10 months into my comeback, and...

JimmyM

Diamond Member
...I really dislike how incremental my progress has become. Sure, you have to expect it once you get to a certain point, but I loved that feeling in the early days of my comeback when I was noticeably improving on a day to day basis. And you can't imagine the joy I felt when I, someone who never played double bass pedals in his life, actually developed a degree of competency within a couple months. I got good again quickly, and for the first few months, every day there was something I couldn't play that I was able to work out and play the next day, except for the kick in Good Times Bad Times...but I finally got it nailed over the last week.

And now it's all gone to hell. Breaking the Bonham Barrier seems to have angered my drums. They mock me now. They say, "So you think you're so damn cool now, eh Jim? Well try to do double strokes as smooth as Buddy or play Don't Stop Believin' without cheat beats." That's the thanks I get for turning that crappy collection of orphans nobody wanted into a beautiful one of a kind collector's kit :D

On the other hand, I shouldn't object to playing competently again. Getting to this point was the 1-year goal, and I'm two months to the good. But now I'm going to have to work a lot harder to improve. That kind of sucks. But hey, I guess there are worse punishments than playing drums, although drums never seem to want to make it easy for you at any step of the process.
 
I have practice sessions that really beat me up and make me depressed. I try not to measure success on a single session, rather how I'm going on average. I think it's gotta be the drummers that work through the frustrating periods that win in the end.
 
...I really dislike how incremental my progress has become.
This is better than trying to digest everything at once. Imagine if you woke up and had the facilities to play whatever you wanted on command. What do you play?

That's the thanks I get for turning that crappy collection of orphans nobody wanted into a beautiful one of a kind collector's kit :D
Your drums are talking to you, that's a good thing. They arent mocking you, they are challenging you to do the work. You brought them to life Gippetto, now you gotta deal with them lol. You built a real boy!
 
This is better than trying to digest everything at once. Imagine if you woke up and had the facilities to play whatever you wanted on command. What do you play?
Honestly, probably not Don’t Stop Believin’. At least not unless money was involved.
Your drums are talking to you, that's a good thing. They arent mocking you, they are challenging you to do the work. You brought them to life Gippetto, now you gotta deal with them lol. You built a real boy!
It appears so. Won’t make that mistake again ;)
 
Honestly, probably not Don’t Stop Believin’. At least not unless money was involved.
I get that. My point is thought, you would still have to figure out how to use that instant knowledge. So I dont think one would play anything differently at first.

Like if all of a sudden I had every tool known to man at my disposal, I'd probably still only build bird houses and furniture at first because that's what I know. Musical instruments would come later after some learning.
 
I have been playing or 40+ years..and still have evolving goals.....and that is just it. It is always an evolution. Sometimes it goes fast....some times there are plateaus. I look at plateau periods as time to have fun and revel in what I have achieved. That is when I will replay that song over and over that I used to not be able to do. Plateaus are - to me - sort of a "reward" period b/c I don't have to think and analyze. I can just play for fun...

also, during these lulls, I usually find out what I need to work on next
 
Similarly, when I practice for hours and hours in a day, productivity drops off to the point it feels counter productive.
 
Breaking the Bonham Barrier seems to have angered my drums. They mock me now. They say, "So you think you're so damn cool now, eh Jim? Well try to do double strokes as smooth as Buddy or play Don't Stop Believin' without cheat beats." That's the thanks I get for turning that crappy collection of orphans nobody wanted into a beautiful one of a kind collector's kit :D
I'm glad I'm not the only one my drums mock. Even after extensive restoration, mine give me the stink eye with each new accessory or practice session. :ROFLMAO:
I try not to measure success on a single session, rather how I'm going on average. I think it's gotta be the drummers that work through the frustrating periods that win in the end.
100%. Only I can put in the work and will get out only what I put in. It's the drive that keeps me sitting back down at the kit.
 
Progress depends on what kind of foundation you have to work with - reading and studying out of books, proper technique, knowledge of styles. Reading skills help you catalog grooves into your mind/toolkit. Technique helps you execute your ideas from those grooves.

If you aren't reading, you aren't coming up with enough interesting grooves and fills to make what you're playing satisfactory to you and the people listening. You can practice technique all day long, and practice rudiments all day long, but if you can't apply those skills to different genres of music then it's all useless.
 
I kinda had a similar experience when I started learning guitar as an older adult. I learned really quickly in the first few weeks and months. (I remember jokingly thinking, dang, I should have played guitar all along - I could have been the next Hendrix! Lol)

And now, I'm only a tiny bit more proficient than I was after that first few months...
 
But hey, I guess there are worse punishments than playing drums, although drums never seem to want to make it easy for you at any step of the process.
Play to this Song; may rekindle some interest : )


then this one:


spark interest
I'll check in on your progress ; ) later Jimmy!

Drums are challenging only to the uninspired!
Ya gotta want want want X 10
...every day!
 
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Play to this Song; may rekindle some interest : )


then this one:


spark interest
I'll check in on your progress ; ) later Jimmy!

Drums are challenging only to the uninspired!
Ya gotta want want want X 10
...every day!
I already knew Crosstown Traffic, but I haven’t tried to play Nothing Is Easy since I was a kid. Phew! Clive Bunker is a madman. I have the beat and breaks, but it’s all the little extra stuff that he throws in that lets you know that he’s no ordinary drummer.
 
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...I really dislike how incremental my progress has become. Sure, you have to expect it once you get to a certain point, but I loved that feeling in the early days of my comeback when I was noticeably improving on a day to day basis. And you can't imagine the joy I felt when I, someone who never played double bass pedals in his life, actually developed a degree of competency within a couple months. I got good again quickly, and for the first few months, every day there was something I couldn't play that I was able to work out and play the next day, except for the kick in Good Times Bad Times...but I finally got it nailed over the last week.

And now it's all gone to hell. Breaking the Bonham Barrier seems to have angered my drums. They mock me now. They say, "So you think you're so damn cool now, eh Jim? Well try to do double strokes as smooth as Buddy or play Don't Stop Believin' without cheat beats." That's the thanks I get for turning that crappy collection of orphans nobody wanted into a beautiful one of a kind collector's kit :D

On the other hand, I shouldn't object to playing competently again. Getting to this point was the 1-year goal, and I'm two months to the good. But now I'm going to have to work a lot harder to improve. That kind of sucks. But hey, I guess there are worse punishments than playing drums, although drums never seem to want to make it easy for you at any step of the process.
Hang in there there Jimmy! You'll get there man!

I'm trying to get Led Zeppelin 's Immigrant Song kick pattern sustained at speed...and discovered I needed to walk three to six miles a day...and hike up mountains and so on. I'm getting there 😆 I'm very determined
 
Hang in there there Jimmy! You'll get there man!

I'm trying to get Led Zeppelin 's Immigrant Song kick pattern sustained at speed...and discovered I needed to walk three to six miles a day...and hike up mountains and so on. I'm getting there 😆 I'm very determined
Man, that’s so difficult to play smoothly but powerfully. But now it’s my new Bonham Barrier. Thx for the idea!
 
Wow..i clicked on a tab from YouTube with UFC Kabib Nergonmga something... which was a clip of him talking about the UFC having over 700 fighters but only a handful of champions. His response was that it was hard to be at that level and few put in the kind of gut wrenching effort to get there. It was his belief that the hard hard work is thee key. This thread reminds me of just how difficult things can be but you need to remain in the battle and it WILL come. The clip is by Khabib with the caption UFC is for very tough people..watch that clip..it applies here.
 
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Wow..i clicked on a tab from YouTube with UFC Kabib Nergonmga something... which was a clip of him talking about the UFC having over 700 fighters but only a handful of champions. His response was that it was hard to be at that level and few put in the kind of gut wrenching effort to get there. It was his belief that the hard hard work is thee key. This thread reminds me of just how difficult things can be but you need to remain in the battle and it WILL come. The clip is by Khabib with the caption UFC is for very tough people..watch that clip..it applies here.
Well you won’t be seeing gut wrenching effort from me but I may work up a sweat on a warm day.
 
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