Frustration (hard one)

A

Alesi

Member
Well, you know, I´ve decided to become pro. by that, I mean that I got a great teacher (teacher of some greats, also) and started practicing every day at least 2 hours.

The thing is that the exercises that he gives me to do, I am able to work on then until they sound ok, but my frustration starts when I start to try to incorporate to my regular playing. I found myself doing the same thing that I´ve used to do 6 months ago, I think I´m getting too frustrated because my goal is to develope a language that allows me to do different stuff but I just can´t.

I´ve been with this teacher for a month only, so I guess it s not his fautl and besides I haven´t talked with him about this issue. I´ll talk to him aboout this thing, but meanwhile, do you have any advices for incorporate stuff that you are practicing as an exercise and transform it onto MUSIC?

Thank y´all for even reading it, I´m lost and very (VERY) frustrated
 
I have always found that when I learn something on the drums it doesn't always become incorporated into my regular playing right away.
When the time is right, what I have learned just flows out. It is a great feeling when that happens!
I can't force myself to play something in the context of music just because I have learned it.
I have to feel it.

I always have things on the back burner that are waiting to be perfected before I feel confident playing them.

Give it time.

Does this make sense?
 
Alesi said:
Well, you know, I´ve decided to become pro. by that, I mean that I got a great teacher (teacher of some greats, also) and started practicing every day at least 2 hours.

The thing is that the exercises that he gives me to do, I am able to work on then until they sound ok, but my frustration starts when I start to try to incorporate to my regular playing. I found myself doing the same thing that I´ve used to do 6 months ago, I think I´m getting too frustrated because my goal is to develope a language that allows me to do different stuff but I just can´t.

I´ve been with this teacher for a month only, so I guess it s not his fautl and besides I haven´t talked with him about this issue. I´ll talk to him aboout this thing, but meanwhile, do you have any advices for incorporate stuff that you are practicing as an exercise and transform it onto MUSIC?

Thank y´all for even reading it, I´m lost and very (VERY) frustrated
Click to expand...


Patience!

A month is no time at all. It can take months or years for stuff to come out smoothly and without much effort or thought. Keep at it, and it'll make it's way into your thing all in good time.

The only thing you can do to really help is to put yourself in musical situations that allow you to use the stuff. If you're learning a bunch of polyrhythmic fills around the toms and you're playing musical theatre shows all the time, you aren't going to get much chance to pull your new arrows out of your quiver. Likewise, if you're working on the hippest jazz interdependence stuff and you're out playing rock gigs every night, when does your stuff have a chance to emerge?

Barring that, you can simulate musical settings by using backing tracks etc. and trying to use the new techniques you're learning as timekeeping patterns, as fills, etc. If you're working on fill and solo material, try framing it with timekeeping, making common phrase lengths of 4, 8 and 16 bars. If it's groove material, learn to get in and out of it with different lengths of fill, or learn to move in and out of it from different grooves with ease.

But, above all, be compassionate and patient with yourself. Work diligently on the process of learning the material and don't worry about the speed at which the outcome arrives. We don't have a lot of control over that. Focus on what you can control - i.e. how deeply you practice and absorb the material - and the results will come. Sometimes when you least expect it.

I had an experience like this recently. I realised after many years of playing that I had been cheating and playing 4 Stroke Ruffs (Single Stroke 4s to some) off my right hand all the time, even when playing them off the left made more sense in the context of the sticking/rhythm being executed. I don't know how or when I got in the habit, but there it was. So I worked for a while to learn to be more comfortable playing them off the left.

One day, I was in a rehearsal and the piece had a section played on the snare drum that incorporated 4 stroke Ruffs. We were sight-reading everything, so I didn't have a chance to think about what or how I was going to play. We got through the section and I realised I'd been leading my Ruffs off the left, which in the context of the part made a lot of sense and allowed everything to flow smoothly. Result!

Don't fret about the destination, enjoy the journey.
 
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Alesi said:
Well, you know, I´ve decided to become pro. ...... but meanwhile, do you have any advices for incorporate stuff that you are practicing as an exercise and transform it onto MUSIC?

Thank y´all for even reading it, I´m lost and very (VERY) frustrated
Click to expand...

Being frustrated is OK. you are just wanting to get better really fast, which is hard.

Accept your frustration and tell yourself its going to take time, if it takes a year OK, if it takes 4 years OK. Learning drums is a process not a deadline.
 
Alesi said:
I´ll talk to him aboout this thing, but meanwhile, do you have any advices for incorporate stuff that you are practicing as an exercise and transform it onto MUSIC?
Click to expand...

This may sound silly, but you need to practice in a way that allows you to incorporate new skills into your vocabulary. If this isn't happening, then your method of practice is not very effective, is it?

Marching band and drum corp students are often taught new skills and rudiments with "check patterns": play a simple exercise for one measure, then immediately switch to the new skill, and back. During the simple exercise, you are able to "check" your timing, technique, and sound, but most importantly you are able to relate the new skill to a skill you can already do well. An added benefit is that you do not have to stop, you may practice in a way that allows you to play continuously, because out there in the "real world", the beat does not stop!

I hope this helps! Good luck!
 
I understand completely where you are coming from. It's quite frustrating to know a lot of drumming concepts and not being able to apply them all. Like others have said this simply takes time.

My teacher once told me that he once chewed through a funk book (I think it was advanced funk studies) and it wasn't till a year later that he had the chops and experience to actually apply the grooves in that book.

Enjoy the ride man and don't worry too much about progress. You'll get where you want to be in the end.
 
Thanks for all the advices, I´ve found some really helpful and I´ll be implementing them in a near future for sure. The main thing is that While I´m trying to become a pro (in the fashion that I´m able to develop myself in different situations) I realize that I´m forcing some stuff.

I need to add some "spare time" to my routine and work on tracks, transcriptions or even free play, where I can add a thing or two that I´ve worked before. It is a proccess that takes time, I know. But also I realized that studying hard makes harder things to become easier to execute. Maybe that´s my confussion.

I´m pretty confident right now, thanks!!
 
With most things in life- they are better and sweeter if you've had to work for them- there will always be some form of frustration no matter what level of playing you get to.

A personal story- I have spent the last 6 months (yes 6 months) trying to learn a drum beat to a particular song. I just couldnt do it- I dont know that reason was- It just would not work into my brain.

So the band have been playing this song all that time- and I have been making my own beat up -which was ok and fit the music, just bugged me that I couldnt get this pretty simple beat down.

Up to a month ago I tried again and still couldnt nail it- basically I gave up and decided what I have is going to have to be good enough.

Band was practising 2 weeks ago- this song has like a 30- 45 second intro before any drums come in...

My guitarist starts laying down the riff...... what do you know? the old right foot starts beating away- hand moves to hi-hat and bam... Perfect beat I have been trying for so long to get- just came flowing out.

Dont know why- but I can tell you its the best feeling knowing that all that effort- all that frustration, you was actually learning something!!!

Stick with it
 
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