As a musician, and one who plays multiple instruments (guitar, bass, clarinet, piano, singing, and drums), I tend to pay more attention to little things on stage than just how a band sounds or looks while performing on stage. We musicians tend to look at each other’s set ups and playing habits. One such setup that I’ve noticed and has started bothering me is the presence of drum shields or drum screens. These range from a mere plexiglass wall in front of a drum set to a full on cage with a roof. These shields didn’t always bother me, but now they are starting to become an annoyance for several reasons.
The first reason that drum shields are practically a slap in the face to drummers is because it devalues us as members in a band. A guitarist is allowed to strut around on stage, showing off his remarkable skills. Singers are allowed to jump around and interact with band members and fans alike. Drummers, on the other hand, are stuffed in a box in the back. We’re out of sight and with the help of PA systems, and we can be out of mind. I have never heard any sound guy ask a drummer if he can hear enough of himself in the PA system. I have heard vocalists, bassists, and guitarists complain that they can’t hear themselves and then they got turned up on the system. Drummers are rarely asked how they think the system sounds or how the balance is.
On the topic of sound and balance, drum shields also tell drummers that we are incapable of any noise level other than loud and really loud. We aren’t actual musicians capable of the finesse and musical IQ of others. We just sit in the back and bang loudly on things like toddlers. Our noise is loud and offensive, not even actual music, so therefore we must be caged in and controlled. Drummers add a nice steady beat that the rest of the band may or may not decide to follow. There’s no musical quality or depth that can be added by drummers… right?
What if singers were told to sit under a blanket and sing? Or guitarists had to stand facing away from the audience while shredding up their awesome solo? That’d be absolutely ridiculous. The same should be said for drummers forced to play in cages or behind shields. Musicians are people who are are able to both play and listen. Each instrumentalist in a band fills a void in the realm of a song. Are some drummers better at doing this than others? Yeah, but so are some guitarists, bassists, and pianists. We don’t punish all of them for the inexperience of a few beginners. Let drummers have the ability to control their sound in the same way that all other musicians do. #freethedrummers
