If it feels right, it probably is..

[MaryO]

It's been a really hard week for me. I never could get comfortable behind the kit, nothing seemed to be working well and then I topped it off with a pretty lousy lesson tonight. Even my teacher told me I was really strange in that I got the hard stuff and screwed up the easy things. For example, working in buzz rolls, my rolls were great but I have a heck of a time hitting the single stroke coming out of the roll. This seems to be a pattern for me.

I came home, said something to the BF and he looks at me and says, "its because you overthink every thing you do.". Damn, if he's not right (as much as I hate to admit it). So...this week is dedicated to having fun and playing whatever comes behind the kit. My new mantra...stop overthinking and RELAX!

Thanks for listening...just needed to get that out to those of you who would understand. Onward and upward! Oh, and HAPPY DRUMMING!

MaryO

[Toolate]

I find that I play that way when I am tired.. Any chance you are?

I make apoint of trying something I know I cant do at least once a week. Hows that tom petty song coming? (breakdown)

[Chunky - Hellraizer]

I feel your pain! I have stages like that myself where I really think I'm tearing up the tough stuff then my groove is off on just the regular stuff.
Most of the time I'm really fatigued when I have those phases so don't be too hard on yourself, just learn to recognise when you feel this way and give yourself a break.

[Midnite Zephyr]

Sounds to me like you're bored with the simple stuff and you're ready for more challenging stuff. But the teacher knows that the simple beats have to be so much a part of you that it's like another body part - like a new set of ears or something.

[MaryO]

I don't think I can blame it on tiredness. I really do believe that it has to do with overthinking...it's a bad habit of mine. Between that and my infamous Inpatience, well it's not a good pairing.

Toolate: I have to admit I haven't had a chance to work on the Petty tune but I promise I'll give it a try this weekend...I need something new :).

Zephyr...you are probably right. I like to be challenged. I do always work on those basics every time I practice and then try to reward myself with something I want to work on afterwards. I know I have to keep at it and get the rudiments down until they are second nature, I just wish it would come a little quicker! Lol.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback.

[bonhamdrummer123]

I have the same problem with over thinking things, especially when I'm performing. Nothing a few drinks can't fix ;) And I hate how simple the essential rudiments are, yet they take forever and a day to get where they need to be.

[Dr_Watso]

Yea! Thinking is for stupid people! F**k thinking!

[Dannysbeat]

Yep know where your coming from Mary,

I just going to be have fun for a good year or so as I discussed with my tutor the other we,

he explained that it might have something to do with starting later in life?

This was a post I wrote about it, but still feel that over thinking is a big problem for me.


http://www.dannysbeat.com/index.php/2012/02/17/intrestting-lesson

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Mary if I may be so brave. I have watched a few of your videos and I get the feeling that you are too mechanical. By that I mean you seem to be thinking everything you do. My mother failed her first driving test many years ago, not because she did anything wrong, but the tester told her she had to think everything she did. When she was 80 years old she still drove that way. Very deliberate and not smooth or natural. I think some of that will come with time. Work on your lessons because you are paying a teacher for them, but then sit down and spend some time just being natural, sloppy, have some fun and try not to think about the lessons at this time. Do this at least one day of the week and see what happens. You have to get to the point where when playing along to the music that you are feeling it.

[Toolate]

I had a moment like this last night practicing! Been working on my singles and last night, after 2 days of no practice, I just sat down and off they went around 140 bpm (16ths) which was a big step for me. With relaxed shoulders and arms. So I played them for an hour or so. Or my hands did anyway but I was there to enjoy it!!!

I think this is the kind of thing Grunter is hinting at above- after practicing something long enough (and in my opinion, from enough different angles and speeds) your body will do the work without thinking....

[dmacc]

Work on your lessons because you are paying a teacher for them, but then sit down and spend some time just being natural, sloppy, have some fun and try not to think about the lessons at this time. Do this at least one day of the week and see what happens. You have to get to the point where when playing along to the music that you are feeling it.

I think this is so very important to do. I call it a creative brain dump playing session.

You can certainly over think things to the point where it's tough to execute things that at one time you could do easily.

Also I have found not breathing appropriately while you are playing (hence, tensing up) can be a contributing factor for not executing so check in on that from time to time.

[MaryO]

Mary if I may be so brave. I have watched a few of your videos and I get the feeling that you are too mechanical. By that I mean you seem to be thinking everything you do. My mother failed her first driving test many years ago, not because she did anything wrong, but the tester told her she had to think everything she did. When she was 80 years old she still drove that way. Very deliberate and not smooth or natural. I think some of that will come with time. Work on your lessons because you are paying a teacher for them, but then sit down and spend some time just being natural, sloppy, have some fun and try not to think about the lessons at this time. Do this at least one day of the week and see what happens. You have to get to the point where when playing along to the music that you are feeling it.

You are exactly right. I do try and play something I like at the end of every practice session but lately even that is becoming more work than fun...I'm putting too much pressure on myself feeling that it all has to be technically correct. I can't seem to just let myself go. My perfectionist tendencies are taking over.

I equate it to the way my BF approaches dancing...lol. He's okay if he knows the steps and there's a pattern to follow but he's way to self-conscious to just get up and let go free style like at a club or whatever. I'm falling into the self-conscious trap with my drumming and am afraid to just have fun with it, afraid I'll sound stupid or something.

I read Danny's blog post and it's perfect, it's time to go back to the beginning and remember the joy of just playing...who cares what it sounds like,it's not as if I'm playing for anyone but myself anyways. So...

No structured practice this week for me. I tuned my toms last nite (or attempted too) and plan to spend the week just getting to know my kit again and just playing for the fun of it...no click track, no books, just music I enjoy and fun.

I can't begin to express how much I appreciate the support and understanding on this forum. This is something I want to do and succeed at very much and you guys all make me believe that, eventually, I can. Thanks!

Happy Drumming Everyone (and me!).

[Mad About Drums]

If it feels right Mary, chances are it is indeed feeling right as far as playing goes, not everytime you'll sit behind the kit it will happen, heck, more often than not, I'm having a bad day at the kit, thinking it was a lot of bullsh**, and other times I feel good about a session, remember, we're the worst critic to ourselves, it can be delusional, but reviewing ourselves, seeing were we lack and were we're good is the key to intelligent processing to get better at what we do :)

I agree with Grunt, your playing can be a bit stiff and mechanical, and I can see you thinking, counting, getting that little density just before a fill, as you already know, I have watched several videos of yours on YT, and it seems to affect all the songs you're covering, some are better of course and you're improving very nicely :)

Again, Grunt suggestion on sitting and playing sloppy, loose, relaxed and not caring about any technical aspect, and more importantly, not thinking, will help you a great deal, it's an important "exercise" to enhance our flow and fluidity when we're playing :)

I believe in a state of mind approach too, you can "tune" yourself prior to play this exercise, a lot of it is only in our head, if you can tune your mind to be relaxed and sloppy, it will happen :)

Once your "familiar" with the sloppy playing exercise, lol, you can apply it everytime you're playing, that "it feels right" moment will happen more and more often :)

Keep it up Mary, you're doing all the right things, learning an instrument is a tough and very long process and takes patience, motivation, dedication and having fun while doing it, have a nice sloppy practice today :))

[Pollyanna]

Mary, have you run this past your instructor?

[bigd]

I could never tell somebody to practice sloppy. What good does that do? Sounds like Mary may be moving a little too fast in the lesson department and actually hasn't got a handle on some of the things she's working on yet. If you sound mechanical and stiff on the basic groove you're working on you're not really ready to move on.

[MaryO]

Mary, have you run this past your instructor?

Plan to this week, Polly

[MaryO]

I could never tell somebody to practice sloppy. What good does that do? Sounds like Mary may be moving a little too fast in the lesson department and actually hasn't got a handle on some of the things she's working on yet. If you sound mechanical and stiff on the basic groove you're working on you're not really ready to move on.

Actually, I think my basic groove and timing are pretty good. It really is, and always has been a matter of learning to relax and not overthink things. I think thats why they are telling me to practice sloppy. However, I do k ow that I have to keep working on other things and take my lessons seriously. I just need to take a short break and get out of my own head for a while!

I do appreciate our point of view :)

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I could never tell somebody to practice sloppy. What good does that do? Sounds like Mary may be moving a little too fast in the lesson department and actually hasn't got a handle on some of the things she's working on yet. If you sound mechanical and stiff on the basic groove you're working on you're not really ready to move on.
By sloppy I just mean loose and free. Play without counting. Put on some music you have never played to and try to just get through it without trying to match the song note for note. It's like taking golf lessons and then going to play miniature golf. No one gives a crap about your putting style. Have some fun. Her OP doesn't seem to me to be fun, and although we want to be better if music isn't fun we may as well be at work.

[Mad About Drums]

I could never tell somebody to practice sloppy. What good does that do?

It's not meant in a bad way, it doesn't imply playing out of time, out of focus, not grooving and things like that, indeed it's important to keep this in mind when doing a "sloppy" or "loosing up" exercise, if you prefer, this exercise is to feel more relaxed and flowing better across the drumkit to make it sound less mechanical, it's more of a spiritual approach than a technical approach, a relaxation exercise if you like, by no mean I was implying "sloppiness" in a bad way, I understand that my comment could be understood differently than what I meant, I also believe that Mary is ready for such an "exercise" and can be helpful to develop an important aspect of our instrument, to make it feel right. :)

[topgun2021]

Usually, if I think I am in the groove I am way off and if I feel uncomfortable, I am right on.

I did a bunch of drum fills in my school's jazz band practice that felt so off, then the fill-in professor for the day said they sounded extremely professional.

I was all, "Are you being serious!?"

What I have basically learned this year is that I should never ever trust my ears and feel.

[Otto]

This is a symptom of your listening skill improving.

We start to hear ourselves better...and a feedback loop occurs.

The new perception will settle down and you'll find the fluidity....but still be able to perceive the grain of scale you will need to see your newly gained set of imperfection perceptions.

Congradulations!


...now do it again...




I think its easy to miss the idea that increased skill on an infinite bound spectrum, past a nacent point, is merely a way to see more detail...not a measurement of validity.

[Toolate]

The best advantage to practicing/playing sloppy now and then (IMHO) is the occasional great beat or fill that your hands just make up. I consider these moments some of my most creative! You are trying one thing and your feet and hands do something else that sounds even better.

[mikel]

I don't hear much talk about enjoyment here.

Just lots of angst about perfection and tutors, instructors, rudiments etc.

Play sloppy? What is that?

You can play behind the beat, in front of the beat, on the beat, whatever fits the feel of the song.

A lot of the 60s British drummers played behind the beat. Copeland, in the Police, really pushed the beat to the max, and that is what made the music what it is. Feel.

Relax a little and enjoy your playing, you don't have to be an atomic clock, If it feels good it is.

[MaryO]

Okay guys, I did it...I just let loose and played for fun! Wanna hear the results? Head over to the 2 minute solo thread and check out my new vid i just posted (not the first one) let me know why you think. It wasn't perfect but it was fun!

Thanks again for all the encouragement, you guys were my inspiration for this one.

[MikeM]

Do you play with other people, Mary? Reason I ask is because I can't survive on a steady diet of practicing by myself OR playing with a band. If I do either one for too long, I get bored and lose focus and interest. If you're only practicing all the time without somewhere to apply what you've learned, then all that leaning is for not. But if you were only playing with other muso's, then you might start feeling like your drumming is stagnating. That's the way it is with me anyway.

I don't know if that makes any sense, or if it applies to your situation. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

[mxo721]

I'm a firm believer that "practice" is not playing what you do well, it's playing what you need to play better....you should try only playing basic beats for a while, if you got buzz rolls down, stay away from them for a few days...and on "overthinking" very true. I have a picture on a shelf I stare at while I play, I don't think about drumming at all, I think about this picture on my shelf...you know the old " ask a centapede how he walks with all them legs.......and he'll fall over!

[MaryO]

I play with my boyfriend sometimes, he plays bass but that's it. We've had trouble finding others to play with. We do have one friend who's a keyboardist who wants to come and play with us but he has been working out of state a lot lately do we haven't had the chance. It's something I really want to do though.

[Liebe zeit]

This is a symptom of your listening skill improving.

We start to hear ourselves better...and a feedback loop occurs.

The new perception will settle down and you'll find the fluidity....but still be able to perceive the grain of scale you will need to see your newly gained set of imperfection perceptions.

Congradulations!


...now do it again...




I think its easy to miss the idea that increased skill on an infinite bound spectrum, past a nacent point, is merely a way to see more detail...not a measurement of validity.This is the wisdom. Sums it all up for me. You're between plateaus, Mary