BALANCE… a very important word in many ways. Your diet. Your life. Your check book. Your relationships and so on. But I want to approach it from a different angle. I would like to talk about balance in your approach to your learning drums.

Learning how to play drums is much more than just taking lessons.Yeah you can learn the mechanics of playing drums, the beats, the fills, your chops. I have seen many players who have mastered all the above, but when they play with other musicians they lack understanding of how to work with other musicians in a musical situation. Believe it or not, it is not all about you and how much you can play in one bar of music. On the contrary. Your chops have very little to do with most kinds of music. Although there are situations where chops are very useful to have. These are the gigs that are fun to play, but it is not the majority of the music you will play in your life time…unless you are a solo artist, you know the star of your own project. Good luck with that. Even the greatest drummers in the world work with other players and have to play simple. Simple’s not bad, it’s actually the back bone of most music we listen to.
When I listen to a song where everyone is playing their part with a great feel and in the pocket, it just pulls me into it. That can be applied to all types of music; rock, jazz, big band, world, fusion, or any type. The important thing to remember is, the musicians are all in the pocket. So balance is in play in all these types of music.

How do we find that balance in our learning process?
We approach it in three ways.

1: We study the mechanics of playing drums. We work on all the skills needed to physically play drums. That includes learning all types of music.This is important for obvious reasons.

2: We listen to ALL kinds of music. Many, many students have tunnel vision when it comes to this aspect of the learning process. They only listen to what is the popular music of their generation. I’m not saying that is a bad thing. I am saying though, it is only a start. We all should listen to everything…even if you don’t like it. I have learned so much from various types of music. There are so many great musicians in all types music. You will be surprised what can be learned from just listening.

3: Play in live situations as much as you can. Get together with your friends who play other instruments. Form bands and work on you musicality. Work on your listening skills. Hone your chops. Get out there don’t be scared…this is a journey and you will learn so much just by playing live music. Even if you make mistakes they are valuable lessons…they show you what not to do. Look at music as fun and enjoy it. It really is a blessing.

As a side bar…drugs will not enhance your playing no matter how much you believe they will…they won’t. They will though ruin your life if you choose to travel that road. You always have a choice. Be careful of the choices you make. They all have consequences…some good, some bad.

Get out there and have fun, enjoy life and live it to the fullest.

_Joe

Ever wonder how things work when practicing. That is the things that control you physically! Let’s look back to our younger years when we just stared walking. This may sound funny to you, but if you think about it, it is the perfect example of how we learn or train our bodies to do what we want them to do.

Our attempts at walking seem to be a series of failures. We pull ourselves up and hold on for dear life…and……BOOM we are on the floor. But we get up again and do it all over. Time after time we continue to repeat the same series of mishaps, falling on face over and over. But all of a sudden we take our first step. WOW!!! we are up and running. Well not really, but we do have that first step under our belts. After what seems to be a life time, we are walking and haven’t stopped yet. All those times we failed at it, were they really failures? I think not. They were necessary steps to our final objective; to walking.

Now fast forward a handful of years. Here we are attempting to learn how to play drums. Yikes what do we do??? We do exactly what we did when we wanted to walk. We do our lessons over and over. The key to success is not to give up but to continue to work at it. You see it’s repetition that will get us there. Just as when you were a child…you kept at it over and over never gave up.

Put that effort into practice and you will go as far as you want. Your journey has never been about speed…it’s been about patience and deliberate effort. Continue to do it over and over, even though you are sick of it.

With effort and repetition we gain facility. Technique. To repeat something at a comfortable tempo, is allowing your muscles to memorize the motion. Once you have it you don’t have to think about it…it’s there! Take note to what I said about a comfortable tempo. If you try to push the tempo, for any reason, you have for all intent and purposes just shot yourself in the foot.
Once your muscles become tense you have lost the ball game and are at risk of injury. A tense muscle has very little blood in it. Blood carries oxygen to the muscle. Without oxygen the muscle cannot function properly. You can damage yourself.
I hope you can put your ego aside and be a bit patience about your practice.
It will pay you back 1000 times over.

As a teacher I have found that I continually get the same questions from my students. Some may seem to contain the answer within the question.
Like; why do I have set my kit up like that?
But I have found that the answer is not transparent to all…even my more advanced students.
It would make sense that if you set your kit up with drums at acute angles (like mounted toms) 12 inches apart, with the heads facing you like they were mirrors on your car, that would force you to reach and the playing surface is not adjusted for optimum execution.
That’s just one example. There are many, many more.
But the one question I find to be universal with the majority of students is:
Why do I have to work on the practice pad as much as you want me to?
Again the answer seems to be in the question.
Way too many teachers allow their students to slide on this very important development tool, because they want to keep them happy so they will continue to take lessons.
In this case I can see only one reason for that; keep the money flowing!
They want to keep the bucks coming in.
All the while short changing the students.
I know how difficult it is to put in time on the pad.
I will say though, if you do your homework on the pad it will directly impact your playing at the kit.
Compare this if you will. I’ve had students who have a natural ability towards drums…so they feel they do not have to practice, especially on the pad.
They feel they know it all.
Now look at the student that has a desire to succeed at drums, but not the inherent talent.
He/she works at it applying the lessons to the pad as well as the drums.
I think we know where this is going?
Talent will get you only so far…you think you are the greatest, and you may be at the stage you are now…but what happens a few years later?
You are playing the same way using the same tricks you had then.
You were the big fish in a small pond, just to wake up one day being the small fish in an ocean of great players.
Give me the student who follows direction, learns and applies the lessons any day!
Sure it’s difficult to sit down and work on the pad.
It’s fun to mess around at the drums, but where do you want to go with it?
Garage band or something better?
If you only realized that your drum lessons are a valuable tool as you go into life.
“Do what you must to get where you want to go”. Or not..just allow the world pull you along and pass you by.
I often tell people “practice is difficult for me”, and it is, but when I sit down to play it’s easy.
I got that way because I worked at it.
You know, doing all the stuff that you think is boring!!! That stuff is exactly what gives you the ability to play with ease!

Change your outlook about practice; give yourself every opportunity to succeed.

_Joe

I’d like to share something with you.
Take your time and consider the words.

Let them sink in.

Be careful of your thoughts, for they will become your Actions.

Be careful of your actions, for they will become your Habits.

Be careful of your habits, for they will become your Character.

Be careful of your character, for that will become your DESTINY.

What you are thinking every moment, those thoughts, are creating your life. It is of vital importance that you ensure you are creating (thinking) the life you want.

“It’s Just a mind game.”

_Joe

Hey just got in from Vincents Restaurant in West Chester. For you who don’t about Vincent’s, they have a Jazz Quartet every Thursday from 9:30 to 12:30 – 1:00.
Glenn Frerracone is the drummer and leader. If you like Jazz this is the place to be. Glenn always has the best players available. These guys cook, they lay it down. This isn’t your Granddad’s Jazz this is what Jazz is suppose to be.

If you are a drummer YOU NEED to get out there to hear Glenn..his playing is on fire and he is very passionate about the music. Don’t miss this guy! All you other players will be treated to the best of the best, so don’t miss it, there’s something for everyone.
They also have a Blues night on Friday and an eclectic schedule leaning toward Rock and Funk on Saturday. Just a great place to be.

The room is cozy and intimate,you get to be right there.
They also have an excellent restaurant, stop by and enjoy a complete night.

My night was great. I listened to a great quintet and had the opportunity to sit in.

Thank you Glenn.

I got my fix.

Here’s the link: www.vincentsjazz.com
Address: 10 East Gay Street, West Chester (610-696-4262)

_Joe

Breaking news – the studio has had a facelift!

Weeks of hard work have paid off in a real transformation.

I’m looking for some players to get together and run down some jazz tunes…real book stuff, and such. While we are at it let’s do some funk! Interested? Let me know.

_Joe

This is a first for me. My thoughts about a blog were to touch base with anyone interested in talking drums, drumming, music or just about life in general. We can talk about what kinds of drums you have or would like to have. What type of music you like and or play. If you have any questions you would like to ask me about drum techniques, music notation or anything at all about drums, I will do my best to answer them. So let’s get started.

Thanks for stopping by,

_Joe