In Part 1, I laid out a little bit of my background thought process on this journey of “learn to shred, then don’t.” The first part of that ideology, then, is the shreddery – that is, chops, technical facility, speed, complex sticking, and so on. For me, this is an… Read More »The Twofold Path – Part 2: Building Chops
Big, sweeping platitudes only carry so much weight… But in the moments when we can put complex ideas into a concise little nugget of wisdom, it’s at least worth hanging onto as an easy reminder. My first introduction to what I want to unpack in this series comes from an… Read More »The Twofold Path – Part 1: Introduction
Making music is a joy in itself. Playing and creating is its own reward. Self expression is essential. All that is certainly true… but only part of the equation. If ALL the “value” came just from playing, why we would we bother to perform? Sure, you can make a little dough. You… Read More »It’s About People
Welp, I haven’t written anything here in a while… And I’m not exactly sure why. The ideas come rolling through my head from time to time, but for some reason, it’s been tough to actually sit down and type them out – so, why not make a post about not… Read More »Time, Habit, and Self-Imposed Guilt
As I become more and more drum-obsessed, I find myself turning to all kinds of outlets for information. I’ve never really been one for talk radio or podcasts, but as I began to look for drum and music-related information to occupy my ears (usually while my hands are doing some… Read More »4 Drumming Podcasts to Keep Your Head in The Game
Damn, I almost tumbled into a terrible valley a little while back. Somewhere over the course of the day, I lost sight of work ethic, though that’s putting it a little lightly… I have this propensity, from time to time, to think too hard about the biggest questions (vast spans… Read More »Press On: Why Making Music Matters… Even When It Seems Like It Doesn’t
I recently got slapped by a few realizations… About my own ego, the role drummers play (from an audience’s perspective), self-control, and being in charge of your own mood… All stemming from some catastrophic gear failure. First, a little background: I played a Sunday gig the other night, a benefit… Read More »A Gig, A Broken Pedal, and A Few Good Lessons
The “to do” list is long, right? Speed drills, independence, booking gigs, editing videos, adding photos to your website, fixing gear, replacing heads, learning songs… And even beyond Drum Land: Do the dishes, call your mother, pay the bills, fix that leak, follow up with a friend, fold the laundry,… Read More »What to Practice: The Paralysis of Too Many Options
Let’s not beat around the bush: there’s a lot of “competition” out there… No matter what instrument you play (or really, whatever creative pursuit you’re into), you’re not the only one – and some of those other people are going to be downright awesome… …People you see at shows around town,… Read More »Drummers, Don’t Worry About The Prodigies
In a way, I’m still reeling from PASIC, dizzy from the wisdom imparted. Weeks in the rearview, some of the fine details have started to fade. In and out of the clinic halls, in presentation, and in passing comments caught walking by, talk of music… Among all those nuggets of… Read More »PASIC 2015 – Part 2: Drum Nerd Paradise