working on your own stuff

[drummingman]

i spend a lot of time working on things out of books that someone else has written, but i i find that a lot of the times that i dont work on things that i have created myself. at this point i plan on trying to add in more of my ideas that way i can develop more of an original sound in my playing. i find that a lot of the times that a a lot of the great drummers have come up with a lot of their own licks and systems. i think about guys who will combine rudiments to creat their own combo rudiments and things like that. and this is just one thing.
over the years i have written down a bunch of ideas that i have not been giving any time into for a long time. i figure that if i can start working those ideas and keep creating things and then start working those things that i will have a number of things that will be somewhat original to my playing.
do you guys all spend a lot of time working on your own ideas? if so, if you want to share what are you working on?

[ccutler69]

So what are these ideas that you have been working on?

I'm interested in licks/rudiment combos/ difficult sticking w/e and if this thread becomes a create and share your own licks thread that would be awesome

[TheGroceryman]

wow, i tried thinking of some lick i made up on my own...but no matter how long i think...i just cant......i guess i've been to bogged up in learning from all the good guys, trying to cop their stuff....maybe what i've been needing is my own influence, i've been in a rut lately.

I like this thread idea, got me thinking.

[zambizzi]

For me, I feel like working on my own patterns, licks, etc. is not only critical to becoming a better drummer...but also to stay interested. It's fun.

The late Finn Higgins posted a thread a long time ago about this subject and that's how I got motivated. I spent the first hour of my practice warming up, doing rudiments and snare solos...my own patterns and combos on the snare and the whole kit. I feel like it has helped a ton.

You can't spend every minute of practice buried in some book - music is about creativity.

[darkstar442]

hmm i mainly write songs more than working from books and sometimes a like to take simple beats and do 32nd note quads and triplits with my feet... i have never been one to be good with solos and so i rarely practice that stuff so i excel in creating patterns... anyone with a double pedal like to make up complex foot patterns and keep a steady beat with your hands like in bleed... but you should try taking beats and changing them up if you dont have ideas and if you can play guitar make up a riff and make a beat.. its pretty fun when your bored

[Wavelength]

It's good to have a balance of internal and external inspiration. Playing from books and transcribing drum parts is a surefire way of learning something new (that is, if the material is unfamiliar to you), but it's very interesting to allocate time for exploring the ideas you've come up yourself. A good idea would be to record your own improvisations, then transcribe anything that sounds nice and practice it until you have it. Later on you may realise that the thing you just discovered has been played before by numerous drummers, but that's beside the point.

[bongo]

It strikes me too, all these pros with videos, showing their ideas. Must be something to learn from just that.

I've spent a lot of time on learning what others have done, you got to get the fundamentals down cold, walk before you run. But now I work mostly on my own stuff, four limb independence, that sort of thing on a primitive drum kit. You can see/hear at www.youtube.com/bongodoggie.

Also think it is a good thing to practice solos, it helps you express the ideas in your head. You come into a quiet room, create sound, and then leave a quiet room. It is profound that what we do, like vapor, is there and then gone.