The more I know, the more I know that I don’t know — or something like that. Drumming (and music more generally), is so broad and there is so much out there that I haven’t mastered. This can get frustrating, daunting and downright depressing...
Read morePlaying Drum Licks
One thing that I’ve experienced is that when I’m at a gig and I attempt to play a “drum lick” that I’ve been practicing is that it feels different as compared to when I was at my drum studio all by myself. E.g., perhaps you’ve been working on...
Read moreMore on Patience
Previously, I have posted the importance of being patient. I find that it’s best for me if I can apply this to my entire life. The more I can implement the concept of giving something some time to gel outside of music and drumming, then the...
Read moreDrum Technique
Previously I have posted some thoughts on drum technique. To summarize, I believe that every drummer can benefit from good technique. Have command over your instrument instead of the other way around. I’m from the school of thought that a solid...
Read moreDrumming Basics
The more I play and teach, the more I am drawn to the drumming basics. There is nothing more rewarding to me than spending time on my single stroke roll, e.g. Basically (pun intended), it’s the foundation of so many other things that I do. My arm...
Read moreTeaching the Drumming Basics
Without a doubt, I end up teaching the same material to different students. For some teachers, this is not fun or pleasurable. I find, however, that it’s better for everyone (including me) the more I teach the same drumming basics. I find joy in...
Read moreCounting Out Loud – Part Four
This is the last part (for now) on my thoughts about counting and playing drum fills. Why play a drum fill anyway? It’s important to play for the music first and foremost. Drum fills are great when done musically. There should be a reason for...
Read moreCounting Out Loud – Part Three
If the drum fill doesn’t get played correctly, then that’s OK. Make sure to start slowly and try again. That’s what practice is about. The main goal is keep playing and counting without changing the counting. Once that is achieved, practice the...
Read moreCounting Out Loud – Part Two
My prior post talked about counting out loud – first on the snare drum and then moved on to talk about counting while playing the drum set. I left off talking about drum fills and counting. Please see that post and then continue here. At the end...
Read moreCounting Out Loud When Practicing
I have found that many students have trouble counting out loud while playing the drums. It is one more thing to think about, but at the same time, its benefits far outweigh the obstacles involved. I practice and use this technique to this day...
Read moreArm Position
I have recently started making a minute adjustment in my arm position, especially when playing the ride cymbal. This came about after watching Jack DeJohnette’s “Musical Expression On The Drum Set.” Jack references Tony Williams and Elvin Jones...
Read moreDrumming “Tricks”
Recently, I was describing and notating a 3/4 jazz drum pattern for a student. He completely understood it, but at one point he asked if there was a “trick” involved in playing in odd times such as 3/4. (We can talk about “odd” times at length in...
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