Business advice from a drummer... really?

Stick (ahem) with me Reader as this is a good one,

There is something us drummers have to put up with which, when you think about it, is a bit bonkers really... It's called the 'kit share'.

What is a 'kit share' you ask?

If there is more than one group playing, and it's a smaller pub or club, chances are that the stage isn't big enough for every band's drum kit, and there isn't enough time to swap them on and off. So traditional etiquette dictates the headline band's drummer brings the kit and the support bands borrow it and make do.

Guitarists don't compromise. Keyboard players somehow find the time to switch their planks on and off stage... but drummers...? No such luxury.

What this actually means?

If you're the drummer in the support band, you get what you're given. The headline drummer may have a monster kit with all the bells and whistles, or it may be a minimalist set-up with hardly anything to hit. Also, the headline drummer is perfectly within their rights to ask you not to move anything (that also eats into precious changeover times).

What on earth does this have to do with my business, Mark?

Imagine this. You sit at your desk to start your working day. The chair is lower than you're used to.

Someone has swapped your trusty PC for a Mac*. The monitor is smaller and it's at a different angle. The mouse has no buttons. The keyboard is lighter.

You open the 'applications' menu (there is no 'Start' button) and find half the programmes you rely on are not installed. There are alternatives (Pages instead of Word, perhaps). Slack is blocked by the internet provider. You'll have to use Trello today.

Are your palms sweating yet?

A funny thing happens (or at least it does for me) when I sit behind a stranger's drum kit.

I don't care.

It doesn't matter that there is a ten inch tom in front of me rather than my usual twelve. It doesn't matter that the ride cymbal is on the right and I have mine on the left...

All I am thinking is how do I still serve the song?

It's not about the tools (sure I have my preferences... my comfort set up), it's about ensuring that I still get the audience dancing.

If I know how to do that, I can make do with what's in from of me. And if I'm feeling particularly playful, I might have some fun with this new way of working. I may even learn to do something better than how I usually do it.

If I really know the song, I'll find a way to play it.