IN THIS EPISODE:

Ben from Indiana asks about how to give feedback to other bandmates. In this episode, I'll talk about:

- How to give constructive feedback to other musicians.
- How to frame your suggestion in the right way.
- How to create an environment where regular feedback is appreciated.
- How to know whether or not you should offer advice in the first place.
- How to not offend your bandmates when you offer feedback.
- How to deal with musicians who may be unreceptive to feedback.
 

Enjoy!

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LISTEN NOW:

1) LISTEN IN iTUNES

2) LISTEN IN BROWSER

First... A Quick Backstory
 

Last September, I embarked on an extended backpacking trip throughout Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. I saw the sights, ate the food, and immersed myself into other ways of life. Living out of a backpack is something that I think everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime. (Side note: If this sounds interesting to you, read the book “Vagabonding” for inspiration.)

However, the most difficult part of the trip was knowing that by committing to this trip, I’d effectively be taking a 4 month vacation from drumming…

To give you context: up until this adventure, the longest break I’d EVER taken from playing the drums was about a week or two. So… realizing that I’d be going 4 entire MONTHS without playing the drums was a tough pill to swallow. 

When returning to America and getting back into it, I was terrified as to what might happen when I’d sit down at the drums again for the first time.

Would my hands be terrible? Would I have lost my musicianship? Would I need to start from scratch?

Here what I noticed when I sat down at the kit and started playing:

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#1 - Muscle Memory Is More Powerful Than You Think

The most shocking discovery I noticed was that only after a few days, I felt like I was back in business. Were my chops firing at 100%? Of course not. But my muscle memory stayed intact. In a way, returning to the drums after an extended break is just like the experience of riding a bike, driving a car, or swimming. You can take a long break from that activity and your body somehow still knows what to do when you come back to it. Muscle memory is extremely powerful; if you’ve put in the time and gotten the reps, it will stay with you for life!

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#2 - My mind became re-sensitized to the drums

Ok, here’s where it gets interesting… Though my muscle memory stayed relatively intact, taking a long break from the drums in effect turned off the “autopilot” in my mind that I had developed from almost 2 decades of playing the drums. In other words, when you’re playing drums all the time, you become “desensitized” to what your body is actually doing because, simply put, you just do it! Returning to my previous examples of riding a bike, swimming, or driving: your body may know what to do automatically, but coming back to the activity after a break makes you feel as if you’re an outside observer watching your body perform the motions. In the case of drumming, the same experience happened. Taking a break allowed me to observe how I actually use my fingers, wrists, and arms as I play. I felt like an outside observer watching my body move as I played. From this place, I realized that this could be turned into a unique and wonderful opportunity to re-examine my technique with “beginner’s mind.”

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#3 - I developed a deeper sense of gratitude

Every day I feel thankful not only that I have the opportunity to play the drums, but that I get to play them for a living! But (stay with me here), it too is a career just like any other. There are highs and lows, moments of inspiration and moments of frustration. In recent years, playing 200+ dates per year has made me feel so comfortable on stage that I started to feel like I had lost my edge a bit. By this, I mean that I could feel myself losing that deep sense of pure joy I once had when jumping on the kit after school as a kid. However, returning to the stage after an extended break reignited that fire inside of me; it made me remember how FUN it is to play the drums! I once again felt that adrenaline pumping through my body, and I felt alive playing with “beginner’s mind,” which can only be experienced after taking a long break. I realized at that moment something important: Time spent away from the drums can be just as beneficial as time on the drums.

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Would I do it all over again?

Though I didn’t want to intentionally take an extended vacation from drumming, I’m so glad that I did it. It allowed me to fall in love with the drums all over again, made me appreciate the gift that I have to share with the world, and reminded me not take your gifts in life for granted. 

If you feel like you’ve hit a rut in your drumming (or any skill set that is important to you), try spending a month or two away from it. It’s ok to push that figurative “reset button” from time to time. You might be surprised at how you’ll grow by doing so.
 

SHOW DESCRIPTION

It's happened to us all at some point... you're sitting in and a tune is called that you don't know.

How do you "drive the bus" even if you don't know the tune?

In this episode, I'll cover the 3 most important things you need to know when "winging it" on a gig.

Thanks to CJ from New York for sending in this question!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

1) Listen in iTUNES (recommended)

2) Listen in browser

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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

Hey drummers,

Before we hit 2017, I want to share an extremely personal story with you all that I haven't shared with very many people before.

My hope is that this story will help motivate you (and the rest of the drumming community) to start 2017 off with a little push.

Exactly 2 years ago today, I was named winner of the Tommy Igoe Groove Essentials Contest by Hudson Music (video here). It was such an honor to be recognized by the drumming community and seriously meant the world to me.

HOWEVER... 

What meant more to me was the opportunity to then get to have a lesson with the incredible Tommy Igoe, someone who I look up to both as a musician and an educator.

Little did I know that my lesson with Tommy would end up changing my life.

You see, during our lesson in 2014, we actually barely played any drums at all (Maybe 15 seconds on the hi-hat).

Instead, we spent the entire time talking about life, music, and identifying what my goals/struggles were in both.

I had really needed to hear his advice at that time in my life. While I had both a great drumming gig and a solid corporate music job, I'd been feeling super stuck in my life for quite some time.

Deep down, I knew that I was continuing to play it safe, yet at the same time was too afraid to actually do anything about it.

Can anyone else relate?

In the lesson, Tommy told me something that I'll never forget:

"Steve... NOBODY lays on their death bed and says: ' You know what?... I sure wish that I had NEVER had taken a shot on that thing."

These words hit me like a brick wall! (If you missed it, re-read it again, placing yourself in that situation)

The lesson I learned is that our existence on this planet is seriously a blip on the radar (when you really think about the grand scheme of the universe). This isn't meant as a negative or as something dramatic, it's meant as a literal reality-check.

Inevitably, you and I will also be on our deathbeds too someday, reflecting on how our 20's, 30's, 40's, 60's, 80's, etc. went.

Once you become comfortable with this reality, why WOULDN'T you just go for it in life??? It would seem silly not to!

Tommy motivated me to start taking more chances in life and to STOP playing it safe. He pushed me to put myself out into the world fully, not just as a drummer (I've since been playing drums for the show Rock Of Ages), but also with my various online projects (Rules For Drummers, Ask The Drummer Podcast, 24 Days Of Vinnie, etc.) to help inspire the drumming community.

It's all been SO rewarding and I can honestly say that today, I feel so much closer to living my life's true purpose than I was in 2014. I have Tommy to thank for this!

The point of sharing this story with you all is this:

If you are even remotely THINKING about doing/creating/taking action on something in your life, JUST DO IT!

Thinking doesn't give you any results. Action does.

Don't be afraid to take action on the things you really want in life! You will lay on your deathbed feeling happy that you took that shot, not the other way around.

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and totally crushes it in the new year... GO FOR IT!

-Steve

The Power Of Visualization, Preparation, and Inspiration

Recently, I was asked to be a guest on the Conrad Askland show! (a show about business, arts, and all the intersections inbetween.)

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In the interview with Conrad, we discuss many things, including:

• What it means to become inspired.
• Choosing between a Music Education degree & a Music Performance degree.
• How to prepare for a big audition.
• The power of visualization in both music and in life.

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Listen To The Interview Here:

Original link and full transcript: http://conradaskland.com/blog/interview-steve-drum-practice-tips-visualization/

ONE THING IS CERTAIN...

No matter what path you end up on, it will not always be a smooth trip. You WILL hit road-blocks from time to time… guaranteed! What actually matters is not the actual road-blocks themselves, but what we do about them.

When you've hit a road-block, does the train grind to a halt or do you find a way to keep it moving?

I was recently listening to one of my favorite podcasts, “The Tim Ferriss Show,” and in one particular episode, Tim was offering some advice for what he tries to do when hitting various “road-blocks," the moments where you seem to find yourself banging your head against the wall trying to solve a problem that seems impossible.

His advice? When facing a road-block, Tim simply asks himself the following question:

“What would this look like if it were easy?"

Asking yourself this one, single question acts as an incredibly powerful tool for solving problems, reducing stress, and getting past the various road-blocks we face.

What is it about this question that is so powerful? By imagining the easiest possible scenario first, we often forget about the problem and instead focus on the solution. By imagining an easy scenario, we’re forced to eliminate complexity. It then becomes quite clear which things need to be changed, added, or removed.

In this article, I’ll provide 2 practical examples of “road-blocks” that a musician might face, and how we can use Tim’s strategy to completely eliminate them.

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EXAMPLE 1 - THE LAST-MINUTE GIG

Let’s say you get a call from a band-leader who got your contact information through a mutual musician friend. He explains to you that the drummer in their band is sick and they need a fill-in drummer who can play their entire 30 song catalog, without a rehearsal.

"The gig is in 2 days and pays $400... can you do it?"

Normally, you’d have no problem playing a gig like this because you know how to write out quick charts that you can use on the gig. But, there’s just one problem... you’re completely swamped over the next 2 days and won’t have any time to write out the charts. You’ve hit a roadblock.

Most people, at this point, would turn down the gig.

But what if you stopped and asked yourself: “What would this look like if it were easy?"

Well... if this were easy, the charts would already exist; you could just sight read them on the gig. Because you know how to sight-read charts at a high-level, you’d be able to accept and play the gig.

So, working backwards, how do we use charts on the gig if we’re not able to make them ourselves? Here’s a solid solution: Hire a drummer friend to write out the charts for you and give them part of your pay for the gig. Explain that it would be an easy way for your friend to learn some tunes, they could keep these 30 charts for their own use whenever needed, all while making some cash… not to mention that they would be helping you out tremendously. Everybody wins. You get to play the gig and your friend makes some money out of the process.

Now, let’s take a look at what just happened here. If you’d just stopped at the road-block (in this case, not having enough time to prepare), you would have turned the gig down, missed out on potential income, and also missed out on opportunities for future work with that band. However, because you worked backwards imagining the easiest scenario possible first, you found a way to eliminate the roadblock. You were thus able to play the gig, make some money (for both you and your friend), all while creating the opportunity for future work with that band! How’s that for problem-solving?

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EXAMPLE 2 - THE TOURING MUSICIAN’S HOME

Let’s say you’re a “hired gun,” making your living playing with a number of different bands. You might be hired for several days at a time up to several months on tour. Travel becomes a huge part of this nomadic lifestyle you’ve chosen, which is great! The problem is, when you’re NOT out on tour, you suddenly don’t have a place to live... You want to live in a house/apartment and feel like a “normal person," but it doesn’t necessarily make financial sense to sign a lease or enter into contracts with various utilities like water/cable/internet when you might need to leave town at a moment’s notice. You don’t want to crash on couches, but you also don’t want to be forced into renting a place that you may only live at for a few months each year. We’ve hit another road-block.

Again, we need to turn to our trusty question: “What would this look like if it were easy?"

If housing for traveling musicians were EASY, you wouldn’t have ANY signed leases or contracts. The place you stay would always be furnished (eliminating the need for “moving") You wouldn’t have to pay utilities, and you would easily be able to pack up and leave for a gig without losing money renting a place that you aren’t occupying. You only pay for the days you actually live there.

The solution: Use a service like AirBNB, where you simply pick the days you’d like to stay. When you need to leave town for a gig, simply place all your belongings into storage.

See what we did here? Because we first imagined the easiest possible outcome, it allowed us to work backwards to find a way to get past the housing road-block.

*Side Note: This solution is precisely what I’ve been doing for over a year now. Living through AirBnb has saved me thousands of dollars annually, and has also allowed me to see more of the world in between gigs. I used to need to fly home between gigs, but with the AirBnb solution, I simply choose where it makes the most sense to live next. For example, last year I had an entire week off between gigs and decided to stay in New Orleans, a place I had always wanted to visit. If I had been paying a monthly rent check to a landlord, this kind of one-week trip would not have made financial sense. The AirBnb solution allows me to see the world while actually SAVING money... It’s bonkers!

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SUMMARY

To recap, when we face the inevitable road-blocks of life, the best way to keep moving is to first imagine the easiest possible scenario (“What would this look like if it were easy?”), and then work backwards until you come up with a solution for how to make that scenario become a reality.

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YOUR ACTION STEPS THIS WEEK:

1) Take an assessment of any major “road-blocks” in your life: What are the things you encounter regularly that seem be more difficult, inconvenient, or inefficient than they should be?
2) For each of these road-blocks, ask yourself “What would this look like if it were easy?"
3) Once you’ve created the ideal scenario in your mind, work backwards and decide which specific actions will allow you to turn this imagined outcome into a reality.
4) Take action.

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100 RULES FOR DRUMMERS

Thanks so much for reading this week's article! Each week, I select one person from "100 RULES FOR DRUMMERS” and write an article based on the three-word rule they offered. My goal is to provide questions, thought experiments, and specific action steps you can take in order to improve both your DRUMMING and LIFE!

If you personally found this article helpful, please pay it forward by sharing it with just one person in your life that you think would become inspired from reading it!

Subscribe to 100 RULES FOR DRUMMERS by clicking HERE.

If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, I’d LOVE to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out anytime using the comments section below or by emailing me at steve@stevesuchdrums.com

Thanks,

-Steve

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ABOUT TIM LEFEBVRE

Thank you to Tim Lefebvre for offering his 3 words of advice to drummers (KEEP IT MOVING) and for inspiring me to write this week's article!

Rocketing between New York and Los Angeles, Tim Lefebvre is quickly carving out a bold and progressive vision of what a contemporary bassist can and should be. Fashioning a leadership role in avant-garde jazz and funk circles, Tim is also a capable and reliable sideman routinely called upon by today’s leading innovators from across the musical spectrum including: Tedeschi Trucks Band (his full-time gig), Chris Botti, Toto, Sting, Uri Caine, Dave Binney, Donny McCaslin, Mark Giuliana and Donald Fagen.

A native of Foxboro, Massachusetts, Tim majored in both political science and economics before earning his gigging stripes, on of all places, a cruise ship, thankfully not the Carnival “Triumph.”

Once back in port, Tim dove headlong into New York’s burgeoning underground live electronica and jazz scenes, exposing himself to some of the city's most progressive players including drummer Zach Danziger and the legendary guitarist and former Steely Dan sessions player Wayne Krantz.

As word spread that a funky new bassist was in town, bridging the gap between James Jamerson’s signature strut and an emerging live-tronica sound, Tim’s opportunities grew. Furiously incorporating the dictates of the avant-garde with a more mainstream and commercially viable sound, Tim emerged from this formative period with a singular style and a trajectory for evolution that has yet to lose steam.

Tim’s career began to skyrocket when he subbed in Saturday Night Live’s house band, quickly catching the eye of television and film executives, soon landing playing and writing roles for shows such as “The Sopranos,” “30 Rock,” “The Apprentice,” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

It wasn’t long before Hollywood came calling. Tim performed on a number of movie soundtracks including "Oceans 12," "The Departed,“ “Analyze That!” while composing music for “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle,” “Please Give” and commercials for Microsoft and Chevrolet.

Tim’s good fortune, open mind and willingness to play with anyone and everyone has supercharged his development enabling him to play with genius talents such as the guitarist Wayne Krantz, the neo-classical jazz pianist Uri Caine and scores of other. A recent domestic and European tour with ferocious post-bop saxophonist Donny McCaslin cemented Tim’s status as one of the industry’s most sought-after rhythm partners. Recently he recorded a record with Germany's Michael Wollny ("Weltentraum" ACT music and vision) that was awarded the ECHO trophy for Best Jazz Record of 2014.

He is Endorsed by Moollon Guitars, Callow Hill Guitars, MXR + Jim Dunlop Efx, Ableton Live, TC Electronics, Izotope, M Audio, Ampeg, and DR Strings.

Appearances with/recorded with  Leon Russell, Chris Robinson, RIta Coolidge, Taj Mahal, TOTO, Empire of the Sun, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Chaka Khan, David Hidalgo, Emmy Rossum,  Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, AR Rahman, , Corinne Bailey Rae, Allessandro Amoroso, JOVANOTTI,  Donald Fagen, Roseanne Cash,Till Broenner, Patti Austin, Mark Isham, Draco Rosa, Tony Orlando, Donny Osmond, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Andy Garcia, Anthony Hamilton, Bette Midler, Drew Barrymore, Snoop Dogg,  Jim Belushi, David Holmes, Pati Yang, Paula Cole, Melissa Errico,  Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Larry Carlton, Deborah Gibson, Abe Laboriel, Jr.,  Karsh Kale, Russell Ferrante, KT Tunstall, Tenacious D, Jill Sobule, Hildegard Knef, Andy Snitzer, Bob James, David Ryan Harris,  Mark Whitfield, Dr. John, Warren Haynes, Chuck Loeb, Les McCann, Bill Frisell, Chris Potter’s Underground, Arif Marden, David Cassidy, David Johanssen & The Harry Smith’s, M People,  Donny McCaslin, Philippe Saisse, Les McCann, Bill Frisell, Angelique Kidjo, Chuck Loeb, Jon Pousette-Dart, Kneebody, Larry John MacNally, Jim Beard, Steve Coleman, Chieli Minucci & Special EFX, Mitch Forman, Eddie Daniels, Tim Berne, Brian Blade, and Jim Black

SHOW DESCRIPTION: 

Our question this week comes from Gino in Toronto Canada, who asks what you should do when working with a sound engineer who seems to be a bit jaded. Unfortunately, these situations do happen from time to time.

In this episode, I'll offer my specific tips for working with difficult sound engineers.

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LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

1 -  iTunes (Recommended)

STEVE: “Greg, if you had 3 words of advice to give to drummers, what would you tell them?"

GREG: “...Always Play Honestly."

STEVE: “That’s a great one man! What made you decide to say that?"

GREG: "My mentor by the name of Ernie Adams always told me (and still does) that you can’t think about what you’re playing. As soon as you do, you’re not in the music anymore… you get sucked into your own world. You have to feel it. So to me, play honestly means to be in the mental space to just let it come to you… to play what you feel. If you do, it will all come out well."

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THE CRITIC VOICE

Greg is really on to something here... How many times have you overanalyzed your playing DURING the gig? How many times have you had that nagging voice in the back of your head (let’s call it the “Critic Voice”) giving you the play-by-play: “That beat was early! That beat was late! You’re playing too loud! Your time sucks! Stop slouching! Come on man, get it together!"

We’ve all been there before. When you do have the Critic Voice barking at you, there's so much noise in your head that it’s really difficult to play musically, and it’s basically impossible to play HONESTLY (from the heart).

Why? Because in that state, you’re just trying to satisfy the VOICE.

When we’re in the practice room, the Critic Voice is actually important. It’s how we focus on the details, and it’s how we develop our ears so that we can improve on our instrument.

But when we go on stage, the greats are the ones who know how to turn that voice off!

Turning the Critic Voice off means that you FEEL THE MOMENT. It means that you take more risks. It means that you contribute to the musical conversation rather than staying in the background.

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YOUR ACTION STEPS THIS WEEK

Ask yourself: "When I play on stage, am I playing honestly, or am I simply trying to satisfy my Critic Voice?"

If you have trouble turning the Critic Voice off, consider the following:

1) Consider that, truthfully, you will not get any better at the drums during this gig. However good you are now, this is how good you’ll be by the end of the gig. Don’t try to get better… just do your thing! Accept where you are at right now in this moment and enjoy it.

2) Which conversations with people do you enjoy more? The conversations that are polite, timid, and cautious, or the conversations that are real, opinionated, and raw? Translate that to your playing. Don’t be cautious on your instrument… be opinionated.

3) Why are you so focused on your drumming in the first place? If you have trouble turning the Critic Voice off, try focusing your attention on your band mates instead. How can you interact with them? Are you really listening to them? How can you compliment or enhance what they are doing? If you’re busy having a musical conversation with your band mates, the Critic Voice will have no room to speak.

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100 RULES FOR DRUMMERS

Thanks so much for reading this week's article! Each week, I select one person from "100 RULES FOR DRUMMERS” and write an article based on the three-word rule they offered. My goal is to provide questions, thought experiments, and specific action steps you can take in order to improve both your DRUMMING and LIFE!

If you personally found this article helpful, please pay it forward by sharing it with just one person in your life that you think would become inspired from reading it!

Subscribe to 100 RULES FOR DRUMMERS by clicking HERE.

If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, I’d LOVE to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out anytime using the comments section below or by emailing me at steve@stevesuchdrums.com

Thanks,

-Steve

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ABOUT GREG ESSIG

Thank you to drummer Greg Essig for offering his three words of advice to drummers (ALWAYS PLAY HONESTLY) and for inspiring me to write this week's article!

Greg Essig, drummer, grew up in Plainfield, IL and attended Northern Illinois University for music performance. He has studied with Ernie Adams, Kris Myers, Mark Guiliana, and Chris Coleman. He’s played with notable artists such as Marbin, Sidewalk Chalk, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble and more.

For the past a week and a half, I've been performing an experiment on myself. The result? My body has transformed significantly. I've lost 10 pounds of fat, my clothes are looser, and I have more energy than I’ve had in months. All in just 10 days. Here’s how I did it, (and here's EXACTLY how you can do it too).

COMPONENT 1: NUTRITION

(Cliff Notes Version: Slow Carb Diet + Water + Supplements + Tracking = AWESOME)

FOOD

For the last 10 days, I have been following Tim Ferriss’ Slow-Carb diet. Here it is in a nutshell:

RULE 1: AVOID "WHITE” CARBOHYDRATES.

RULE 2: EAT THE SAME FEW MEALS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

8:00AM - English Breakfast Tea

12:00PM - Veggie Stir Fry ( 3 whole eggs, and about 2 cups of normandy style veggies, plus teriyaki sauce)

3:00PM - Turkey Burger (plus hot sauce, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and garlic salt)

5:00PM - One handful of Cashews

8:00PM - One can of Black Beans (plus hot sauce, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and garlic salt)

RULE 3: DON'T DRINK CALORIES.

Sadly, this also includes any alcohol :(
...except for my cheat day, of course :)

RULE 4: DON'T EAT FRUIT.

RULE 5: TAKE ONE DAY OFF PER WEEK.

Oh yes, this is the best part… the day when you literally eat ANYTHING you want! For my first cheat day, I ate an entire (yes, an entire) Little Caesar’s Hot-N-Ready Pizza, plus an ice cream cookie sandwich. Oh, and a few more slices of pizza + beer later that night. (I’m a madman.)

***For a complete reading on the Slow Carb Diet from Tim Ferriss’ book (The 4-Hour Body), visit: http://gizmodo.com/5709913/4-hour-body---the-slow-carb-diet
 

WATER:

Drink 1 Gallon Of Water Per Day. This may seem like a lot to some people, but I’ve been doing this for almost a year now and can confirm its positive benefits. Water is to the body as oil is to a car. With proper hydration, you’ll feel amazing. Go to Vons and buy a 99 cent gallon water jug. Make sure you drink it all before the end of the day. Rinse and repeat. Easy peasy.
 

SUPPLEMENTS:

1 Tablet - Kirkland Premium Performance Multivitamin

1 Tablet - Kirkland Signature Fish Oil Concentrate with Omega-3 Fatty Acids, 400 Softgels, 1000mg

10 Tablets - Kirkland Signature Vitamin C 1000 Mg with Rose Hips 500 Tablets  - (Yes, you read that right... 10 x 1000mg pills per day = 10,000MG. There’s a lot of research about the benefits of high doses of C in your diet. Here’s a good starting point: http://fatburningman.com/dr-andrew-saul-the-megavitamin-man-high-dose-vitamin-c-diy-health/)

TRACKING:

I track my diet using MyFitnessPal (http://www.myfitnesspal.com). Download the APP, it works like a charm. As long as you don’t go over your calorie intake for the day, you WILL lose weight. Period.

COMPONENT 2: EXERCISE

Here’s exactly what I did over the past 10 days. Notice that the amount of time spent working out is completely reasonable. As with most things, it’s about quality (how hard you push yourself), not quantity (time).

MON 1/4:      CrossFit (1 hour)
TUE 1/5:       Off
WED1/6:       CrossFit (1 hour)
THU 1/7:       Off
FRI 1/8:         CrossFit (1 hour)
SAT 1/9:        Off
SUN 1/10:     Yoga Class (1hour)
MON 1/11:     CrossFit + Yoga Class (2 hours)
TUE 1/12:       Run (30 minutes)
WED 1/13:      CrossFit (1 hour)

Total Training Time in 10 days: (7.5 hours)
 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

In all honesty, even though I’ve already seen differences in how my body looks, the biggest difference I’ve noticed is how sharp I feel MENTALLY. I’m completely convinced that 95%+ of this shift is due to one thing… DIET. When I eat like crap, I get “Grain Brain"... I feel depressed, weak, and unmotivated. However, by following the slow-carb diet, I’ve had more energy in the last 10 days than I’ve had in months. I feel more alert, more positive, more creative, more productive, and simply put... I feel happier!

Well folks, that’s exactly how I lost 10 pounds in 10 days. If you follow the advice above, I’m almost certain you’ll see a positive effect in both body and mind. I’m NOT saying that this formula will work long-term for everyone, but if you’re someone out there who’s not satisfied with your current lifestyle and want to make a change, it's definitely worth a week of your life to try this out as an experiement. If you do, please mention your results in the comments below!

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I asked Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Zoro, Johnny Rabb, Curt Bisquera, Ari Hoenig, Victor Indrizzo, Jonathan Mover, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Steve Fidyk, Bermuda Schwartz, Dan Needham, Bruce Becker, Bill Bachman, Jeff Queen, Pete Lockett, Andre Boyd, Nick Ruffini, Dave Kropf, Richie Gajate-Garcia, Tim Lefevbre, and many more to give their top piece of advice to drummers. 

Here's what they said. 

The catch... They could only use THREE WORDS!

Enjoy the video and I hope it inspires you!

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