5 Books That Changed My Life | Steve Such Drums
BOOK #1 - The Big Gig by Zoro
WHY DRUMMERS SHOULD READ THIS:
One of the best music business books ever written. Taking the "Big Gig Quiz" is worth the price of this book alone, which is a way to tangibly assess your strengths and weaknesses as a drummer (I'm not just talking about your actual playing, but ALL areas of a career in music). I personally take this quiz annually to see if my overall "score" is going up or going down for each category. Highly recommend.
BOOK #2 - The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss
WHY DRUMMERS SHOULD READ THIS:
This is a classic book on two things: 1) Lifestyle Design and 2) How to 10x your output. If you want to have a career as a drummer, you NEED to ask some serious questions about how your current lifestyle matches your career choice. For the lifestyle you WANT, what are the changes you need to make? What are the excuses that are preventing you from getting to the next level? This book is extremely motivating for someone who feels stuck in a safe job and wants to follow their passion.
BOOK #3 - The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch
WHY DRUMMERS SHOULD READ THIS:
The 80/20 Principle is about getting rid of waste and doing more of what's actually working. I'm constantly applying the 80/20 in almost every area of my life. It's the idea that in life, you tend to see the following trend: 20% of your INPUT leads to 80% of your OUTPUT. For example:
-What are the 20% of gigs that bring you the most joy? (Do more of those gigs)
-What 20% of grooves do you end up playing 80% of the time? (Refine THOSE grooves)
-What 20% of musicians do you play with 80% of the time? (Nourish those relationships)
-What are the things you waste the most time on in the practice room? (Eliminate wasted time)
-What 20% of gigs leads to 80% of your income? (Create space for higher-paying gigs)
These are just a few examples of how you can apply the 80/20 to your drumming, but you can also apply this principle to almost any area of life.
BOOK #4 - Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine
WHY DRUMMERS SHOULD READ THIS:
This book is about developing a rock-solid mindset for how you live life (both on stage and off stage). It's about actually taking the time to clearly DEFINE your purpose (have you taken the time to do so?). Mark's "box breathing" exercise has become my favorite form of meditation, and can used to stay calm when placed in stressful situations (like playing an important gig/audition).
BOOK #5 - The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg
WHY DRUMMERS SHOULD READ THIS:
How are habits are formed? How can new habits can be created? How can bad habits can be eliminated? If you want to form a consistent practice routine or eliminate your bad drumming habits, read this book. Incredibly powerful.