Concrete Pete
09-20-2009, 09:39 AM
Hey Crew,
I reached an impasse, so to speak a few days ago. I've been on a quest to better myself, my drumming, my lifestyle, my spirituality, and my Chi.
Just lately, I let go of a lotta things that seemed to be kinda "clogging up" other parts of my life, and told myself that I need to lose emotional baggage on a lot of things, set my standards higher on a few aspects, and lower on lesser ones. Not easy, just hadda put my pea-brain to it.
Tonight, I went into my garage with a calmness and serenity that I haven't had in months. I came back from a really wonderful 145 mile ride with bros on my "newest" Harley--my 1972 FLH, and snugged it into the garage, then repositioned my drumset. (I have to move it to get either of my bikes out) stared at the set for a couple minutes, and decided I was going to practice--going from subdued, quiet and gentle to "slam the hell outta it" speed.
Well, I recorded myself (as usual), and after 3-1/2 hours of playing and then listening to it, realized that I accomplished a consistent (over 3 minutes) 220 BPM accurately on the double bass pedals. WOW, that's all I can say... WOW.
Hell, I'm 52, and that's WAY good enough for me. I felt a strong sense of accomplishment, felt that I have pushed myself beyond normal limits, and have NOT pushed myself towards unobtainable goals. I also added a new cymbal (10" Zildjian splash) a couple days ago, and have taken to it like a magnet, rather than have to "get used to it" or find a way to make it fit in with my routine.
What a great day, and a better night. I decided that since 220 was my "magic number" of the day, I put 220 lbs on my bench bar, and did 20 reps. (OK, I did 4 sets of 5 reps, without a spotter- I'm OLD!) Another 1st for me.
Now, here's the stupid part. I got a call from my old buddy Denny's wife tonight. Denny was my best bro for a couple decades, and he passed away on 2-20-02.
Just weird, really weird, I guess.
Hey, another thing-- I can't for the life of me get that "swivel foot" thing down on the bass pedals to save my life. A heartfelt thanks to those here that have had the patience and dedication to tell me, show me videos of it, and try and explain it in a way that I can try to use and understand, but (for now) I just can't get it going for me. Maybe someday...
Cheers,
C. P.
I reached an impasse, so to speak a few days ago. I've been on a quest to better myself, my drumming, my lifestyle, my spirituality, and my Chi.
Just lately, I let go of a lotta things that seemed to be kinda "clogging up" other parts of my life, and told myself that I need to lose emotional baggage on a lot of things, set my standards higher on a few aspects, and lower on lesser ones. Not easy, just hadda put my pea-brain to it.
Tonight, I went into my garage with a calmness and serenity that I haven't had in months. I came back from a really wonderful 145 mile ride with bros on my "newest" Harley--my 1972 FLH, and snugged it into the garage, then repositioned my drumset. (I have to move it to get either of my bikes out) stared at the set for a couple minutes, and decided I was going to practice--going from subdued, quiet and gentle to "slam the hell outta it" speed.
Well, I recorded myself (as usual), and after 3-1/2 hours of playing and then listening to it, realized that I accomplished a consistent (over 3 minutes) 220 BPM accurately on the double bass pedals. WOW, that's all I can say... WOW.
Hell, I'm 52, and that's WAY good enough for me. I felt a strong sense of accomplishment, felt that I have pushed myself beyond normal limits, and have NOT pushed myself towards unobtainable goals. I also added a new cymbal (10" Zildjian splash) a couple days ago, and have taken to it like a magnet, rather than have to "get used to it" or find a way to make it fit in with my routine.
What a great day, and a better night. I decided that since 220 was my "magic number" of the day, I put 220 lbs on my bench bar, and did 20 reps. (OK, I did 4 sets of 5 reps, without a spotter- I'm OLD!) Another 1st for me.
Now, here's the stupid part. I got a call from my old buddy Denny's wife tonight. Denny was my best bro for a couple decades, and he passed away on 2-20-02.
Just weird, really weird, I guess.
Hey, another thing-- I can't for the life of me get that "swivel foot" thing down on the bass pedals to save my life. A heartfelt thanks to those here that have had the patience and dedication to tell me, show me videos of it, and try and explain it in a way that I can try to use and understand, but (for now) I just can't get it going for me. Maybe someday...
Cheers,
C. P.