SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Matt from Austin, TX asks how to discover new drum sounds. What do you do when you start to get bored with your own playing? In this episode, I’ll explain how to use the formula IMAGINATION + RESTRICTION = CREATIVITY to create an infinite number of new sounds on your kit.
Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.askthedrummer.com
MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:
RULES FOR DRUMMERS - Rule 16: Use Your Imagination!
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:
One of the most valuable things you can do as an educator is to have your students complete “reflection” assignments at the end of each quarter. Every 3 months, ask your student to write down answers to the following three things before coming to their next lesson:
By taking a minute to look back through lesson notebooks/assignments, the student will often be impressed to see how much they’ve accomplished with you in a short period of time. They’ll also get a “big-picture” glance of the most important concepts addressed that quarter.
Because you and the student spend the majority of your time focusing on areas of improvement, often times the student may feel like they are "stuck in the weeds". When students are asked to clearly identify their own strengths, it empowers them, gives them a major confidence boost, and allows them to realize that they ARE making real progress in lessons and on their instrument.
Placing the student in the driver's seat is mutually beneficial for you both! You should use this information to cater part of your lesson plan towards the student’s interests so that they stay inspired while still learning the fundamentals. Meanwhile, the student also learns the value of effective goal-setting, a skill that will help them far beyond their instrument. (Help them determine if their goals are not challenging enough, not specific enough, etc.).
Want a simple template that you can print and give to your students? A PDF template of this reflection assignment can be downloaded by clicking below:
Want to add more energy to your playing?
Today, I'll show you 4 drummers who display energy on a much different level.
FIRST - We'll deconstruct WHY these drummers are energetic.
SECOND - I'll give you some practical suggestions for incorporating these concepts into your own playing.
Ready? Let’s go!
This means several things: talking to the crowd in between songs, making eye contact with someone in the front row, doing some stick tricks, or just moving your body a little bit more as you play.
In the video below, watch how Lee Pearson uses SHOWMANSHIP to deliver this incredible drum solo:
It’s important to remember that as you are playing, people are WATCHING you too, not just listening!
How do you LOOK to your audience? Are you giving them something interesting to look at?
Trying adding visual elements to your playing, people will be able to not just HEAR your energy, they’ll be able to SEE it.
In the same way, drummers often have the misconception that in order to play with energy, we must be playing at FULL VOLUME the entire time.
This is a huge mistake… soon your playing will likely become pretty boring to the listener.
In the video below, watch how Antonio uses a wide range of dynamics in order to create an energetic drum solo:
You need the “softs” in order for the “louds” to have their full, most energetic effect.
The next time you play a gig, explore changing up your dynamics to create emotional WAVES in the musical experience. (HINT: Don’t be afraid to play soft!)
For example: In a pop song, you might: 1) keep the verses low, 2) raise the volume during the choruses, and 3) take it up a final level towards the end. This creates an ARC of energy, and can be extremely effective.
If done effectively, the listener will become engaged with what you are doing and will be listening for what might come next.
In the video above, you'll notice two things: 1) David chooses some very unconventional grooves for each section of this song, and 2) Be sure to check out the unexpected fill at 0:52! Super funky!
Believe it or not, a simple smile adds SO much energy to your overall performance.
As an audience member, if you notice a musician smiling onstage, it’s almost impossible for you NOT to become enraptured with what they are doing!
Smiles are contagious. Check out this legendary performance of Jo Jones:
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!
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
In this episode, I'll show you what Active Listening is by deconstructing the tune "So What" by Miles Davis. Active Listening is a game-changer for how you can listen to music. I'll also be reading listener comments and talk about my upcoming trip to Asia!
Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.askthedrummer.com
MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:
2) In Browser
If you are a working drummer, chances are that you are doing many different things to earn a living: fill-in gigs, summer tours, weekend cover band gigs, weeknight jazz gigs, teaching lessons, or all of the above. Because gigs come and go year-round and can be quite unpredictable, it means that your income will likely be fluctuating from month to month.
Therefore, you need to treat yourself as if you were running your own streamlined business, because you are! As a professional drummer, you need to have a better handle on your finances than most other people do because you don't have the comfort of a full-time salary position. But, the good news is that it IS possible to make a living as a working drummer, you just have to make some changes to the way you handle your finances/lifestyle. Here are some tips on how to face an inconsistent income:
SAVE MONEY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, STARTING NOW - Because working drummers have inconsistent sources of income, you'll need to make it a habit of saving a portion of your income for when (not if) work dries up a bit. A good rule of thumb is to always set aside 10%-15% of income from every gig you play moving forward. Send it straight to an account before you have the chance to spend it. You should strive to save up at least 6-9 months of living expenses and place it in a separate account in case you have a few months of unsteady work.
BECOME DEBT FREE ASAP - Having debt as a professional musician is not a good idea, period! If you went to college for a music degree, do whatever is possible in order to pay off your student loan debt NOW, not “some day". Avoid using credit cards unless you have funds to pay it off IN FULL the following month. If you currently are faced with any credit card or student loan debt, my best personal recommendation is to read the book Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, which will pump you up to pay off your debt and also give you the tools needed to become debt free. (This book is the sole reason I was able to pay off over $25K of student loan debt, as a professional drummer!)
LEARN TO LIVE MINIMALLY - If you want to be a professional musician, you have to be able to develop a lifestyle that does not revolve around material things. This means learning to make smart purchases that will last a long time, having discipline to say no to buying your “wants,” and being okay without always having the newest, shiniest toys. It doesn’t mean that you need to live as if you were poor, it just means that you need to keep your expenses low so that you don’t feel stressed when you’re in-between gigs. If you're currently bogged down with a large monthly overhead and lots of material possessions, check out this 15 minute podcast: “How To Practice Poverty And Reduce Fear”
SET UP A BUDGET - I won’t go into too much detail here (refer to Total Money Makeover for specific budgeting tips), but if you don’t know what your monthly income/expenses are, you can’t have any control over your finances. Use a free tool such as www.mint.com to setup a budget if you don’t have one currently.
Many musicians are guilty of having an inconsistent practice routine. Why? As you become busier, take on more commitments in life, and travel more for gigs, practice time often becomes difficult to make throughout the week. Here are some tips to add consistency to your practice routine:
DON’T DO TOO MUCH, TOO SOON - For example, if you try to practice 8 hours a day every day, you’re likely to fizzle out by the end of the week, which makes you feel as if you failed. Instead, in order to build a consistent practice routine, you need to start super small. For the first week, practice just 15-30 minutes per day. This may not seem like a lot to you at first, but if you are able to do this 5 days per week (with 2 days off scheduled), you’re ready to add another 10-15 minutes per day the next week, and so on. If you start small, you’ll achieve small “wins” which will allow you to keep with your practice goals.
CHOOSE SMARTER GOALS - This means that you need to choose goals that are highly specific, achievable, and have a clear deadline. If you need help with creating smarter goals, read my article on effective goal setting: "RULE 9: Small Improvements Daily"
PLAN FOR DAYS OFF - Just as you should plan ahead which days you will practice, you should also plan the days you will NOT practice. If you say “I will practice every day”, you’re likely to fail. Instead, map out your practice schedule a week in advance so you can plan ahead for things that come up.
PRACTICE AWAY FROM THE KIT - You don’t always need to be at the drum set in order to get better. For more on this, read my article: 10 Ways To Practice…WITHOUT Touching Your Instrument
Working drummers face many inconsistencies in their overall lifestyle: Changes in time zones, locations, accommodations, food, amount of sleep, weather fluctuations, and more.
You will also face many inconsistencies on the gig itself: Different musicians, genres, stages, crowds, venues, sound engineers (Check out “How to Work With A Jaded Sound Engineer), lighting, monitor setups, and more.
The point is that as a working musician, almost everything you do will be different from night to night, so the most important thing you can do is to try to be as flexible as possible and learn how to MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Professional drummers usually do not follow a typical 9-5 work schedule. Most likely, you’ll follow an irregular schedule from week to week (one week you might gig every night and the next week you might have zero gigs). So, how do you add consistency to an irregular schedule?
For any non-gigging days, you need to schedule time for you to work on other aspects of your life, such as your teaching, branding, practicing, learning, and so on. Just because you have a night off from gigging does not mean that you have a night off from getting closer to your musical goals. The most successful musicians are not successful because of their raw talent, they’re successful because they work way harder than most other musicians do.
Every day, you should ask yourself: "Am I Getting Closer To The Mountain?"
CREATE A MORNING ROUTINE - and stick to it! Create a few "constants" in your life that never change (fitness, reading, practicing, meditation, etc.), and incorporate these things into a morning routine. Following a consistent routine for part of each day will help you to deal with the unpredictable and ever-changing life of a musician. For specific tips on creating an effective morning routine, I highly recommend that you check out these resources: The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life & 5 Morning Rituals That Help Me Win The Day
Thanks so much for reading this week's article! Each week, I select one person from the video "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!
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 Such
Thank you to Jeff Queen for offering his 3 words of advice (PATIENTLY PRACTICE CONSISTENCY) and for inspiring me to write this week's article!
Jeff Queen has been involved with percussion since the age of 10. At the age of 15, Jeff began his drum corps career with the Canton Bluecoats and continued on to march with the Velvet Knights, Santa Clara Vanguard, Blue Knights and the University of North Texas. Jeff was the Drum Corps International Individual and Ensemble Snare Drum Champion in 1994 and 1995 as well as the Percussive Arts Society Individual Snare Drum Champion in 1994 and 1995. Jeff has taught in the drum corps activity for over 18 years, including being the caption head for the Carolina Crown drum and bugle corps from 2003-04, percussion arranger for the Colts Drum and Bugle corps for 2007-08.
Jeff is an original cast member of the Tony and Emmy award winning Broadway Show "BLAST" where he was a solo performer and battery instructor from 1999 - 2003. Jeff has performed across the US, Europe and Asia. In addition Jeff has appeared on numerous Television shows including: The Late Show with David Letterman, The Kennedy Center Honors 2000, NBA All-Star Game 2001, Grey Cup 2007, “BLAST”, and “The Making of Blast” on PBS DVD and Video.
Queen is the author of “The Next Level: Rudimental Drumming Techniques” available through Jeff Queen Productions and “Playing With Sticks”, a more than 3-hour instructional DVD through Hudson Music. More of Jeff’s compositions are available through Drop6 Media, Tapspace Publications, and jeffqueen.com. Jeff is a signature artist for Vic Firth Drumsticks, and proudly endorses Evans Drumheads, Zildjian cymbals and Yamaha Drums.
Jeff holds his BM in Music Theory and Composition and MM in Percussion Performance from Butler University. Currently, Jeff is the Percussion Director for Carmel High School in Carmel, IN, and is on the faculty with Butler University and Marian University. When not teaching at home, Jeff travels the world as an active composer, arranger, judge, clinician, and performer.
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Ben from Florida asks about locking in with other bandmates. What do you do if you can’t seem to lock in the pocket with another musician? In this episode, I offer my thoughts and tips on how to approach these situations when they come up.
Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.askthedrummer.com
MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:
1) Listen Now In iTUNES (Recommended)
2) In Browser
DRUMMERS... HOW DO YOU LOCK IN WITH OTHER MUSICIANS?
What do YOU do when you have trouble locking in with another musician?
Enter your comments, tips, or suggestions in the comments section below and I may choose to read your comment on a future episode of the ATD podcast!
First, the DEFINITION of Minimum Effective Dose:
“The Minimum Effective Dose is the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome… Anything BEYOND the MED is wasteful.”
In the book, The Four-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss uses the example of laying out in the sun. Your skin only needs about 15 minutes to receive the benefits from the sun, so the Minimum Effective Dose (MED) would be 15 minutes. However, many people choose to lay out in the sun far beyond 15 minutes. According to the principle of MED, this extra time would be considered wasteful in terms of benefits to your skin.
Or, let’s use the example of fitness. When you’re in the gym, there’s a certain point where more exercise does NOT equal more results. That sweet spot is the Minimum Effective Dose.
The goal of MED is to determine the maximum results you can gain from using the least amount of energy.
Ok, this is great and all, but what in the world does this have to do with drumming?
With a little creativity and brainstorming, you can apply MED to almost every area of your life, including drumming.
In this article, I’ve outlined 6 practical ways to improve your drumming using the principles of MED. Let’s get started:
How can we apply MED to our ability to learn all styles of music?
Thought Experiment: For each major style of music, can you identify the 1-3 grooves that you’re MOST likely to encounter in that style?
Rock
Jazz
Funk
EDM
Bossa Nova
Salsa
Tango
Samba
Pop
Hip-Hop
Once you’ve identified these 1-3 grooves, MASTER THEM. These grooves are now your MED grooves, and as a working drummer, you’ll be playing them for the rest of your life.
How do you know if a groove is an MED groove? If someone were to suddenly call a tune in that style, an MED groove would be considered musically appropriate 90%-95% of the time.
By constantly refining your MED grooves in all styles, you’ll be able to get through almost any gig (especially when playing a style you aren’t comfortable with). All other grooves are icing on the cake and vehicles for your own personal musical expression, but again… as a working drummer, the MED grooves are what will keep you HIRED.
Think about it: If you make a living as a pop drummer, your 4/4 backbeat groove should ALWAYS take priority in the practice room over a left-foot clave groove in 15/16 time.
This is the philosophy of MED in action.
Next, how could we apply MED to our drum setup?
For each part of your drum kit, what is most effective position you can place it in so that you use as little energy as possible while moving around the kit? Maybe you move your cymbals an inch down, maybe you flatten out your toms, or maybe you raise your snare drum height. These minimal, effective changes can make a HUGE difference in how you play.
How can we apply MED to our drumming technique?
When you strike a drum or cymbal, how can you play in a way that allows you to get the FULLEST sound while using the LEAST amount of energy? This is the MED of drumming technique. Anything MORE than this could be considered an unnecessary waste of energy.
Jojo Mayer is a great example of someone who has total command of his technique. Why? Because he applies MED to his drumming technique, allowing him to play effortlessly.
How can we apply MED to the gear we use?
Ask yourself: Do you REALLY need all of those cymbals, snare drums, toms, and percussion toys on your gig, or are you using more gear as a crutch in your playing?
Instead, ask yourself: For this gig, what is the minimum number of drums and cymbals that are required to be musical?
If you’ve ever intentionally chosen to play gigs with less gear than you are used to, you’ll often find that you become much more musical with the gear that you have. For example, if you only have one cymbal, you’ll explore all possible sounds. You'll find out how to use it as both a ride cymbal AND a crash cymbal.
Sitting in at a jam session and don’t know the tune? This is another great opportunity to apply the MED philosophy:
"What is minimum effective INFORMATION that I need in order to get through the song?"
1) Form Of The Song
2) How the song STARTS/ENDS
3) Style Of The Song
You don’t need to know EVERY detail about a song before playing it. Using this minimal information and FOLLOWING YOUR EARS, you can get through virtually any unknown song that might be called on a gig.
If you are known as a “busy player,” How can you apply MED to your groove?
Think: What is the minimal amount of notes that I need to play in order to make the song feel great? Do I really need all of those ghost notes? Do I always need to crash on the 1? Do I need to use ANY fills at all?
When you play less, the other musicians in the band have more space to play on top of your groove.
We’ve just scratched the surface here on how you can apply MED to your drumming.
1) In what other ways can you apply MED to your own drumming?
2) Besides music, how you can apply MED to the other key areas in your life?
If you have become fascinated at all by this subject, I highly recommend picking up these two books (which dive DEEP into the concept):
1) The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch
2) The 4 Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman By Tim Ferriss
Thanks so much for reading this week's article! Each week, I select one person from the video "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!
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 Such
Thank you to Johnny Mantra for offering his three words of advice to drummers (WHAT IS NEEDED?) and for inspiring me to write this week's article!
Johnny Mantra is a guitarist from NYC.
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Johnny from Indianapolis asks about selecting a drum stick. Do you pick a versatile stick for all genres or do you use different sticks for different gigs? In this episode, I discuss the 6 factors that go into drum stick design, and how you can use this information to find the right stick for the job.
MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:
After listening to this episode, I’d recommend browsing the website of your favorite stick company to see what options they offer.
Full disclosure: I proudly endorse Promark Drum Sticks and recommend them for both the quality and consistency of the sticks they produce.
To see exactly which sticks I use, click HERE. To check out their full drum stick catalog, visit www.promark.com. Be sure to take special note of the "Select Balance” series, which I highly recommend checking out.
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:
1) Listen in iTUNES (recommended)
2) In Browser
Enter your thoughts/tips in the comments section below. I may choose to read your comments on a future episode of the ATD podcast!
Whether we like it or not, the actions you take in life will always be subject to criticism from others. This holds especially true in the world of music, where personal tastes can be so subjective and opinionated.
Criticism can often be a tough pill to swallow, so here are 5 things to think about when you encounter it:
I have a confession to make. Personally, I can’t stand the taste of seafood.
I’d say about 99% of the time, seafood tastes absolutely revolting to me. Of course, when I mention this to someone at a restaurant, they look at me like I’ve committed a cardinal sin!
But… me not liking seafood doesn’t mean that seafood is a BAD thing and should never be served again. It just means that I, Steve Such, don’t like seafood.
Some people like jazz. Some people like metal. Some people like hip-hop. Some people listen to all three. Some people don’t listen to any of it.
Just because a person doesn’t like something (or criticizes it) doesn't mean that it has absolutely no place in the world. It just means that it’s not their cup of tea.
No matter how good your intentions are, you simply can’t please everybody. When you try to, you'll end up holding back and playing it safe.
Instead of trying to please everyone, ask yourself “What is my gift to offer to others in this life?” Once you have the answer to this, just go out there and make it happen. Criticism may come your way from time to time, but you will also 10-20x the amount of positive impact you can have during your time here on this planet. Why? Because you weren’t playing it safe.
Once again: You can’t please everybody, so stop trying to.
Steve Jobs was criticized for creating computers with a “closed system.” The founders of AirBnb were laughed at for their concept (“You want a complete stranger to be able to pay to stay in another stranger’s home without ever having met?!”). Geddy Lee was criticized as having too high of a voice (the singer of Rush, one of the most successful rock bands of all time). Many of our world’s most respected figures faced heavy criticism before eventually being honored as an innovator.
Imagine if any of these people had quit at the first sign of criticism… what a shame that would have been!
The point is, whenever someone starts to criticize you, it might be a sign that you’re actually on to something. Many of your worst critics are simply those who are uncomfortable with any type of change. They “like it the way it is and want to keep it the way it always has been.”
Ignore their criticism. You may just be on to something.
Counterintuitively, some people choose to criticize you because they might be jealous of the very thing they are criticizing you for.
If “John" constantly teases you for being “too nice,” maybe it’s because deep down he wishes here were as nice as you.
If “Jane” writes a horrible review about how much she hates your album/playing/etc., maybe she's really trying to take the focus off of her own personal struggle as a musician.
Criticism can often be a coping mechanism for someone’s own securities or lack of action in their own life. Always keep this in mind when facing your nastiest critic.
If you encounter someone who criticizes your talent, profession, or character, ask yourself: “Why am I seeking validation from this person in the first place?” "Should his/her approval really matter to me?”
Think about this: if you aren’t receiving some form of this criticism from time to time, it might mean that you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough past your own personal limits and fears.
After all, it’s your life to live, not theirs. It becomes virtually impossible to let criticism effect you negatively if you stay focused your own happiness, goals, and purpose.
I’ll end with this. Renowned author Neil Gaiman spoke the following words at a college commencement speech:
"Something that worked for me was imagining that where I wanted to be – an author, primarily of fiction, making good books, making good comics and supporting myself through my words – was a mountain. A distant mountain. My goal.
And I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain I would be all right. And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it was taking me towards or away from the mountain."
If someone criticizes what you are doing, stop and ask “For the thing they are criticizing me for, am I at least getting closer to the mountain?"
If the answer is yes, ignore their criticism.
As long as your actions and efforts are always moving toward the mountain, don’t let criticism stop you in your tracks. Instead, use criticism as fuel to get you to the mountain faster.
Thanks so much for reading this week's article! Each week, I select one person from the video "100 RULES FOR DRUMMERS” and write an article based on the three-word rule they offered. This week’s rule (WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF) was submitted by the great Johnny Rabb.
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!
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 Such
Thank you to Johnny Rabb for offering his top three words of advice for drummers (WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF) and for inspiring me to write this week’s article!
Johnny Rabb is an active live and studio drummer. He is currently on tour with the platinum-selling rock band Collective Soul, and recently recorded the "See What You Started By Continuing" album, which will be released in Fall 2015. The band has a fall tour planned through the end of the year.
Johnny has been fortunate enough to develop a series of cymbals with the MEINL cymbal company. His Drumbals and Safari cymbals are part of the Generation X line. He is also the founder of his own drumstick company. Johnny recently joined the NFUZD Audio team as a product advisor and clinician. He continues to design and develop new sounds and innovations for his unique concepts on the drums.
As an author, Johnny continues his passion for education. He released The Official Freehand Technique Book/CD. Johnny was also voted #1 Best Educational Author by Modern Drummer’s Readers Poll for his book Jungle Drum ‘N’ Bass for the Acoustic Drum Set.
He has performed with a wide range of artists such as Tanya Tucker, Hank Williams III, Maynard Ferguson, DJ Hype, Alain Caron, Frank Gambale, Larry Tagg, SheDaisy, Deana Carter and Mindy McCready.
He has traveled worldwide conducting countless clinics and master classes including the Montreal Drumfest, PASIC, Musik Messe, Meinl Drum Festival, Drummer Fest (Belgium) and the Ultimate Drummer’s Weekend, to name a few. He has also instructed at world reknown drum camps, including KOSA and RHYTHM (Bavarian Music Academy).
Johnny performs with MEINL cymbals, NFUZD Audio, REMO drumheads, Johnny Rabb Drumsticks, Pro-Logix Practice Pads, AUDIX microphones, Gibraltar Hardware, and Westone in-ears.
Whether we like it or not, the actions we take in life are always subject to criticism from others.
This holds especially true in the world of music, where personal tastes can be so subjective and opinionated.
Criticism can often be a tough pill to swallow, so here are 5 things to think about when you encounter it:
I have a confession to make. Personally, I can’t stand the taste of seafood.
I’d say about 99% of the time, seafood tastes absolutely revolting to me. Of course, when I mention this to someone at a restaurant, they look at me like I’ve committed a cardinal sin!
But… me not liking seafood doesn’t mean that seafood is a BAD thing and should never be served again. It just means that I, Steve Such, don’t like seafood.
Some people like jazz. Some people like metal. Some people like hip-hop. Some people listen to all three. Some people don’t listen to any of it.
Just because a person doesn’t like something (or criticizes it) doesn't mean that it has absolutely no place in the world. It just means that it’s not their cup of tea.
No matter how good your intentions are, you simply can’t please everybody. When you try to, you'll end up holding back and playing it safe.
Instead of trying to please everyone, ask yourself “What is my gift to offer to others in this life?” Once you have the answer to this, just go out there and make it happen. Criticism may come your way from time to time, but you will also 10-20x the amount of positive impact you can have during your time here on this planet. Why? Because you weren’t playing it safe.
Once again: You can’t please everybody, so stop trying to.
Steve Jobs was criticized for creating computers with a “closed system.” The founders of AirBnb were laughed at for their concept (“You want a complete stranger to be able to pay to stay in another stranger’s home without ever having met?!”). Geddy Lee was criticized as having too high of a voice (the singer of Rush, one of the most successful rock bands of all time). Many of our world’s most respected figures faced heavy criticism before eventually being honored as an innovator.
Imagine if any of these people had quit at the first sign of criticism… what a shame that would have been!
The point is, whenever someone starts to criticize you, it might be a sign that you’re actually on to something. Many of your worst critics are simply those who are uncomfortable with any type of change. They “like it the way it is and want to keep it the way it always has been.”
Ignore their criticism. You may just be on to something.
Counterintuitively, some people choose to criticize you because they might be jealous of the very thing they are criticizing you for.
If “John" constantly teases you for being “too nice,” maybe it’s because deep down he wishes here were as nice as you.
If “Jane” writes a horrible review about how much she hates your album/playing/etc., maybe she's really trying to take the focus off of her own personal struggle as a musician.
Criticism can often be a coping mechanism for someone’s own securities or lack of action in their own life. Always keep this in mind when facing your nastiest critic.
If you encounter someone who criticizes your talent, profession, or character, ask yourself: “Why am I seeking validation from this person in the first place?” "Should his/her approval really matter to me?”
Think about this: if you aren’t receiving some form of this criticism from time to time, it might mean that you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough past your own personal limits and fears.
After all, it’s your life to live, not theirs. It becomes virtually impossible to let criticism effect you negatively if you stay focused your own happiness, goals, and purpose.
I’ll end with this. Renowned author Neil Gaiman spoke the following words at a college commencement speech:
"Something that worked for me was imagining that where I wanted to be – an author, primarily of fiction, making good books, making good comics and supporting myself through my words – was a mountain. A distant mountain. My goal.
And I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain I would be all right. And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it was taking me towards or away from the mountain."
If someone criticizes what you are doing, stop and ask “For the thing they are criticizing me for, am I at least getting closer to the mountain?"
If the answer is yes, ignore their criticism.
As long as your actions and efforts are always moving toward the mountain, don’t let criticism stop you in your tracks. Instead, use criticism as fuel to get you to the mountain faster.
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Shaan from Indianapolis asks about in-ear monitors for drummers. Should you get the custom molds? How many drivers should they have? In this episode, I discuss the pros & cons of wearing in-ear monitors and offer tips on what specific models you should look for.
MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:
Shure SE535-CL Sound Isolating Earphones with Triple High Definition MicroDrivers
What are your own thoughts on in-ear monitors? Do you love them? Hate them?
What brand/model do you use?
Do you have any tips for drummers who wear in-ear monitors?
Enter your comments in the section below. If selected, I may choose to read YOUR comment on a future ATD Update episode!
Like many drummers, I spent much of my high school / college career playing in the school drumline.
However, many drumset players/teachers make the claim that playing in a drumline is not really transferrable to making a living as an actual working drummer. For example, in the real world, how likely are you to get hired to march around on a football field playing a snare drum? Not very likely.
So, the question is: Is it all wasted time here?
I’d argue very strongly that there are countless benefits of belonging to a drumline in your early years as a drummer. The hours spent on the following fundamentals are priceless: metronome work, technique, chop development, teamwork, accountability, memorization skills, consistency, performing under pressure... the list goes on and on.
However; above all, if I had to choose the single greatest reason that drumline improved my playing was that it helped me to understand the critical importance of one thing:
In other words, all of my drumline instructors throughout the years helped me to realize that it’s not HOW FAST we play, it’s HOW WELL we play.
How did we accomplish that? By spending days, weeks, and months breaking our playing down to the finest detail possible. It was tedious and often frustrating at times, but slowly we began to raise our own standards and create a sort of “quality control” for our drumming. This skill has served me well over the years.
An analogy here would be to think of what goes into giving a great speech. Of course the words you choose are important. But what about the pacing, the body movements, the facial expressions, the eye contact, the storytelling, or your vocal tonality? All of these DETAILS are what go into a great speech, far beyond the actual words themselves. Focus the details of your presentation technique and you’re on your way to becoming a solid speaker.
Applied to drumming: focus on the details of your drumming technique and you’re on your way to becoming a great musician.
But, you might ask, "If we break down our playing to the finest detail and always try to be “perfect", won’t we start to become robotic and mechanical?"
Absolutely not. The point is that the rules are meant to be mastered first, THEN broken later.
In other words, once you’ve identified the details that allow you to play each rudiment “perfectly”, you can then CHOOSE how you want to play them in the future. Once you have total command of each variable that goes into your playing, you’ll then be able to control the variables (rather than allowing the variables to control you).
Enough of the abstract here. Let me give you a concrete exercise that you can use in the practice room.
Your ability to focus on the details, like anything, is a specific skill that can be developed over time.
If you currently have trouble focusing on the details of your playing, it’s because you haven’t identified specific areas to focus on. I’ve created a simple PDF that will help you to refine almost ANY aspect of your playing (rudiment, groove, chop, etc.)
1) Select a rudiment you’d like to improve on.
2) List the top 8 “focal points” for playing that rudiment most effectively.
3) Play the exercise for 10 minutes straight while only shifting where your specific “focal point” lies.
The first page of the PDF below shows an example of how you might apply this exercise to Double Paradiddles. The second page is a blank template for you to practice whatever you’d like.
Again, remember: The point of this exercise is not to focus on WHAT you play, but to instead focus on HOW you play it.
Good luck and happy drumming!
Thanks so much for reading this week's article! Each week, I select one person from the video "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!
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 Such
Thank you to Joel Brainard for offering his three words of advice to drummers (THE DETAILS MATTER) and for inspiring me to write this week's article!
Joel Brainard has been the director and arranger of the IU Marching Hundred Drumline since 2003. In such time his drumline has performed for enormous game-day crowds at Indiana University and for thousands more at national events such as The Superbowl, The Insight Bowl, The Pinstripe Bowl, BOA Grand Championships, and PASIC.
Graduating with a music education undergrad and jazz studies masters degree from IU, Joel was also a proud member of the IU Drumline when he was a student. As a multi-tenors player, Joel spent three seasons in DCI performing with the 1998 World Champion Spartans, The Bluestars, and the Blue Knights. He was also a competitive tenor soloist at PASIC & DCI “I&E” events. In 2003 he "teched" tenors at Capital Regiment and was then hired as percussion caption head for Magic of Orlando in 2004.
Joel is also known for his time teaching at Bloomington HS North and the former WGI world class ensemble, Indianapolis Independent (I-2). Currently Joel teaches Band & Chorus at Batchelor Middle School (Bloomington), works as a drumset artist, and also works as a marching percussion clinician. Using Remo heads, Zildjian cymbals, and Yamaha drums, Joel is also a part of the Vic Firth Education Team.
In this episode, I'll offer my favorite stretches to do right before the gig.
It only takes about 1-2 minutes to complete this entire stretch routine.
The Rules For Drummers Project: www.rulesfordrummers.com
Adam Deitch
Benny Greb
Billy Ward
2) Listen in browser (Be sure to subscribe in iTunes if you want access to future episodes)
Add your pre-show warmup routine by adding it to the comments section at the bottom of this page! Depending on how many comments are submitted, I may choose to read YOUR comment on a future ATD Update episode!
This week is very special because I’m featuring my very first guest-writer on the Rules For Drummers site: JEFF FRANCA!
Jeff Franca is the drummer for the band Thievery Corporation as well as the leader of his own band, Congo Sanchez.
Enjoy!
As drummers, we hold the key to what makes a song unique, funky, groovy, out, in… whatever the desired affect for the given song might be. The beats, timing and song structures that are instilled in us from the beginning of our time as drummers create the vibe that listeners (and musicians alike) physically react to in their bodies when listening to music.
Many producers are good with chords, aesthetic, SOUND, but often ask for real high hats, or a layer of live drums to give a natural feel to a wonky electronic beat. Not all electronic beats are meant to feel natural however, and that is where our knowledge and programming of our own brain to understand the swing of a groove, or the emphasis of a beat, automatically give us an advantage in the studio and with electronic music production.
This is why my three words of advice to drummers are, “WRITE A SONG.” We already provide what every song needs naturally based on our musical existence: the groove! So if you can harness what it takes to write a song; lyrics, form, harmony, melody, bass line, VIBE, then you can express yourself to the fullest because you already have the most important part down... The Rhythm! The rhythm is what allows us to make music with other people and to bring listeners together into a collective experience.
Clearly, there are many benefits for drummers taking part in the song writing process from the perspective of being a musician/composer/producer first. I will rank three key points and describe a little bit about my own song writing process.
Taking bronze on this list, because we all have to eat, (drum roll please.......) BUSINESS! All drummers should be producers; not only producers but founders of original projects with committed musicians and friends. I believe they call these groups of people “bands"? A band is a business. Being in a band is the best calling card one can have.
A couple of years back, Adam Deitch tweeted a list of forbes 30 richest living drummers: http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/08/who-are-the-worlds-richest-drummers.html
Guess what? No Steve Gadd. No Dennis Chambers. No Steve Jordan. Not to disrespect a few of the most recorded drummers of all time, but ZERO “Studio Musicians” made the list.
All 30 names were drummers from successful bands that have been committed over the years. Some drummers bounce around here and there and do some session work. Sometimes we don’t even get the gig until the first drummer quits or even worse, dies in a freak gardening accident that authorities deem better left unsolved, or decides to become a doctor, or go to law school, or even takes up the guitar and tries to be a frontman/woman. Excluding death, all of these reasons stem from why we are talking about this in the first place, BUSINESS.
If you take a second and look at the list, it doesn’t take long to realize why the top 4 drummers are who they are:
Number four is Don Henley. Don Henley is/was the drummer for the Eagles. I know, “ Anything but the Eagles man,” but still. Five number one hits is not bad. Also, if you know how the business works, when you write a song you own more of the royalties. If you sing that song then you get even more. If you play drums on a TV show, you get less money in royalties than if your voice was to be heard over a broadcast. I know it’s not fair but that’s how it works. Let’s just say The Eagles could sing, all of them, but Don Henley, the drummer, was also sometimes the lead singer as well. So his songwriting within the Eagles led to him gaining more monetary returns from the royalties paid for performing and distributing their music.
Ok, so 5 number one hits with your band and you are good to go? Sorry but no. Not only did Don Henley contribute to more than just the groove of the Eagles music, he also released 5 records on his own as a frontman, all of which peaked in the top 50 of the U.S. Charts.
So here is our model: A founding creative member of an uber successful band followed by a successful solo career. Let’s think about who the remaining drummers are in the first three slots. Got it yet? Yes, you are correct.
Number three is Dave Grohl, the drummer from Nirvana. Dave did not sing lead in Nirvana the way that Don Henley did for the Eagles, but Nirvana did also achieve 5 number one hits. It’s what Dave did after Nirvana that kept him in the running and put him as the number three most valuable living drummer. The Foo Fighters, founded by Dave after the death of Kurt Cobain, featured the drummer stepping out from behind the kit picking up a guitar and singing. Since then, the band has sold 9,450,000 copies of 8 full-length albums. Once again, drummer from an uber successful band takes to the front of the stage with their own band and BOOM! Good Business.
The second most valuable drummer still walking the earth is, you guessed it, Phil Collins. Phil’s band Genesis broke ground as a progressive fusion of rock, jazz and popular music of the 1970’s. Like Henley, Phil shared the vocal responsibilities with his bandmates in Genesis, who achieved 6 number one records in the U.K., and most importantly developed a cult following of musicians and listeners that sought out their more complex approach to composition.
This following, as it did for the aforementioned “drum-miliionares” allowed him to launch a long and successful solo career where he achieved number one status for 3 of his songs and “In The Air Tonight” isn’t even one of them! Proving yet again that writing songs is the key to a long and successful career. Any ideas on the number one most valuable drummer in the world? One hint. He was in the most popular band of all time.
Ringo Starr was the drummer for The Beatles. Need I say more?
With The Beatles, Ringo had songs where he was featured as the lead vocalist and received writing credit. “Yellow Submarine” even went to number one . We have already talked about how singing and songwriting can contribute to the success of a musician. Since Ringo is a Beatle, his writing contributed to his enormous success as a musician. As a side note, Ringo also took on fictional roles as himself and other characters in T.V. and Film (A model now sought after by many musicians). His band, “Ringo and his All Starr Band,” still tours and sells out venues all over the world. Proof that even if you aren’t the frontman or woman, writing songs and creating music on your own leads to a more fruitful career (in Ringo’s case, roughly $300 million worth of “fruit.”).
Clearly, business is boosted when you have more of a stake in what is going into the music. Continuing on to the Second most beneficial trait picked up by drummers who also write songs, lets talk about what you learn about the writing process from writing music of your own.
Taking silver in our trials of the drummer-turned-musician is the understanding that one achieves regarding the process that other musicians and song writers go through when realizing their work.
Part of the success we talked about earlier was the idea that teaming up and collaborating with people to form committed bands is part of creating a livable model for a musician. This means you must be able to not only tolerate but contribute to a collective idea. A concept that is agreed upon and loved equally by more than one person.
Wow! Sounds like a relationship or something. Well, it is. Singers have to come up with lyrics, melodies, harmonies, TOPICS!! Everybody else in the band is there to support the song which in turn supports the singer. The occasional solo or feature is always cool, but until each bandmember has to write their own song, they will never know what it’s like to have the responsibility of being the lead.
We all know what a diva is. Not that it’s bad thing (anybody can turn into one at anytime) BUT, the more you understand about the diva’s situation, the more you can deal with their respective issues. Basically, in my opinion, you can’t really get bent out of shape about somebody not having an immediate idea, or not feeling a certain beat, or needing to write in certain key because that happens to everybody!!! You have to look at yourself through the same lens and then the creative process becomes a more understanding one. Allowing for more creative juices to flow and the vibes to be right for creating the music. This goes for all instruments, in both directions.
A singer might want a drummer to play a certain beat that is new to them and it might take a certain amount of shedding to get correct. The last thing you want when you are trying to figure out something new is for someone to be unsupportive and non-understanding while you are trying to get it down. Church musicians are surrounded by a controlled environment of positivity and encouragement. People believing in them, literally. This might be why some of the baddest musicians grew up playing in church. They were not just surrounded by musical greatness and tradition, but a congregation of appreciation and encouragement. These characteristics can be achieved outside of church, in your garage, basement, school, practice room, studio, anywhere where you are making music.
Drummers who know what its like to come up with a chord progression, or a hook, or a bass line, can exist easier in an environment where people are carrying out these very practices because they can relate to the person who is working through the music. That being said, our final and most beneficial thought about why writing songs is crucial for drummers ends up being a direct result of this understanding nature that we have just talked about.
The ultimate benefit that drummers obtain by writing songs is the fact that once you are thinking about the song first, and the drums as just part of the song, you better your understanding of what the song needs from you, the DRUMMER! There is nothing worse than sitting through a band’s performance when the drummer (or any musician for that matter) takes away from the music by overplaying. It can happen in many ways: volume, drum selection, cymbal selection, or just TOO MANY NOTES.
Transversely, you never hear somebody say “great band, but terrible drummer.” The drummer’s job is to hold the groove, set the tempo, and tastefully accent the music to their technical/musical ability. Not all music is meant for shredders. Some of my favorite music contains elements of virtuosity blended with purpose and culture. This purpose and culture are the denominators that depict the acceptable vocabulary and function of the music in any given setting.
Taking time to learn all of the parts is how one gains the knowledge of how important their actual part is. In Afro-Cuban Rumba, the clave is the time indicator. Once you understand where the clave is, then you start hearing the actual melodies of the drums and vocals. It’s what tells the dancers and musicians where they are in the groove.
This concept holds true for ALL MUSIC. There is always something that keeps the boat afloat. It could be the vocals. It could be the bass line. It could be the drum beat. We all know at least one song that starts with drums and right away you know what song it is based solely on the beat! This is how you became a great drummer. Understanding all parts of the music and being able to react and express yourself within the vibe of what is going on.
The question is, “How do you go about learning about all of the aspects of the music that you are into?” The answer I have for you is, write your own song in that vein or style and gather the knowledge that the other contributing musicians have gained on there own instruments for their own parts. Then and only then will your part make the most sense. This leads me to some thoughts that I have on my own song writing process, and how I go about exploring the different channels of the creative process when making music.
If you have read what I have written so far on this topic, then you have heard me talk about a few things consistently. These are the foundational aspects that different musics contain: Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Bass Line, Subject Matter, Technique, Cultural Purpose, Vibe, Sound, and Instrumentation. All of these musical characteristics are what I think about when making a song.
That being said, knowing what you like (and what you are trying to do with your music) is the first step in writing a song. It’s easy to get caught up in the whole “I’m going to make a song like this” or, “check out the progression in this song, lets use this with a different beat.” The void of unoriginality is vast.
It is important to practice making something that you did not preconceive. Bob Weir from The Grateful Dead talks about following the music THROUGH a composition as in, once you hear a riff, you can then hear what that riff is lending itself to, or where the vibe of the rest of the song wants to go.
This is why I like to listen back from the top, A LOT, when creating original music. Starting playback half way through a song won’t give you the full idea of what a moment needs or where the next section needs to go because your frame of reference is not accurate.
These days, a lot of successful musicians are making music on their laptops with headphones on. A lot of solo artists using technology to create their “band.” As long as the purpose is there than I see nothing wrong with this. Personally I like to write by myself but there is nothing like working out some tunes with other humans. You learn more about yourself and about others this way. But don’t get me wrong, a day of nothing but beat-making/songwriting on my own is part of how I stay insane. Oops did I say that wrong? I meant sanely insane, or whatever you get it. We all have our quirks. That is why we need to be writing music.
The differences we all share are what create the beauty of the world. I believe that as a musician, you owe it to yourself and to the world around you to put yourself into your music. Understand yourself, and the musicians around you. Know what you like. Take care of business. Strive for success.
The best way to do that? Write a song.
Each week, I select one person from the video "100 RULES FOR DRUMMERS” and write an article based on the three-word rule they offered. This week's rule: WRITE A SONG. My goal is to provide questions, thought experiments, and specific action steps you can take in order to improve both your DRUMMING and LIFE!
Big thanks again to Jeff Franca for guest-writing this week's article! Check out his music and see him on tour! You can connect with him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jeff.franca
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!
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 Such
Jay from South Carolina asks about gigs that require you to play in all styles.
-How should you tune your drums in a way that can handle all styles while still sounding authentic?
-If you have a gig like this coming up, what gear should you bring?
In this episode, I’ll show you how to make smart compromises to the sound of your kit.
2) In Browser
I often look back to my music school days with a bit of nostalgia… Most music students usually have anywhere between 4-8 hours PER DAY to practice their instrument, spend the rest of the day in music classes, usually followed by some sort of rehearsal or gig later that night. Music students have the advantage of TIME… those critical 4 or 5 years of life when it's actually your JOB to practice!
The music school practice regiment is as follows: spend as many hours as possible practicing everything you possibly can! Ask any percussion/jazz studies major to show you their practice schedule for the day and they might show you something like this:
August 9, 2016 Practice Schedule
1 HOUR: Warmup / Stick Control exercises
1 HOUR: Left foot hi-hat jazz comping exercises
1 HOUR: Chart reading
1 HOUR: Uptempo swing
1 HOUR: Classical snare drum excerpts
1 HOUR: Double Bass Drum chop building session
1 HOUR: Open Drum Solo practice
1 HOUR: Samba
Ah… the glory days. How I long for thee.
Now... ask any professional, gigging drummer how much time THEY have to practice each week. They might look at the schedule above and laugh!
They’ll often explain to you that they may not have even an hour per day to practice their instrument, let alone an hour per week!
The problem is that once drummers enter the "real world" (w/ family, bills, commitments, etc), they often try to honor the same kind of practice regiment they once had in music school. Unfortunately, this system isn’t sustainable because there are far too many variables to cram into a shorter amount of practice time. With this many variables, the practice routine becomes way too complicated for the amount of time allotted. When this happens, you may start to feel like you’re A) not improving or B) no longer seeing the point in WHY you're practicing these things in the first place. When that happens, the motivation to practice starts to melt away.
If the majority of drummers will eventually face this “lack of time" problem, what do we do about it? In this article, I’ll tell you how I solved the problem for myself, but first we’ll need to turn to the world of fitness.
Let me ask you this: If you only had 5 minutes to work out each day and wanted to stay as fit as possible, which 1-2 exercises would you choose to do?
Calf raises? Wrist curls? Of course not. Instead, you’d be smarter to spend those 5 minutes performing total-body, “bang-for-your-buck” moves called COMPOUND EXERCISES. A compound exercise is an exercise that works many different muscle groups simultaneously. An example of this would be something like a pushup-burpee, a deadlift, or a pull-up.
For busy people looking to get fit, they don't have time to do a series of “isolation exercises” (such as bicep curls), which only work one muscle at a time. Instead, they'll choose a compound exercise such as a chin-up, which hits both the bicep AND the back. The result: similar (and often better) results, in significantly less time.
Yet, if we move back to drumming, many drummers with limited practice time still choose to spend their precious time on a routine filled with "isolation exercises.” This might be things such as pad work or chop building exercises.
When faced with limited time, this type of practice is ineffective. Instead, we need to take the principles we’ve learned from fitness: our practice routine must shift to compound exercises in order to be most effective.
How do we come up with compound exercises for drum set practice? By asking yourself the following question:
Which brings us to how I was able to simplify my practice routine.
Enter the “60 Minute Showdown"
GOAL: In 60 minutes, you will complete the following: Learn and perform one song of your choice from start to finish. This performance will be recorded on video.
Here’s what a sample 60 Minute Showdown practice session might look like:
10 Minutes - Listen to the song while writing out a form chart
30 Minutes - Groove construction / work on sections of song
5 Minutes - RECORD SONG, TAKE 1
5 Minutes - Listen Back, taking notes on what to improve on
5 Minutes - RECORD SONG, TAKE 2 (implementing notes)
5 Minutes - Listen back. Are you satisfied with the job you did?
- If you don’t have a video camera (such as a GoPro), your phone will work just fine.
- Try to find a “minus-drums” version of the song. There are many places online as well as drumming books that offer play-along tracks with “minus-drums” versions.
The 60 Minute Showdown is the ultimate compound exercise for drummers. In order to understand WHY, let’s take a look at the areas of drumming you’ll address over the span of just 60 minutes:
1) TIME EFFICIENCY - You only have 60 minutes to complete this exercise… there’s no time to slack and you have a deadline to meet. You have to find a way to make it happen. Welcome to the real world!
2) GROOVE CONSTRUCTION - You’ll need to come up with different grooves for each section of the song (or learn pre-determined drum grooves note for note). Perhaps you never would have practiced / thought of these grooves independently, but the music now calls for it.
3) STYLISTIC AUTHENTICITY - You may need to change your playing, tuning, or even the gear you’re using to match the style of the song you are playing. This may require you to learn new techniques/skills you currently don’t possess.
4) MUSICAL CONTEXT - By playing along to a song, you’re no longer just practicing mindless patterns/rudiments, you’re practicing MUSIC. Everything you practice now has a context.
5) TIMING - Maybe your play-along has a click track, which you’ll need to be locked into. Playing along to a song without a click track will force you to focus on locking in with other instruments (which you should be doing anyway), and is much more fun than working with a metronome.
6) CHOPS - Instead of mindlessly playing chop-building exercises, now you can develop your chops with an actual musical goal in mind. For example, there may be a tricky double bass drum pattern in the song that you’re uncomfortable with. Now you have a real, tangible musical goal to achieve rather than just playing repetitive exercises at a random BPM marking.
7) CHART READING / CHART WRITING / MEMORIZATION - Perhaps the play-along comes with a chart. In this case, you’ll be refining your chart-reading abilities. If the song doesn’t come with a chart, you may need to quickly write one out of your own. Or you simply may choose to memorize the tune by ear. Regardless of which method you choose, all 3 are critical skills required for any working drummer.
8) PERFORMANCE MODE - Turning on the video camera will immediately force you to practice "playing under pressure". It also forces you to stay focused so that you don’t waste time in the practice room. You’ll be surprised at how turning on the camera will inspire you to bring your “A-game."
9) CONSISTENCY - Are you able to play the song all the way through without any mistakes? If you do make a mistake, are you able to quickly recover and keep going?
10) CRITIQUE AND REFINE - Perhaps the most valuable part of this practice. After you’ve finished performing the song, watch the video back. What did you do well? Where did you fall short? Being able to analyze your drumming is the fastest way to improve; by watching the video you’ll immediately know right away what to improve on and where to focus your efforts in the practice room.
Look at how much you’ve just accomplished in the span of one hour… if you’ve successfully completed this exercise, you should feel extremely proud of yourself!
But why did it work? Because in 60 minutes you hit many different musical “muscles” all at once: groove construction, timing, chops, soloing, chart reading, time efficiency, performance pressure, consistency, reviewing and more! If you had tried to isolate each of these areas individually, think of how much time you would have spent!
Does this mean that we should stop isolating specific areas of our drumming? Absolutely not. Isolation exercises (such as practice pad work, rudiments, or specific coordination exercises) are still critical to refining your drumming, but they should be supplemental rather than used as the bulk of your practice. For example, rather than spending an hour per day building double bass drum chops, maybe you spend 15 minutes of your practice session working out a tricky double bass drum fill because you NEED IT TO PLAY THE SONG. You’re using an isolation exercise to carry out the compound goal… far more effective. A fitness analogy: adding 5 minutes of ab work at the end of a total body workout. Important? Yes... but supplementary to the larger goal of total-body fitness. If you instead ONLY worked on abs, your body would be out of balance.
Further, if we primarily focus on isolation exercises, we end up “learning” hundreds of patterns/chops in various drumming books but never applying them to our actual drumming vocabulary. However, by starting with a compound exercise (in this case, learning a song), then that pattern or chop you end up using is far more likely to remain in your drumming vocabulary long-term because you are already practicing it in a musical context.
You can also practice this compound exercise over the span of a slightly larger timeframe. For example, let’s say you want to practice the 60 Minute Showdown over the span of one week. Perhaps your goal is also to create a nice drumming video out of this experience that you can put on your YouTube channel and share with the world, so you’d like a little more time with it before you hit record.
DAY 1 - Write out chart, learn / construct grooves (60 min)
DAY 2 - Isolate each section of the song / chop building for drum solo section (60 min)
DAY 3 - Practice problem areas (60 min)
DAY 4 - Practice problem areas (60 min)
DAY 5 - Practice running through the song (60 min)
DAY 6 - RECORD SONG (30-60 min)
DAY 7 - Edit and upload to YouTube (60 min)
Along the way, you may be practicing several isolation exercises (focusing on a chop, fill, or technique), but everything you practice now has a PURPOSE: to record the song by the end of the week.
Some food for thought: Imagine if you followed this schedule every week for a year… you’d have 52 unique drumming videos on YouTube! Think of how much you would have improved in one year by doing this!
Try this exercise and let me know how it goes. I can guarantee that the amount of growth you’ll experience will be far greater than if you had spent the same amount of time playing mindless paradiddles and double bass drum exercises with a metronome. The difference? COMPOUND EXERCISES give you a purpose to your practice and put everything in context.
Hopefully, you see that the point here is not how much time you have to practice, but how you spend the time you DO have so that it’s as effective and uncomplicated as possible! Now stop reading and start drumming!
Thanks so much for reading this week's article! Each week, I select one person from the video "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!
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 Such
ABOUT WALFREDO REYES JR.
Thank you to Walfredo Reyes Jr. for offering his 3 words of advice to drummers (DON'T GET COMPLICATED) and for inspiring me to write this week's article!
Walfredo has played with: Carlos Santana, Traffic, Steve Winwood, Jackson Browne, Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan, David Lindley, Ricki Lee Jones, Richard Marx, Sergio Mendes, Smokey Robinson, Robbie Robertson, Joe Sample, Boz Scaggs, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Johnny Hallyday, Khaled, Lindsey Buckingham, Chicago and many others.
Because of his versatility, Walfredo is one of the most in demand musicians in the world today. He currently lives in the Los Angeles area where he continues to expand his talents to recording, producing, composing, education, live performance, and touring. Walfredo is currently touring with the world renown Classic Rock band, Chicago, playing percussion.
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Nick from Wisconsin asks about how to build a personal website:
-What should you include?
-What shouldn’t you include?
-How do you get started?
In this episode, I’ll give you a step-by-step guide (below) to building a personal website from scratch.
MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:
SQUARESPACE: www.squarespace.com (Promo Code TBA)
GOOGLE DOMAINS: https://domains.google/
RULES FOR DRUMMMERS: www.rulesfordrummers.com
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:
2) YouTube
Hey everybody, this is Steve Such and welcome to the Ask The Drummer Podcast. Today we have a question about building a website. So, let’s go ahead and get to the question:
“Hi Steve, this is Nick Lang from Milwaukee, WI and my question involves building a personal website. As a drummer/educator for hire, what information would you say is most essential for my website? Also, what SHOULDN’T I include? And as a person with limited skills, are there any website building services that have helped you? Any information would be super helpful. Thanks."
Thank you so much for the question Nick, this is a question about building a website. And I’ll be honest, when I first started out, I had no idea what I was doing when it came to a website. I kind of had to figure out everything myself. And I sure wish that I had something to refer to when I was building my website! So what I want to do in this episode is give you a step-by-step guide on how to build a website.
Let’s imagine that you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, you’re starting from complete scratch and you want to know, “What do I need to do to get started with a website?"
I’ve broken it down into 7 steps:
I’m going to go through each of these steps in a little bit more detail and we’ll talk about what exactly you should do.
STEP 1: BUY A DOMAIN NAME
The domain name is the name that people will type in on the search bar in order to find your website. For example, my domain name is www.stevesuchdrums.com. I also have separate domains for other projects like this podcast. So if you go to www.askthedrummer.com or www.askthedrummerpodcast.com, it will automatically reroute to www.stevesuchdrums.com.
Basically, the point here is that you need to have a custom domain. You need to have [yournamedrums].com or [yourname].com. It’s really important because if you have a really long confusing free domain, it’s not as powerful as having your own name listed in the search results.
So when someone actually searches for your name... for example if they type in STEVE SUCH, my website will come up. It’s really important to have a custom domain name, and you should definitely get this as soon as possible if you don’t already have one.
There’s a lot of places where you can get custom domains, the place that I use is Google Domains. So you can literally just go to Google and type in Google Domains and it will bring you to the page and I believe it’s $12/year for your own domain name.
STEP 2: BUY A WEB HOSTING SERVICE
Unless you’re a computer programmer or a web designer, you’re not going to know how to build your page, so to keep it super simple, you should get a web hosting service. The service that I use is called Squarespace (I’m sure if a lot of you listen to podcasts, you’ve heard them talk about Squarespace in their ads). I have been using Squarespace for about 8-9 years now and it’s completely awesome. I’m not going to go into huge detail about it because I’m not trying to be an ad for Squarespace or anything like that, but it’s super easy to use and you literally have to have no web experience. You can just drag and drop stuff, so it’s super easy and I’d highly recommend it.
STEP 3: CREATE A ROADMAP FOR YOUR SITE
What I mean by “roadmap” is sort of like a "table-of-contents". There’s 4 different pages that I think are absolutely crucial to your website:
The first is a HOME PAGE, the second is a BIO PAGE, the third is a VIDEOS PAGE, and the fourth is a CONTACT PAGE.
The HOME PAGE is the first thing that people will see when they get to your website. Maybe it has a specific call-to-action like “check out this new album” or “check out this project that I’m doing” or “check out this news” or whatever it might be. The home page is the first stop for people. It also shows where people can go on the website.
The BIO PAGE is where you include a bio about yourself. Maybe you have a nice picture and include a bio. I wouldn’t recommend making a super long bio because, think about it: If you ever go to someone’s page and you check out their bio, you’re not going to read a 3 page bio… you’re just going to read a little bit or skim through it. So I would recommend keeping your bio short.
The third page you need is a VIDEOS PAGE… This is super important because your website is basically like your business card, and if people don’t have a way of checking out your playing, then the whole thing is kind of pointless. So you need to have a videos page where you may be linked to your YouTube channel. If you don’t have a YouTube channel by now, you should definitely have one because again, it’s a way for people to see your playing, and follow what you’re doing. The cool thing about Squarespace is you can just embed the videos right on the page, it’s super easy.
The last page that I think you really need is some sort of a CONTACT PAGE. So this is maybe where you have a form where people can email you, or you put your phone number or maybe if you’re doing lessons you could say that you’re available for lessons, etc. You just need to have some sort of a page where if people want to reach out to you, they can.
Some optional pages that you might need: Some people like to include a SCHEDULE/TOUR PAGE, (I have this on my website), this is for people that are touring a lot and you want people to know where you’re at.
The second optional page that I would recommend is a NEWS PAGE. If you have big things coming up like an album release or some kind of accomplishment that you’ve done or maybe an article that you’ve written or something like that, you could put it in your NEWS PAGE, and that way people can see what you’re up to there.
Obviously, there’s a ton of other pages, it just depends on what you’re doing. For example, for me I have this podcast, so I have my own podcast page (www.askthedrummer.com), I also have another project called RULES FOR DRUMMERS, (www.rulesfordrummers.com), so on my website I have different pages that are just devoted to those projects. So it really just depends on what the purpose of your website is.
STEP 4: BUILD THE PAGES OF YOUR WEBSITE
Okay. So we’ve bought our domain name, we’ve got a web hosting service, we’ve made the roadmap of our website, now we’re ready to start building the page.
There’s a few tips I have on building your page:
1) Take it one page at a time: I would start with the home page... make it look really nice. Do the best work that you can and then just move on to the next page. Don’t try to bounce back and forth and do everything all at once. It’s a lot better if you just spend some time focusing on each page and then move on.
2) You should keep your website clean and straightforward. Don’t have a ton of text, don’t make weird colors, don’t have weird backgrounds on your pictures. All of that stuff is just going to make it really difficult to read. I wish that I could show you guys some of my first website designs because it looked really awful! I had this distracting picture of me drumming in the background and I had green text and it looked awful! It was giving you a headache when you were reading it, so hopefully it’s a lot better now and I’m still learning as I go. I’m definitely not an expert when it comes to this, but you want to keep it clean and straightforward and basic. Less is more.
3) If you ever include a picture in your website, this is a little quick tip: Make sure that the file name is related to your actual name. So a lot of times when you save a picture and you upload it, it will have random numbers, letters, etc. But if you actually name it [your name], that helps with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), so for example, if you type in Steve Such and you go to IMAGES, you’ll actually see different pictures from my website. The only reason they show is because I’ve labeled them "Steve Such". So that’s just a little tip if you’re thinking long-term and you want to have a presence on Google.
STEP 5: CHECK FOR ERRORS
Okay, so let’s say you’ve finished building your website and everything is as good as you can get it right now. Don’t get overwhelmed, this is just version 1.0! You’re always going to be tweaking your website; you’re always going to be making improvements.
When I first started, there were tons of different errors on my website. I had spelling errors, broken links, things like that. You want to make sure that you go through and just test EVERYTHING. Test everything that’s clickable, proofread everything just to make sure that there’s no errors.
Think about it: If you came across a website that had errors on it, you immediately wouldn't really trust that source or wouldn't think that they’re serious enough to put in time to proofread their site. Mistakes happen, so it’s just really important to go through and check for errors.
STEP 6: ASK PEOPLE FOR FEEDBACK
Once you have everything published and you have your website up and running, Step 6 is to ask people for feedback. This was a HUGE step for me! I’ve had this website going for a really long time and I never really asked for feedback from people.
For example, for this project that I’ve been doing for while (called RULES FOR DRUMMERS), I finally asked someone for feedback. I said, “Hey, could you just take a look at the website and let me know your impressions?” They didn’t know anything about the project and I wanted to get an outsider’s perspective.
I asked: “What is it like when you first go to the website?”
The first thing they said was “Dude, this is so confusing… there’s all these articles, there’s so much content I have no idea where to go first! I have no idea what to do… it’s like information overload!”
So, if I hadn’t got that feedback, the website would have stayed that way and it would have been really hard for people to navigate. So I made a "welcome section" at the top that explains what the project is, and it also suggests a couple of links to check out first, articles that I think are representative of some of my better work.
I noticed that I started getting a ton more traffic on the website and people stayed on the site for longer and people were clicking through. And that’s all because I got feedback from someone!
Make sure that you get feedback about what people LIKE about your page and what people DON’T like about your page!
STEP 7: SHARE YOUR WEBSITE
Once you have everything up and running and you feel really good about it, there’s a couple of things that you should do:
1) On your email signature, you should include your website at the bottom of your emails. Now, when you send an email to anyone, they will see your website at the bottom of the email. It’s a really great way to get people to visit your website.
2) Share your website on Facebook. If you have a Facebook page, you can link your website on there, and if you don’t have a Facebook Page you can just share it: You can say “Hey everybody, I’ve launched this website, I’d love to hear what you think, etc."
CONCLUSION
Thank you so much for the question, I really appreciate it! I hope you all have a great week. Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. This has been really fun for me to get going… this is something that I’ve really wanted to do for a long time so I appreciate you listening; I’d love ANY feedback that you have on the podcast.
Head over to www.askthedrummer.com, you can check out all of the episode show notes, and I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to send me an email or Facebook message. I want to hear from you guys! Let me know what you think of this podcast.
Have a great and I’ll see you next week. Caio for now!
Sight-reading drum charts can be a VERY scary thing, especially if you don’t have a lot of previous experience doing so.
In this article, I’ll offer some of the tricks and techniques that I personally use when sight-reading drum charts.
I’ll break it down into two sections: First, I’ll provide some tips on what to do BEFORE performing the chart, and then I’ll discuss things to think about WHILE you’re playing the the chart.
ROADMAP - What is the form of the tune? Are there solo sections, and if so, who's soloing? Are there any drum solos? Vamps? Get an idea of the form of the tune ahead of time. This will help you to understand the big picture.
REPEATS - Are there any repeat signs in the music? What about D.C., D.S., or Coda markings? Forgetting to follow these types of markings is one of the most commonly-made mistakes when sight-reading, so be sure to note where these form signs are so you don’t miss them. If you need to, highlight them with a pencil so they stand out more.
ENDING - How does the tune end? Is there a fermata? Does it end with a specific rhythm? Ending the tune wrong can be quite embarrassing, especially if you’ve done a great job up until this point! Be sure to be completely comfortable with how the tune ends before you start it.
TEMPO - What’s the tempo of the tune? Are there any tempo changes in the music?
CUES - Are there any stops or cues in the music? If so, discuss these things ahead of time with your band mates/leader.
FEEL - Most charts will have some sort of musical information on the feel of the tune (shuffle, funk, swing, etc.). Does this change at all throughout the chart? Be sure to know all styles that you’ll be playing before you begin.
OTHER INFO - These include musical terms written such as ritardandos, accellerandos, dynamics, crescendos, etc.
Are there any tricky spots in the chart that require a second glance before playing? This might include a tricky rhythmic section, a fast tempo change, a difficult page turn, or a musical cue from another performer (“Piano gives cue for downbeat, etc.”) Make sure you set yourself up for success by isolating these tricky sections before you begin!
MUSIC STAND - Make sure your music stand is set up at a comfortable angle so that you can comfortably look at the page while moving around the kit. The last thing you want is to NOT be able to play your kit because your neck is uncomfortably turned to the side!
PAGE TURNS - Are there any difficult page turns? If so, try to position the chart in a way that allows you to easily make these page turns. One way to do this is to make a small triangle fold at the corner of the page so you can grab it easier.
Okay, you’re ready to begin playing the chart. Take a deep breath, relax, and play with confidence!
Always know where you are in the chart. The best way to do this is to keep your eyes glued to the page as you play the chart. As you get more comfortable reading, you’ll be able to look around more, but when you're first starting out, the page is all you should be looking at.
Lack of focus is the number one reason why drummers get lost in the chart. When you’re sight-reading, don’t get distracted by what you hear... just follow and trust the chart!
Interpretation is how you take what you SEE on the page and turn it into MUSIC. The best sight-readers are the ones who know how to musically interpret what they see. Developing your interpretation of charts is one of the most effective ways to improve not just your chart-reading abilities, but your overall musicianship as well!
I could go into great detail on interpretation, but it’s a bit beyond the scope of this article.
Instead, I’d HIGHLY recommend picking up these 2 books:
Studio & Big Band Drumming by Steve Houghton
Inside The Big Band Drum Chart by Steve Fidyk
These books are incredible; they have detailed instructions on how to musically interpret drum charts, as well as excellent play-along tracks.
I’ll just give you one important “nugget” here: Anytime you see “longer ensemble notes” written, tend to choose drum sounds that are “longer" (cymbals, etc.). For “shorter ensemble hits” written out, choose shorter drum sounds, such as your snare drum. Rhythmic accuracy is only part of the equation, the bigger goal is to compliment what the other members of your band are doing in a musical manner in your kit.
Again, I strongly recommend that you refer to the books mentioned above for much more detail.
Once you become more comfortable chart-reading, you should start focusing on looking further ahead in the music as you play. Many beginning sight-readers will focus their eye on each beat or each measure, but you should instead be looking at longer phrases. This way, you can become PROACTIVE rather than REACTIVE.
When you look ahead, it gives you more time to prepare for what’s coming next, so you can make it easier on yourself to choose more musical decisions!
It’s sort of like driving. If you only look 2 feet in front of you, driving would be very stressful. Driving becomes much easier if you look further ahead… it allows you to plan for what’s coming next.
If you make a mistake, whatever you do: DON’T STOP!!
As long as you’re playing solid time and following the form, you’ll be able to recover from any reading mistakes that are made, and your band mates will thank you. If the drummer stops playing, the whole song will crash and burn!
Being able to recover quickly is one of the most important aspects of being a great sight-reader.
Do you remember the first time you ever rode a bike without the training wheels? If you were like me, you most likely crashed a few times before you got comfortable enough to zip around the block confidently. The same is true with sight-reading. You will crash a few times, but don’t get discouraged... the only way you’ll get better is by DOING IT!
1) There are a TON of practice play-along books with drum charts. Purchase one of the books mentioned above, or something similar.
2) Go through the SECTION 1 checklist above before you begin playing the chart: understand the form, understand all musical information, look for tricky spots, and set up your chart efficiently.
3) Once you’re ready to play, video record yourself as you sight read the chart for the first time. This will mimic the “performance pressure” that you’d face if you were doing it with an actual band. No matter what… don’t stop.
4) As you’re playing try to follow the SECTION 2 checklist: know your place, interpret the chart, look ahead, and don’t stop.
5) When you’ve finished, listen back to the video. Did you make it all the way through? What did you do well? What could you improve on?
6) Repeat, and repeat again. :)
Thanks so much for reading this week's article! Each week, I select one person from the video "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!
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 Such
Thanks to Dave Kropf for offering his three words of advice for drummers (KNOW YOUR PLACE) and for inspiring me to write this week’s article!
Dave Kroph is the host of "Drummer Talk", the internet's longest-running drumming podcast. As a versatile and well-rounded composer and percussionist for more than 30 years, Dave continually strives to focus on musicianship, expression, and emotion in both compositions and performances. His core belief is that music should always serve the greater needs of the client over the ego of the musician.
With over 100 works to his credit, Dave’s compositional emphasis is on film and commercial music. His expertise ranges from orchestral to electronic music production with his most recent work being featured on CBS Sports’ coverage of the Masters Tournament and the NFL.
You can hear many of Dave’s compositions on his Soundcloud page.
As a percussionist, his skills range from drumset to drumline, and concert to world percussion. His musicianship on drums and vibraphone can be heard on recorded projects from Lillenas Publishing, Inside Sounds, Madison Line Records, and Ardent Studios; and heard in live performances with Donnie Smith, Vicky Beeching, Aaron Strumpel, and Marty Parks.
Dave also has over 21 years of professional musical theater experience covering a broad range of production levels from community theater to professional Summer Stock. Performances range from Footloose to Fiddler on the Roof, and from Into the Woods to I Remember Mama. He maintains rock solid reading competency, and is always sure to play with sensitivity and appropriate dynamics.
Mark from Colorado asks how he can improve the efficiency/speed of his load-in/loud-out process. In this episode, I’ll offer tips on how to create systems for yourself when it comes to:
1) Loading your drums
2) Unloading your drums
3) Setting your drums up
4) Tearing your drums down.
1) iTunes (Recommended)
2) In Browser
