Execution

Ain't that the truth.

Yep. Funny thing that letting go should be such a hard thing to do on a regular basis. It's like you have to have your boundaries (philosophies?) hardwired into yourself so you can completely let go without falling off the cliff, trusting that the right thing (or, more, a right thing) will come out.

Today I saw a nice quote from another thread from a guy who's frustrated that he was awesome yesterday and crap today:

"You're not really as good as your best days....and not really as bad as your worst days"
Tommy Igoe
 
"You're not really as good as your best days....and not really as bad as your worst days"
Tommy Igoe

This really puts it into perspective, cause I think we all want to think we are as good as our best performance, deluding ourselves, and setting ourselves up for disappointment when we have a mediocre performance.
 
I've always taken my miniscule repertoire then delivered it with dynamism & panache. This ability to place & execute parts well has always masked my lack of rounded skills.... Once the execution of my drum parts is as near perfect as I can make them, then I'll concentrate on expanding the repertoire. Until then, it's execution & performance all the way.

Thats a great way to look at it, Andy. The question is almost philosophical. To be who you are or to be who you want to be. I think we all trudge the road divider in the middle, in the end dont we ?
I guess some of us are a lot surer of who we are as musicians. Basis some level on online familiarity, I'd say you most definitely, and Polly & Jay to a large extent seem to be a lot surer of who they are musically than say, I am. To take what you have and make it shine and glow as beautifully as possible is as noble a musical pursuit as is seeking more knowledge, more ability etc..

In the end, music is the ultimate self expression, and I'd even say that to all the cats who argue that to be up there, you need to play all styles like they were your style and play anything and everything mind-blowingly well, people will till choose A over B because of a personal signature, a quirk , an odd uniqueness, which no other drummer can replicate.

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So can I start a thread on killing people?
 
You need to just take Nike's advice and "Just Do It." If I run into an idea I can't execute then I just practice it till I can. If you're trying to record a song you can't play yet, then perhaps you shouldn't be recording or even performing that song.
 
Thing is, there's a difference between being able to play a drum part and being able to make it sound fabulous within the context of a song.

This isn't about playing a drum part correctly, it's about playing a song right. That's the elusive bit.
 
I can totally relate, and it has to do with allowing yourself to be in the moment and trust that you will be able to play that fill when the time comes and just wait for it. As soon as you start to think, analyse, you are taken out of the moment, and quite possibly out of the pocket.

I also practice meditation and when someone is feeling pure awareness (bliss) and you all of a sudden start to think about it, during meditation, IT is gone!! It takes practice to be in the moment but practice involves trying something which is exactly what you don't want to do. It is more like praticing letting go.

In that sense drumming is a form of meditation and when we are in the zone we are not thinking (pure awareness) just feeling, but start to analyse it and it's gone.

Yes, Yes, Yes! That's it! I'm glad I found this thread just now because I'm struggling with this very aspect and I couldn't wrap my brain around what was going on with me nor could I articulate it. The "zone" is so awesome but I can't get there or feel it without nailing the execution 100%, at least to my standards. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone in this. I pretty much contributed it to the fact that I haven't been playing long but it appears that I will be dealing with this continually. That's not a bad thing either. I love working through a difficult piece and finally nailing it just to be able to play in the zone.
 
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