About
About MakeDrumWork.com
MakeDrumWork.com is an internet blog that provides drummers with useful tips, information and advice.
MakeDrumWork.com not only shows you how to play the drums but also goes one step further by
showing you how to make a living out of it.
Lets put life in perspective for a second..
You are only going to be here on this planet for a brief amount of time.
What are you going to do with that time?
Are you going to spend it:
- Working behind a bar?
- Waiting tables?
- Serving fast food?
- Washing dishes?
- Cleaning?
- Doing office work?
- Answering phones at a call centre?
- Getting shouted at by angry people who you didn't make angry in the first place?
- Lifting heavy things?
- Being nagged by your boss?
- Perfroming meaningless tasks given to you by your nagging boss?
- Getting annoyed by your co-workers?
- Forcing yourself out of bed at 6am?
- Doing “Voluntary” overtime?
- Delivering mail, packages, newspapers, groceries, furniture, refridgerators, water bottles or anything else whatsoever?
Or… are you going to spend it playing the drums and having some fun?
Make Drum Work is here to tell you that it is possible.
Make Drum Work is here to tell you that people are doing it right now.
Make Drum Work is here to tell how you can join them.
About Alexander Bethune
Hi my name is Alexander Bethune and I create the content and articles for Make Drum Work. Since 2004 I have been a full-time drummer. What that means is that for the last 5 years I have used my drum set to pay for everything in my life.
My drum set pays for:
- My apartment
- Hot and cold running water
- Electricity
- Gas
- Phone calls
- A clean home
- Groceries
- Eating out
- Cups of coffee with friends
- Vacations
- Nights out
- Drum sticks
- Drum heads
- Cymbals
- Snare drums
- New drum sets
- Drum keys
- Snare wire
- Drum cases
- Metronomes
- Software
- PC
- Manuscript paper
- Stationery
- Computer games
- Pots and pans
- Sofa
- Bed
- Clothes
- Shoes
- Suits
- Guitar
- Colour Printer
- Laser Printer
- Stereos
- Music
- DVDs
- Books
- Train journeys
- Band practice
- Television
- Broadband
- Mobile Broadband
- Studio
- Birthday gifts
- Christmas gifts
- Dates
- Cinema tickets
- Gigs
- Gym equipment
- Contributions to charities
- College fees
Its a very cool place to be and I encourage you to get here as soon as you can.
I got there by playing a lot of gigs for a lot of bands. Whatever gigs I could that would pay my bills.
I played my first paying gig at age 19. It was a live session that went out for the radio. It wasn't a
big fee and it was split between the four of us in the band but I still remember how great it felt!
(At the time of writing this, one of my students got her 1st paying gig. She earned more than I did
for my 1st gig and she's only 16!)
Nowadays I play a lot of weddings and pub gigs with a cover band. Its a form of income thats
often looked down on by other musicians. But the money I make from playing a gig is what I would've
earned doing almost a full weeks work at a call centre. So it comes down to this:
Do the gig or work a week at a call center? Easy choice.
I also sometimes play for shows in theatres. These gigs are always very demanding because you
have to be able to sight read and follow both the Musical Director and the actors on stage.
But they are a lot of fun and a good break from pubs. Its a great feeling to have even a small part in
a large cast of say 30 or 40 people.
Most of my efforts go into teaching now. I've been doing it for 5 years and have learned so much
about the drums and how to teach it. Again this is sometimes hard work (at 1 point I was teaching
nearly 50 lessons a week) but its also very rewarding and a lot of fun! The most important thing
I've learned from teaching is how to break up complex material into neat easy to understand parts.
I recommend you quit your job and join me as a professional drummer!
Can you do it?
Alex
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