Feeling the music thudding through my head from my headphones, I begin to count out the beats in each measure. One, two, three, fo the time signatures wrong. With a sigh, I put down the drumstick for a second and shift my hand over to the CD player, restarting the song yet another time. As I start to build up a drum fill, my mother calls for me to come eat dinner. Annoyed at myself for not learning the song quickly enough, I dash upstairs to eat a quick meal before taking a shower to try to get the music out of my mind. After all, its hard to concentrate on Calculus when you can still hear a bass drum reverberating in your brain.
The above situation has been commonplace since I took up playing the drums a few years ago. I have always had a great love for music; it is difficult to find a time when I am not listening to a song on my computer or on my CD player. However, I had trouble finding which instrument was right for me. At first, I tried the piano because both of my parents are former concert pianists. My mom gave me lessons, and I played various simple pieces for a few months. However, perhaps because I was too young to appreciate the instrument, I soon stepped away from the keys forever. A few years later, I decided to take up the trombone to take yet another stab at becoming musically literate Four years and many hours of practice later, I slid into first chair in my middle school bands trombone section, but I was dissatified. The trombone was not fast paced enough for me. I needed an instrument that would allow me to completely immerse my body in the music.
Finally, when I was a sophomore, I realized that when I listened to music, I appreciated the drums a lot more than the majority of my friends. While they were listening to the awesome guitar solos and great vocals, I was entranced by the complex patterns of drumming in the background. The combination of power and subtlety floored me. I expressed this sentiment to my parents, and the very next Christmas I received a five-piece drum set. There was still one component missing; at first, I lacked the dedication necessary to be able to play any of the beats in the music that I listened to. My drumset sat in the basement like a neglected child; I wanted to play with it, but issues that were only seemingly more important kept coming up. One night, while listening to one of my favorite bands, I realized that I didnt want to start living a life where I left my passions untapped. I stopped making excuses for not practicing, and became determined to be able to play along with the music I loved so much. I arranged lessons for myself, and from that point, I couldnt get enough of my drumset.
It took me fifteen years to find the instrument that was right for me. Everything else I tried lacked something vital, but drums remain an essential part of my life. I dont know what I would do if I couldnt release all of my tension, sadness and aggression out on the drum heads. From the smooth and silky beats of jazz to the double-bass drum bombardment of heavy metal, drumming has made me appreciate every single genre of music imaginable. I only hope that I can continue this passion at college and for the rest of my life.
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