Best Drumming Advice

[drum4fun]

I received many good words of wisdom on drumming especially from HOD. I thought it would be interesting to hear about the advice HODers have received with regard to drumming and music.

What is the best music/drumming advice that you have ever received or heard? For me, it was trying to hear a drummer's playing through the perspective of another musician like the pianist, singer of the band, etc. For example, trying to get the overall picture of the music instead of focusing on the drum part.

The other piece of advice was making each note count. For example, it is not the quantity/speed of notes but the quality of each note played.

[benrand]

Practice with a mirror. I had a friend in HS who did this and I thought it was odd, however, I did practice my practice pad stuff in front of a mirror, but when I started to do it, my playing changed for the better.

[numeroUnoHODfan]

Play FOR the tune.
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<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 08, 2004 08:19 AM: Message edited by: numeroUnoHODfan ]</font>

[peter c]

Practice as slowly as you need it to be perfect, THE FIRST TIME.

What sounds right is right.

'Read the time' and then layer upon that, the actual 'words', slowly.

No pain is no gain. When you're building yourself, you have to be pushing your limits. Too much comfort is stagnation.

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[XNavyDrummer]

One of my Navy bandmasters told me about a Navy drummer, Kenny Malone. He said that Kenny would set up the kicks in such a clear way that if a horn player missed an entrance, it was because the horn player was asleep or dead.

So, in my playing I've tried to make sure the musical message I'm sending out is clear.

[quitou]

definitely to practice slowly and accurately...get really comfortable with the motions before trying to speed it up...I got this piece of advice from Mike Mangini's RK book...

[Pedro G]

Record yourself as much as posible, or even better, videotape yourself, especialy in live situations.

Pete, when you said "no pain no gain", do you mean that literaly. I agree that you have to push yourself, but IMO if you feel pain something is wrong [img]graemlins/sure.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/shhh.gif[/img]

[PocketPlayer]

Again, practicing slowly to get your muscle memory in order. This is somewhat of the paradox of learning really. In order to achieve speed you must first go slowly.
Control is everything.
Hearing Garabaldi talk about tension & release and practicing sticking patterns to gain mastery here has helped.
Listening to Derek on another thread voice the idea of being able to articulate your mental ideas at will would be my aim as well, even the simple grooves overlooked because technically they are within grasps...but does it feel good. Herein lies the aspect of never being satisfied.

I wonder how many drummers here play golf or weight lift...there are so many similarities in the technique of going slowly and not "level jumping" to gain control.

I need a MINI-DISC recorder!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 09, 2004 03:27 AM: Message edited by: PocketPlayer ]</font>

[sashal3]

I'm an avid golfer! When I'm not playing drums I love to play golf. I've been playing golf since I was about 9 and I'm a 4 handicap. Sometimes I wish I would have pursued a career in sports. The odds are better for a living.

Seriously,I play the game because it requires a serious level of concentration and precise execution. There are so many factors to the swing and striking of the ball. Depending on what level you are trying to achieve,drumming is very much the same. Basically,it depends on the level you want to get to and how much work are you willing to put forth. This goes for anything in life. There are so many elemental steps to practice. These activities are all related to the constant forward motion of life and everything it encompasses.

[Nikk]

Ed Soph from UNT talks about how, when practicing coordination exercises in time with a metronome, "mistakes" are really not such, but actually "improvisations." You could sure take that idea and run with it.