Playing What You Do Not Practice

I love to practice drums! Sometimes, it’s frustrating and other times invigorating, and sometimes it’s somewhere in between. Regardless, I enjoy being on the drum set. The actual feeling that comes from striking a drum is very satisfying and I like to couple that feeling with learning new material. The frustration that I can sometimes feel trying to learn some new stuff is usually far less when I allow myself to feel the drums and their various sounds.

When I’m at a gig, I rarely think about the things that I’ve been practicing. I find that if I do think about this new material, I tend to end up forcing it into a musical situation that is not always appropriate. I want my drumming to always serve the music being played at any given moment. That’s the goal. If the music dictates to me that a new groove I have been working on would be perfect right now, then fine. Otherwise, I try to wait for the right time. I should mention that I freelance and play lots of different styles, so I keep that in mind also. If my new funk groove doesn’t fit with the piano jazz trio, then I do not force it.

I always want to sound like the drumming that’s coming out of me is the “right” thing for that particular group at any given performance. The “right” thing is not the same from musician to musician, but there are musical languages that seem to define genres. I want to speak the correct language if at all possible. I want to play my drums while interacting with the other players and with the music being played. This can mean that I play things that I have not been practicing. I’m fine with that, and it seems to be fine with the musicians on the gig as well.