Time Management

[palmerlouie]

yeah but it comes down to whether you want to do it or not. if you dont, dont. dont make your life a misery if you'd rather be out getting lashed.

you either want it or you dont. and also it should be fun, hardly ever a chore.

[S.P]

Of course i want to, and im not going to be practicing every single day because one day i might not feel like it, so i wont force myself, plus i feel that a day break sometimes improves your playing

[tombo74]

There should be an urge.
An urge to spend time with your instrument to get good at it.
With this state of mind, you will find the time and you won't feel like you're sacrificing things.

[Derek DeFields]

I agree with everything Louie said and in particular, his last comment. Everyone has different goals and levels of drive. If this is something you want to be doing every day for the rest of your life, why not start now? If that isn't something you want to commit to now, you may want to consider other career choices because it won't get easier as you get older.

Since I think you know that, I'm going to suggest something I don't think anyone has mentioned yet...

Start playing with other people immediately. Do not wait to get your double bass chops etc together. Find other musicians and start playing. Rehearse, gig, sit-in, anything you can get. This is going to be the MOST productive thing you can do and will help you in the long term more than anything I promise.

[S.P]

thanks for the advice tombo and derek!

i have a band which i rehearse with sometimes, and also got a jazz trio thing lined up this summer to rehearse just for fun. The music scene here won't allow me to have somewhere where i can go and sit in, appart from this one place called the blue door jazz club which has a jam night...might check that out!

[likedachuch]

hahah! henry, i didn't mean for you to get such a rise outta my post. no disrespect. [img]smile.gif[/img]

i think derek put it best. cheers!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 28, 2005 02:15 PM: Message edited by: Da Chuch ]</font>

[got_a_matchgrip]

What Derek & Michaud said!! [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/present.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/rainbow.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 28, 2005 03:09 PM: Message edited by: got_a_match_grip? ]</font>

[spaceotter]

Started a long reply here, then saw Michaud's post. He's the guy who actually "made it," not me, so if you want to be a pro drummer, he or Hass or Erskine or Gary H. or any of the pros here can probably speak to this better than I. And to practice routines as well. They came, they shed, they conquered.

I kept asking myself, though, is there only one path to being a pro drummer? Does it involve constant practice from 15-24 and damn all else? Are technique and feel the only set of chops you need for this mission?

I guess my concern is the somewhat (if half-joking) disregard for balance. For a thing to be sustainable--even for the reportedly 'invincible' youth among us--all basic needs must be cared for: emotional, physical, intellectual, sexual, spiritual, social, financial. A person can get lopsided in their development, or can set themselves up for some serious "Achilles' Heel" situations that can later sabotage a successful career in music if they don't pay attention. I think we all know this, and all know of amazing artists who had all the chops and feel but couldn't navigate the rest of their lives--who either quit, got pulled away, couldn't eat or pay the rent, or even left the planet because they couldn't make life all work. Questions about time management really brings up questions about life, priorities, direction.

Besides music chops one needs--as mentioned elsewhere--professional and people chops. Networking, relationships and how to meet commitments. How to handle money. How to do business. How to handle temptations, sex, substances and their effects (or keep them out completely). Physical chops--being healthy and having stamina. Dealing with your demons. All of life goes into playing. And every piece of work you do elsewhere on your inner development and your drive ends up benefitting the your musical voice and confidence. This is not an excuse to party or stop practicing, but all people and all things you do go into the fabric of your life and help make you distinct. Some of the most rewarding are non-musical. Yes, blasphemy!! And I would argue that all of these get filtered back into your playing.

Furthermore, career and playing are a subset of life, not the other way around. There was a thread a few weeks back about "The stupidest question you ever heard asked at a clinic." Well, I asked one of those stupid questions at a Dennis Chambers clinic in Ann Arbor back in the late 80s, when I was 18 and very eager: "How did you get into the recording industry, and how would you do it better if you had to do it all over again?" His answer to the first was unremarkable: something like "I played with people who liked my playing and then that got me hooked up with other people who wanted me to play on their project." His answer to the second question blew me away: "If I had to do all of it over again, I would have become a doctor instead." Some guys laughed thinking this was a joke, to which he responded, "No, I'm serious. Being out on the road and away from my home and family sucks. I wish I'd been a doctor because I'd be at home more." [img]eek.gif[/img] To be told by one of your idols that he would rather have a different life...that sh** was deep.

Why do we do this thing? Why do you do this? You have to know the answer.

Vinnie and Cobham were able to make practice and discipline fun, and if you are able to ride fun to a career in music that's awesome. It indeed should be fun. But it's not all fun and we know that: you have to have other reasons. What do you want from being a pro drummer? Is it fame and money? Is it brilliance and recognition? Making a living? Personal fulfillment? Some are easier and some harder. Everyone struggles with this, no matter what they end up doing.

I think in some ways, as Louie pointed out, if you have the drive, you know it. That obsession is not something that can be faked or manufactured. Steve Smith also says this in one of his videos--"if you should be playing music professionally, you know it" or something like this. At first, I kind of resented him for this, because I've always been confused about what I was here to do. However, now I know that there was a great truth in this. Without that obsession, you can't possibly pull off the miracle of becoming that superstar drummer (or, superstar anything) you dream of being. It's the Joseph Campbell/William James thing: follow your obsessions. They will lead you (try to avoid jail time though). And if they're not clear, pull up a chair because you are not alone.

I struggle with this issue every day at twice your age. Not a day goes by that I don't wonder about my commitments, and how to parcel out my remaining time on earth. I won't go into my story here--this post is already way too long--but suffice it to say at many points I wanted to be a pro drummer, and at many points turned away from this, was distracted, or simply couldn't make it all work.

I'm 35 now, with an advanced degree in creative writing (ya think?), and a career in IT management I keep trying to escape (it just keeps "choosing" me when I have no money!!). I've had experiences along the way that I could never have imagined, and wouldn't trade. Did I miss my chance at being a pro drummer? Maybe. But I can't sit here and tell you my life is a failure because I didn't become Dave Weckl or Omar Hakim, and don't make my living in music. Nobody can tell you what your journey is going to be, how to do it, or what it will mean to you.

So much for suppressing the urge for a long post. Sorry for loquacity; my obsessions are manifold, and one is writing.

Peace==spaceotter

[S.P]

Space otter, that was an awesome post, very insightful and it seems like you've obviously analysed this issue really well. And it is true that the issue of time management does bring up with it all those other issues you mentioned. i defintely agree that a balance in life is needed, and that other non-musical endeveours feed our musical soul!

Michaud! Thanks for the advice, its great coming from a player like you! Thanks for the good luck! I'm starting to realise more and more how this is actually the time where i will be able to practice the most, i've only got 1 more year of high school left so i will make the most of it.

With this issue lately i have been pondering on giving up, and just doing it as a hobby, but then i think that will make it even harder, because if im not playing drums for a living i don't know what else i could do! absolutely clueless about it. I mean i've also thought about getting a degree in journalism and trying to write freelance for some magazines such as Everything Percussion in Spain or even try my hand at a bigger mag like MD or Drum! or anything like that!

Thanks to everyone whos posted so far, its turning out to be a great thread.

GAMG, im glad this is reminiscent of the old HOD!

Let's hear more opinions/views and advice! Everything is awesome advice!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 28, 2005 08:48 PM: Message edited by: S.P ]</font>

[matricks]

I haven't had time to read all the posts so before i chime in i am gonna read all those, but all this advice, so far, sounds great! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

and also it should be fun, hardly ever a chore.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The only chore for me when it comes to practicing is actually getting to the basement in the first place. I always make it down there for my shedding, but the 'buzz' doesn't set in til i get on the set and take it in for a second. It is hard getting down there, sometimes, because i know i am going to be there for the next 4 hours kicking my own ass. Soon as i play the first note, i relax and realize this is where i feel more comfortable than anywhere. The initial part of actually getting down to the practice room is what i drag my feet on, but as i said, once i am down there it is easy.