not to get sucked in. But, if you can stay focused there's some wonderful resources.

 

YouTube, in particular, presents another problem though.  In the VHS and DVD days, there was a vetting process.  For the most part, only good (or at least decent) stuff could get made.  But now, it's the wild west.  Anyone with a drumset and an iPhone can be a "teacher", and there's a lot of click bait garbage to the effect of "Do These 10 Things to Fix Your Hands NOW, or You'll Never Get a Gig....EVER". I recall seeing one video warning us to "fix this HUGE problem with your hi-hat", which ended up taking about 10 minutes to say, "move it a little bit to the left".  But again, if you know what you're looking for and dig in the right corners there's lots to be found.

As a creator/professional musician:  
 

I'm not great at posting quality material with regularity, which is something I'm trying to improve, because I do see a correlation between my Instagram posting and calls for gigs. It's almost like a business card these days. It just reminds people that you're around, and it shows them what you can do. I've been called for some really nice gigs with people I'd never worked with before directly from Instagram.

On YouTube I was doing some long form content during the pandemic that I'm hoping to get back to, and again, I got some decent traction for awhile.  It got me some students, and translated to more readers here on the blog, as well as more followers on social media which, in turn, occasionally leads to gigs.

 

So there you go.  In short, social media and online platforms are like prescription drugs.  They can be hugely benefical.  But, handled poorly, or in the wrong hands, they can do a lot of damage.  Keep your head on straight, proceed with caution, and use them to your advantage.