Time and Motion: Part 11 of the Drummer's Almanac
It's that time again where I criticize my drumming and complain about my lack of time to hone my skills.
Phrasing is everything! I sat down on my kit the other day and just started playing. I was not warmed up, as you can imagine, so I couldn't groove.
Normally I have a beat in mind and I try to play it with some passion. This time, I tried to improvise some fills and couldn't keep the time. I was rushing and disrupted the feel too many to count. My fills were scripted too, which makes me feel like I'm not original. I always want to keep it fresh. (I just watched the Blue Man Group use plumbing as percussion in their live show)
If you have ever sat and watched a player on stage not sync up with the rest of the band? It sounds uncomfortable and awkward. That is what I was playing like. It's like when you hit a baseball and you can tell you've connected because it feels great when it flies out to the fence. That's what drumming feels like when you connect with the group and you are in the pocket or groove.
Im trying not to be too hard on myself because I know I need more time to just play. I have the ability, I just want to feel it all of the time. Kind of like feeling the Holy Spirit. You can't get enough!
2 comments:
I heard you playing one night when I was walking Sneakers, you didn't sound bad at all.
I remember when I was playing the piano a lot that I would have good days when I couldn't play a wrong note and days when I could never get it right. Just make the most of the time you do have. No practice is bad practice, and even if you are having an "off" day, you'll learn to play through it.
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