Guitarists and singers almost always take centre stage so drummers/Bass players and keyboard players are sidelined to a degree. Guitar players to the masses are the key members of the band ( name any band and you will remember the guitarists easier than the drummer/Bass player).So kids have always(for the most part) wanted to emulate their guitar heroes, rather than the blokes at the back

Very true.

I have gigged both as a guitarist and a drummer with the same band and it really is quite amazing how different the gig can be, even with the same songs and band members. The difference between standing in the spotlight and sitting at the back keeping the rest of the band in line is huge.

As a guitarist, everyone is looking at you (when they are not watching the singer)and it's your job to not only play well, but obviously provide a bit of visual entertainment, and sometimes trying to combine the two can be quite tricky especially if you're having an off night.
IMHO, I can enjoy the gigs much more from the back on the tubs. The only pressure on me is to not play every song at 200mph, which can be quite hard especially if yer either pumped up or p!ssed...or both LOL
And if I make a mistake, I just hit the tubs harder....and faster LOL

I love doing both guitar and drums, and although I'm drumming with Without Reason at the moment, there isn't a week that goes by where I don't wish I was back on the guitar. Who knows, maybe we'll find another drummer and I could go back on the guitar.

Best Known Members from "any" band...

Motorhead: Lemmy (bass player and ultimate rock'n'roll hero)
Level 42: Mark King (bass player)
Thin Lizzy: Phill Lynott (bass player)
Venom: Kronos (bass player)
The Police: Sting (bass player)
The Sex Pistols: Sid Vicious (bass player), and he couldn't even play!
Red Hot Chilly Peppers: Flea (bass player)
Kiss: Gene Simmons (bass player)
Pink Floyd: Roger Waters (bass player)

Just to name a few.....

By the way, the majority of the "masses" can't tell the difference between a bass guitar, a guitar and a broom stick. :-)

Peace. xxx

I'm the drummer in our band and you do get to overlook the whole picture at times, although sometimes I do wish I'd have learned guitar as well. The way I see it theres 3 guitarists in my band sharing the attention, theres only 1 of me on drums so I get a unique attention.

Good list Luis,
But you are a Bass Player first and foremost. Muso's tend to look out for similar. eg I always pay attention to Drums/Keyboard more so than singers/guitarists.

Hey yo missed out 3 of your all time Bass heroes, shame on ya Lol

im the guitarist and lead singer so i get double the stage presence =)

What drummer ?

Didn,t Mark King use to be a drummer ?

Yes Mark King started out as a drummer so too did :
Frank Zappa, Eddie Van Halen, Dave Grohl. Others successful drummers to note are Karen Carpenter (of The Carpenters!), Narada Michael Walden Wrote QUITE A few number 1 hit songs for artists like Whitney Houston. What abuot Steveie Wonder he played drums on a few of his albums and so did Keyboardist Jan Hammer....

I will say this Good Drummers are hard to come by and so too are good Keyboard Players. Just to 'blow the trumpet' (parp) of those at the back (Didn't use to be in those crazy 70's Top of the pops programmes..). A 'Good drummer' can make a 'bad band' sound Great but a 'bad drummer' and a 'bad band'... well you do the math...

I think most people start to want to do things in Rock Music in this order:

1. Guitar
2. Drums
3. Vocals
4. Bass

Though some get to 2 and move onto 1 and 3 when they realise the work/involvment/practice required/bad back they might suffer/ in order to be a GOOD drummer. I started out playing Guitar but there's was already 4 in my class and no drummer! I jumped at the chance and loved it since!!

Finally I think Bassist are in short supply too !!!

re: drum bloke-"Though some get to 2 and move onto 1 and 3 when they realise the work/involvment/practice required/bad back they might suffer/ in order to be a GOOD drummer..."
exactly, plus the having to get to a gig an hour before the rest of the band, having to "stay put" whilst the rest of the band do their sound check round you and then being the last one to put your gear away at the end of the gig whilst the others are having a drink/chat!! it's no wonder there's a high atrition rate amongst drummists!!

That was precisely the reason I gave up the drums 14 years ago. I was 19 and watched the other band members bugger off to the bar and leave me to setup and put it away on my own. If I was lucky, there would help me put the kit in my dads car, but then I had to drive whilst they got drunk and went home in a crowd. Not that I'm bitter lol.
I must be lucky now, all 3 of us in Without Reason arrive together, setup together and put everything away together. Then the partying starts lol

Best Known Members from "any" band...

Motorhead: Lemmy (bass player and ultimate rock'n'roll hero)
Level 42: Mark King (bass player)
Thin Lizzy: Phill Lynott (bass player)
Venom: Kronos (bass player)
The Police: Sting (bass player)
The Sex Pistols: Sid Vicious (bass player), and he couldn't even play!
Red Hot Chilly Peppers: Flea (bass player)
Kiss: Gene Simmons (bass player)
Pink Floyd: Roger Waters (bass player)

I think that list is a bit flawed in that Lemmy, King, Sting, Lynott were also the front men in those bands I.E lead vocalist,
As for the others I would agree on all except Vicious (I think Rotten is much more well known) and Waters, I would say Dave Gilmour is more well known to the average person in the street

I'm a bass player btw, although I have to admit I play a bit of guitar too

drummers shortage does it matter ? they sit down anyway.... do they have to be tall ?

Strangely enough I'm now the Singist in The Blue Slickers but many years ago I started out as a Drummer, the main reason for the change was that I was in and out of time like Dr Bleedin'Who and I can't keep a beat to save me life, oh yes and nobody else could bloody sing worth shit hence my journey forward from the back to the front...still I'd gladly stand at the back to sing and let our Lord Barrington the third take all the kudos, that's why I wanted to be at the back in the first place I'm shy Mary Ellen...

re: threefold-"drummers shortage does it matter ? they sit down anyway.... do they have to be tall ?"
are you REALLY REALLY sure you want start that again, threefold? have you forgotten us drummers tanned your cat gut twanging backsides in the last blog where it kicked off??!! :-P

Ha! "cat gut twanging backsides" you can be sure in a band that features TWO left handed Guitar players I WILL be using that!

re: Blue Slickers-heh heh!! thought you'd like that one, Blue Slickers!! Just reminding them about the last time the old "thick drummer" routine started !! :-))

I,m not starting anything I drum in our band and sit at the back I have heard all the drum jokes and whats worse I am bald as well so I get no recognition, am bald, make loads of noise and get shoved at the back.....and I might even be thick as well....but I don,t know and if you say anything I won,t hear it coz I,m deaf as well LOL.

Blue's slickers - Yes a fundamental necessity for being a drummer is to be able to keep tempo/tempi....

heh heh threefold!! the "glamour boy" of the band, eh?? never mind-you won't get any stick off me!! :-)) (that's cause i kept losing 'em all!!!) :-/

If you have seen the rest of the band I am the glamour boy LOL

Hey, add us to your list of bands needing a new drummer!!! Anyone give us a shout if you're interested