A little about me. I've been a drummer for about 25 years. At one time I was very good - good enough that I probably could've taken a shot at making music my career. I haven't given up on the drums completely but it's pretty much on the back burner now.
I still have my kit. Just got it a couple years ago. It's a Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute - Yamaha's top of the line. Got a great deal on it used and sold my Pacific CX kit to my friend, drummer, and former band mate, Lou. It's not one of those huge monster kits...just what I need to play the way I like. Same with the cymbals. I pretty much love all my cymbals.
Anyway, at one time, I was very good. I was playing Rush, Yes, Genesis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Zappa, the Dixie Dregs - challenging stuff to play. I also spent time improving my groove playing Led Zeppelin and almost anything Jeff Porcaro played on. Now, I would consider myself a solid, dependable drummer. Far from flashy...someone who can lock in with the bassist and help create a strong rhythm section.
It's also a very demanding instrument. Gigging is a royal pain - so much time spent getting the kit ready to pack in the car, packing it up, setting it up at the venue, tearing it down afterwards, packing the car, driving home, unpacking the car, putting the stuff back in the basement. Plus, the actual playing can be exhausting - especially when my sciatica kicks in. All four limbs always going at once and glued to the drum seat.
So, all that coupled with having not played in a couple years and not being willing to cough up the dough for a good electronic kit, I think I've lost my passion for it.
This makes the switch to bass easier. It's new and exciting. I already know a few songs - or at least parts of songs. I can also write on the bass. If I think of a melody suited to the instrument, I can pretty much play it. So some recording could be in my future. We'll see.
I went to ultimate-guitar.com and got a bunch of bass tabs from there to save on my Kindle (for portability - the formatting gets lost a little so it's not ideal and not recommended). Just learned James Brown's I Feel Good a little while ago. There's a sense of accomplishment I felt from that little bit that I haven't felt from the drums in a very long time. I don't think I could ever get that feeling from the drums again. I've gotten as good as I care to be on the drums and, for the music I like, there's not much new stuff for me to learn. Any practice would be to improve my technique to some unknown end - I hate soloing and don't plan on playing Dream Theater songs so, what's the point?
With this new instrument, there's a whole new mountain to climb with a new set of milestones.
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