Mid Life Crisis Averted (for now at least)

I have a work colleague who believes that we never change as individuals: our politics, interests, hobbies remain constant throughout our lives. I happen to think as a theory it's rubbish but some aspects do recur sufficiently for it to be taken a little more seriously that my previous sentence would suggest.

Getting back into photography a couple of years ago was revisiting a hobby I had spent a lot of money and time on back in the early 1980's, cycling has been something that has drifted in and out of my life for more than thirty five years and now drumming has made a return.

When I was 12 I was in a band, not gigging, not recording but five friends who had some shared and some very disparate musical interests. We were a combination of The Beatles, T.Rex, Bowie, Mott The Hoople and The Who and we began like most youngsters do when dreaming of being in a band, we copied our heroes. When it came to writing anything even vaguely original however my musical ability was nil but I could write lyrics, in fact writing a sort of poetry to put to music must have been how I originally got into writing. I would also write love letters and love poetry for some of my mates to impress their (perspective) girlfriends with.

Anyway back to the music, we had, or had access to, drums, guitars, bass guitar and keyboards, the best looking of us was the nominated singer (oh the vanity of adolescence) and we started practising. Unfortunately being blessed with hands and fingers on the smallish size I couldn't play guitar, bass or keyboards and I wasn't good looking enough to be lead vocals so I got the gig behind the drums.

So, that was then and fast forward nearly forty years and I'm sat on the sofa one Sunday night next to my daughter who is looking at the Amazon website when for some inexplicable reason I hear myself saying, "Do they sell drum kits?" They do and a germ of an idea begins to grow. It's not too long until the clocks go back (this was a month ago) when any photography projects will have to be curtailed and I need something other than the gym to keep me honest.

I use a well known search engine to enquire about "starter kits," after all I never was a Moony or even a Ringo and this is something I want to enjoy rather than feel obliged to enjoy due to some horrendous financial commitment. I decide therefore to order a practice pad, just to see if I really do like the idea of drumming for fun, much to my surprise I find I do, it's onto stage two.

I order the kit from an online music store and within twenty four hours two large parcels arrive containing a five piece drum kit (bass, two tom toms, floor tom, snare drum) plus two cymbals (Hi-Hat and Ride), drum throne and two sets of drumsticks. I also decide that whilst I don't particularly like the old witch next door I'll but a set of silencers for 'in the week' practising. I also buy an electronic metronome to make sure I keep in time rather than going off on some jazz odyssey.

I suddenly find I'm a stupid grinning twelve year old again. It initially took an hour or so's practice to get my hands and feet co-ordinated so that I can get a four beats to the bar rhythm going but within a couple of days I'm moving onto fills and rolls, it's great.

Being a geek I also find an online free drumming lessons site which takes from teaching you how to hold drumsticks to wherever you want to go. A week after taking delivery of the kit my ego blows up to enormous proportions when a sixteen year old visitor to the house comments on her way out of the front door about the 'cool drumming' upstairs.

The photograph above is of the kit I now own, it's taken from the online catalogue hence the two circles showing the choice of colours available. It's a while since I've been so spontaneous as this but the pleasure it's given to me in just two weeks has been immense.