Time Management

[got_a_matchgrip]

What he said. [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img]

[got_a_matchgrip]

Both the TL quote, AWA the 1 PL just posted, just went into the collection of good & great philosophical statements folder. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img] [No the folder title is not really that long.] [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/beer.gif[/img]

[spaceotter]

Hey SP,

I think H2's response is right on the money. Smaller steps--more limited projects. You can't tackle the whole "pro drummer" thing directly and in and of itself--it's just too big and abstract, and can't engage it with a real practice routine. And if you practice and you aren't feeling engaged, you aren't doing yourself or your music any favors--a great way to burn out.

It seems like great obsessions are actually comprised of smaller obsessions/inspirations of shorter duration. So inspiration is essential, challenges that you can attain without hitting a wall and making yourself depressed and despairing.

I found this out the hard way. When I was 17, I was pretty inspired by Omar, and was really into his playing. My project with my teacher for the summer was to figure out some of the tracks on Weather Report's "Domino Theory" and "Procession." So I would listen to them endlessly, and then figure out what he was doing. Write it out. Practice it utlra-slow. Figure out how he dealt with his left foot, how he "feels" time. Really try to get inside his brain. All the technique that I needed to really grasp this, I would learn. Amazingly enough, I learned a great deal of "B-flat waltz" and "Predator" and some other tracks, and learned so much else about music and technique on the way. I am not the master of Omar or his playing, but a little piece of the way he thinks and sees music is always with me.

Not long after this, I tried the same with the first Chick Corea Electric Band album, and John Patitucci's first solo album. Uh-oh. With Dave I could almost reach some of "Rumble" or "Got a Match?" but the truth was that his technique and feel were so far beyond mine (and different than was natural to me) that it was simply too great a stretch to really understand what made him tick. I could not quite find my way there. I could also find my way into a bit of Erskine's playing on the JP solo album, but Vinnie's playing stopped me cold (specifically "Bajo Bajo" and "Change of Season"). Perhaps it wasn't even the technical level as much as that I couldn't vibe with him, didn't have the background or intuitive understanding to even be able to reach for what he was doing. So I got stymied and depressed, all "I suck and will never be anything," blah blah blah. Probably focused my attention elsewhere for a while--I was in college and there was enough other stuff to do. It was too big of a challenge to tackle, and I didn't have a teacher at that time to help me.

After college, I hooked up with a wonderful teacher in Seattle named Jerry Garcia (no, not the Grateful Dead member) who runs the Seattle Drum Shop (still does). He became kind of a musical/spiritual mentor for me because we would talk about how music and life interact, and how everything is connected. He told me about his days growing up in LA and playing drums in the 70s. He was recording and playing music all over (maybe even a Disney gig there) and touring, and at one point he just burned out and quit playing for a few years because it stopped being fun. He lost his inspiration and just couldn't play. Finally, after 3-4 years of just giving up the instrument, he started fresh by playing with records he liked. It started being fun again. Burn out is real, and to be avoided. Inspiration has to be there.

I brought Jerry all my sorry-asp problems with playing--being neurotic and never feeling quite up to snuff, locking myself in my room practicing because I couldn't find anyone playing music I found "interesting," worrying about how the hell I was going to become a "pro"--as well as my strengths. If nothing else, having someone there to give me measured steps toward progress, telling me to f-ing relax, kicking my butt out the door to actually play with other people really helped. He studies occasionally with Freddie Gruber and was showing me some of that stuff. More importantly, how drumming relates to life, and asking the right questions around it. For me it's not "pro drummer" or no--that's not specific enough--rather: what kind of relationship do you want to have with drumming? What role will drumming play in your life?

Food for thought: do drummers in tribal Africa think about being "pro drummers"? Hand drummers in rural Turkey? We live in this capitalist, corporate culture that has a kind of a cult around life as a music industry professional and stardom and session work. Like, if you're going to be a drummer, you have to be that, or else you're kind of a failure (even if this is not really voiced, but just kind of "understood"). Kind of like the way we diss teachers as "those who can't do, teach." Yet, the biz makes sure that only a few people can make it and those cats are listened to by just about everyone. The rest have day jobs or live on a pittance waiting for their chance. I don't have the answers, but these questions are really important to me still. There is still a lot of life to live at my age and I love playing. What is the relationship between the two?

Some more recent inspirations for me have been learning about songo and mambo from a great instructor here in Sonoma County (north of San Francisco), finally getting the groove for Alex Acuna's playing with Jaco on "Havona," and sitting down and learning some tracks from Dapp Theory "Y'all just don't know." My day job and commute really limit my ability to practice or gig, but I'm working on changing that. It's always this dynamic of how to make life all work together and get all the pieces of yourself fed and happy.

Oops, I did it again. Peace all and thanks (especially GAMG--thanks for the props bro [img]biggrin.gif[/img] )

ta==spaceotter

[S.P]

Thanks for that Spaceotter!!!!! My favourite kind of reading on this forum is the personal experiences that people share so thanks!

I try and look for inspiration in quite a lot of stuff, i have started to write some articles on things that pass through my head that bother me, or i think are interesting, or are some things which i've had to dispute with through my "drumming life". Issues such as this time management.

Lately, even though it is very hard, i've been trying to stop obsessing over facts such as: "i have to be as good as player x or player y to become a pro"

I think in the end, as long as you have the will and you never give up, jump at every opportunity that comes to you and are also prepared (even if it isn;t to an amazing out of this earth standard of playing), you will be able to become what you want, be it a drummer or whatever

I've been thinking, as my university choices come closer, to study journalism since i feel that i really like writing stuff, especially stuff that causes me trouble or insecurity due to the fact that it helps me have a larger outlook on it and deal with it much more easily. This way too i can hopefully help other people and journalism is something i can easily combine with drumming!