Drummers have far too frequently received the wrong. They are the band member who is thought to be most replaceable, second only to bassists perhaps. You can pick up a schmuck off the street, put him behind an instrument, and continue the performance. But contrary to what comedians have implied, musicians aren’t the mouth-breathing neanderthals.
They are in charge of setting the tempo and maintaining time, which is necessary for the other musicians to play in unison. Through the use of fills and accents, drummers can also contribute dynamics to a song and produce tension or release.
They’ve been cast aside behind a drum kit, out of the limelight, and reduced to being the band’s least-noticed member for far too long. Drummers aren’t always thought of as being smart people who can maintain a beat; they may actually be extremely intelligent people who make everyone around them smarter.
Drummers are natural issue solvers who have a positive influence on those around them, claims news and analytics site PolyMic. A study from Stockholm’s Karolinska Institutet found a correlation between using multiple limbs to maintain a steady beat and a natural ability to problem solve, and that drummers with better rhythm performed better on an intelligence test.
According to other research, listening to rhythmic music can increase one’s intelligence. A psychology professor at the University of Washington discovered that rhythmic light and sound therapy improved pupil performance. An effect comparable to Ritalin was observed by a University of Texas Medical Branch researcher using the same technique on ADD-prone elementary and middle school males. In actuality, the boys’ IQ ratings increased and remained elevated.
Therefore, not only are the preconceptions about drummers unfounded, but they are also simply incorrect. Bands and communities are formed around drummers because they have tapped into a basic undercurrent of what it means to be human.
