Practice Tips

I spent many years burning loads of patterns into my muscle memory.

one day I noticed how bored I was with my playing...everything seemed predicatable...and, to me, it was ...as predictable to me as what foot goes next after my right foot when I walk.

...other folks didnt notice a thing...even found it highly original...but I was caught in predetermined patterns with variation as the the minor pressure valve.

I spent alot of time training myself out of it...and had a real explosion of creativity around it that sustained afterward as I no longer rely on muscle memory patterning.

To break out, i dedicated several months to constantly STOPPING right when i felt i was being pendantic...and restarting just before I started into that patterning...and going a direction I did not recognize and was not fully comfortable with...this could be complex or basic...overriding a different time feel on the way out of a song to playing straight money beat where I was heading a wordy way.

Played havock with my timing...but got me to a place where I can alter anything that feels stale as its being planned...on the fly....seems that I now seek that 'feeling of unfamiliarity' when I approach something instead of a 'feeling of comfort'...while trying to maximize comfort within the unfamiliar path.

...might not be that useful for folks unless they have reached a place, like i did, where their playing is starting to feel stale and your playing issues are not related to 'facility' on the set.
 
When I get home I'll have to pay attention to this. I fail in pretty well every aspect of practice ... nearly all of it's been playing songs or noodling. Before going on hols the one thing I did right was play every day.
 
I spent many years burning loads of patterns into my muscle memory.

one day I noticed how bored I was with my playing...everything seemed predicatable...and, to me, it was ...as predictable to me as what foot goes next after my right foot when I walk.

...other folks didnt notice a thing...even found it highly original...but I was caught in predetermined patterns with variation as the the minor pressure valve.

I spent alot of time training myself out of it...and had a real explosion of creativity around it that sustained afterward as I no longer rely on muscle memory patterning.

To break out, i dedicated several months to constantly STOPPING right when i felt i was being pendantic...and restarting just before I started into that patterning...and going a direction I did not recognize and was not fully comfortable with...this could be complex or basic...overriding a different time feel on the way out of a song to playing straight money beat where I was heading a wordy way.

Played havock with my timing...but got me to a place where I can alter anything that feels stale as its being planned...on the fly....seems that I now seek that 'feeling of unfamiliarity' when I approach something instead of a 'feeling of comfort'...while trying to maximize comfort within the unfamiliar path.

...might not be that useful for folks unless they have reached a place, like i did, where their playing is starting to feel stale and your playing issues are not related to 'facility' on the set.

Won't good rudiment training and learning jazz, latin, funk,reggae styles/patterns help against this? If you burn in all those styles rudiments etc you still think it's stale even though you got loads of options where you can go in the middle of song if it's called for. I'm just a beginner ( 2-3 years) but I unlearn habits all the time when I learn new styles and it loosens up my play a lot. New breed and future sounds must help a lot against this as well?
 
The perception of self is an interesting thing.

How do we grow beyond what we are?

I think the first step is to critically observe yourself...preferably via a recording of your playing.

While facility with a large number of genres can give you many tools, the resulting music may walk over ground trodden to bare earth.

Originality is a wonderful spice that can be cultivated...not just left to chance. (to borrow a peart-ism)

I think that developing a sense of how familiar you are with your course of drumming on the fly and being able to navigate into where you do not fully intend gives a breadth to your playing....Something pure knowledge of varied genre and technique will not impart.

its a strange sensation...to seek unfamiliarity...to seek less control over your playing...but very fruitful if your control becomes stifiling.

Being comfortable just on the verge of crashing is where I conciously plant myself....and how I recover tends to be beautiful....like patterns etched on particle accelerator collision sensor plates...revealing new bits I never knew were there...far beyond but integral to myself.
 
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