Drums are an integral part of keeping the beat in a band, or in any song or melody. Being a drummer is not just about playing drums. It has to deal with passion, and the ability to deliver sweet beats, melody, and nice grooves. Now we know a drummer holds the key to making a melodious song sound so good. Come on they say “Dance to the beats”. As a drummer, you have to have certain skills such as your grip, stroke, and cymbal technique to be able to perform a wonderful job.
Drummers use headphones not just during performances but also while rehearsing or recording with the band. But have you ever wondered why drummers always wear headphones? You must have been to several live bands or concerts, even if you haven’t, you must have seen some TV concerts and pondered on this. We see the drummer in the corner, giving wonderful beats but he’s always on earphones or using in-ear monitors, why? From protecting your ears to listening to onstage instructions, there are several reasons why this is so.
Reasons Why Drummers Wear Headphones and Other Devices
Well here are a few reasons why drummers or band members use headphones or other devices during the performance.
To Cancel out Background Noise
Firstly, most concerts consist of loud noise from the audience that can be deafening. So most times the drummers or even the entire band make use of an in-ear monitor system to be able to hear well and cancel out background noise. These in-ear monitors help drummers play well during live performances
Listen to Click Track
Another reason why drummers wear headphones or in-ear monitors is to listen to a click track. These click tracks are essential because the majority of bands use them to enhance their performance. A click track is a recording of a click sound that runs at the same speed as the song being played. It helps the drummer to be in sync with his band mates, and the band to match the same throughout the performance. The click track is always not heard by the audience because it might cause the band to go off tune and the metronome would be heard by the audience which wouldn’t be a good thing. This isn’t easy and leaves it to the expertise of the drummers to carry this out flawlessly.
Helps With Noise Reduction
The problem is the drummer’s instrument is so loud, that renders using on-stage monitors totally useless. For the drummer to hear what is playing on the on-stage monitor will be so difficult amidst all that noise from the drums. It can cause issues with the drum microphones, or even worse, deafen the drummer. In-ear monitors are the best solution for this, as they find solutions to these problems.
The headphones are also useful when you’re performing. Think about all the instruments working together, the high volume sound from the concert, the sound of drums, and the crowd screaming. You get the picture right? But thanks to the headphones which block high-frequency sounds so the drummers can still hear what they are playing and communicate with their band members.
Listening to Onstage Instructions
A very good headphone is very useful to drummers. The stage noise times make communication almost impossible for the band but with good headphones, the drummers can listen to directions and instructions that may have been recorded beforehand to help them deliver an excellent job.
Aids Communication
While drummers use headphones to listen to prerecorded instructions sometimes, they can also use the headphones to communicate and listen to their bandmates. The headphones let them hear the songs well. As the drummers are more in control of the sounds when using headphones than listening with just their ears.
Helps Improve Drumming Skills
Drummers often wear these headphones to better their drumming skills. The headphones are used not just for entertainment or as an alternative to on-stage monitors, but many drummers had also admitted that it helped them drum better.
In conclusion, these reasons have given at least an insight into why drummers use headphones and other devices. Most of which are very important from improving drumming skills to making use of click tracks to enhance live performances.
So when next you see a drummer with headphones just know they perform several functions, most especially keeping the ears in one piece after an explosive concert.
