Do you ever hate your own drumming?

veecharlie said:
I'm going to respect his privacy.. if you are dutch, you probably know him.
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I´m not dutch, i know a good number of dutch drummers but no Richie, anyway, in Holland there are tons of good drummers that i don´t know, where are you from?

Best!
 
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Alex you're a very good drummer. I know you have confidence in your skills, decades effort, lots of great teachers, but I know you still practice and strive for perfection-NO? There is no end point that you just sit on your accolades right? I think you can categorize yourself for sure-begginer, intermediate, pro and various degrees of success for the last. But I don't get it's a competition from all my reading and experience with other drummers. Like an interview with Mike Clark talking about going to see Tony Williams. You could tell he had immense respect and when Tony asked him to play he started playing emulating Tony who quickly stopped him telling him I don't want to hear that I want to hear you play! A mutual respect and Tony was seeking some ideas apparently, then to Mike stated they generally didn't talk drums-apparently Buddy Rich the same way. I like that attitude-mutual respect for great players, professional, don't fall for your own PR you become egocentric-keep a level head, and just enjoy being friends. Musicians are an eclectic bunch but boring isn't one of the traits-fun to hang with. Why I like DW so much.
 
GetAgrippa said:
Alex you're a very good drummer. I know you have confidence in your skills, decades effort, lots of great teachers, but I know you still practice and strive for perfection-NO? ...
...
Like an interview with Mike Clark talking about going to see Tony Williams.
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Dear GetAgrippa,

Thank you for your message, I´m sorry I didn¨t undertand fully it, wasn¨t sure if you were asking me something or afirming something.

If your question is if I study everyday, I do, and MANY hours...I have been playing 48 years now, always been a drummer and NEVER did any other job. International clinics since year 1980.

I´m striving for being better everyday, to know more, to expand my vocabulary, etc.

Other than that I´m not sure if I have answered you or not...

Oh, by the way, I also took some lessons with Tony Williams in 1987, and if you are curious how I was playing back then, 32 years ago, here you can see:


Best regards!
 
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Alex Sanguinetti said:
Dear GetAgrippa,

Thank you for your message, I´m sorry I didn¨t undertand fully it, wasn¨t sure if you were asking me something or afirming something.

If your question is if I study everyday, I do, and MANY hours...I have been playing 48 years now, always been a drummer and NEVER did any other job. International clinics since year 1980.

I´m striving for being better everyday, to know more, to expand my vocabulary, etc.

Other than that I´m not sure if I have answered you or not...

Oh, by the way, I also took some lessons with Tony Williams in 1987, and if you are curious how I was playing back then, 32 years ago, here you can see:


Best regards!
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LOL yeah I'm a terrible communicator at times I was asking for affirming of my thoughts. That's exactly the answer I was expecting Alex-you affirm my assumptions that you so much for your answer. Despite teaching and playing, you also are practicing (which I'm sure Tony Williams did to). You get as good as you give-you can tell the players who've studied, keep honing their skills and craft even to old, old age players. It's never ending. I only figured that out not too long ago-for a suppose smart fella I sure am an idiot at times. You still have the passion and joy you started with to-and as a teacher that is really wonderful because it is often contagious and your students get excited to. Thanks again for your contribution here and to your passion for music and drumming. Art
 
GetAgrippa said:
LOL yeah I'm a terrible communicator at times I was asking for affirming of my thoughts. That's exactly the answer I was expecting Alex-you affirm my assumptions that you so much for your answer. Despite teaching and playing, you also are practicing (which I'm sure Tony Williams did to). You get as good as you give-you can tell the players who've studied, keep honing their skills and craft even to old, old age players. It's never ending. I only figured that out not too long ago-for a suppose smart fella I sure am an idiot at times. You still have the passion and joy you started with to-and as a teacher that is really wonderful because it is often contagious and your students get excited to. Thanks again for your contribution here and to your passion for music and drumming. Art
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I haven¨t the magazine with me, but remember reading at Modern Drummer´s first interview (from the 70´s) to Tony Williams that for years he would just wake up and stay all day practicing in his pijamas, for 8 hours. I´m very much like that too only that I don´t wear pijamas!

They did an article around 1984 on the main newspaper in Argentina, centered about that aspect of me:
 

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Here it is:

From Modern Drummer first interview to Tony Williams:

"When I was practicing every day, I was doing nothing else but that. I'd get up in the morning and not even bother getting dressed. I'd just move to the drums in my pajamas. I would be playing on the pad while I watched TV, and I'd go over another drummer's house and play with him. All drumming - all day..."
 
I'm my worse critic. It's not what I play or don't play, It's tempo. The last Halloween gig video I did notice an improvement after playing some time with Live BPM. Although the biggest problem I notice is playing slightly behind the beat on the snare at times. If I'm conscious of playing on top of the beat and don't become lazy, it's fine. Some are a natural at tempo, I have to work at it. I play very well to a click though.
 
All the time. It's what motivates me always strive to play better. There's always something I can improve.
 
veecharlie said:
Hey guys,
So I am starting to get on the practice kit after 4 months without really practicing.. I feel tense and feel like half of the stuff that I have been building up the past months I have to re work it again. In anyways... I get really demotivated, it's being some kind of difficult time where I do not like the fills I do, neither the grooves I throw. It's always the same, always the same struggles, always the same mistakes.

Just for the clarity, I play drums over 10 years, lately my drum teacher advised me and gave me tons of new stick patterns to memorize and try out, but so far I'm not succeeding to make the breakthrough.

What's your take, what did you do when you was in such a situation?
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It's been different things at different times over the years but lately its about putting on some Blakey or Morello and just keeping time with the tunes through the headphones. I try not to tackle too much when the creativity is not there.
 
That's the task, isn't it?

Staying Motivated when you don't feel it.

Exercising your will not only gives returns in moving through de-motivation but it will increase your ability to hold complex 'objects' in your attention.
 
I think everyone feels that way. Sometimes it seems like the better/more experienced I get at drumming, the more I notice my shortcomings or feel like my drumming isn’t all that good. Sometimes though, I’ll hear a recording of myself playing with my band and I’ll think it sounds good. But then I go see some other drummer, usually guys who have been playing 10x as long as I have and went to college for drumming, and then I think, why am I even doing this?

For me though, it’s never ever made me want to stop playing. Any time I’ve ever started to feel burned out from drumming, I just keep playing until I don’t feel that way anymore. It usually doesn’t take long.
 
You know what ? I suck period. I’m forever frustrated at everything I do. I’ve just return to drumming after almost 10 years. I’m using a practice pad because I cannot set up my kit where I’m living. Talk about rusty , it’ll take 6 months of hard work to get back to just suckin. That’s ok because I love playing. That’s what keeps me playing through the really frustrationg periods. So I try to switch it up a bit and keep going. I just love the drums.
 
I've only messed up playing in gymnasiums - due to the acoustics. I can't remember ever doing bad in drums except then.
 
larryace said:
Drumming should be a source of joy, not a source of misery. It's our choice.
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So true. My first drum teacher made it a source of misery for me when I was 12 or 13. I just wanted to play, learn and have fun doing it. He wanted to find the next Buddy Rich among all of his students and was clearly frustrated when none of us were buddy. I quit lessons for a long time because it wasn’t fun being mentally bludgeoned by a teacher. It made me overly critical and focused on what I couldn’t do instead of enjoying what I could do. Sounds like VeeCharlie has a great teacher which is awesome.

For me it’s a hobby and outlet that I enjoy as much as when I was a kid. I enjoy challenging myself and learning new things and surprising myself with breakthroughs. When I get frustrated, i might take a break or do something simple like take a practice pad and move to a different space for change of vibe.
 
Frustration occasionally rears its ugly head. Spend a few sessions just having fun...bang away...play along to some tunes. Smile. Then pull something new out to practice or revisit some past studies. Another way to break through a slump is taking some rudiments and play them around the kit in some new ways.. always a mind-opener for me.
 
I can pick out something on every album I have done that I don't like. Either I don't like my playing, groove, or choices I made of grooves and fills. To everyone else it sounds perfectly fine.
I am the same when I record a show. If I went and recorded a groove right now I'd hate it if I played it back. I'm LOOKING for things to pick apart in my playing it seems but I use it to motivate myself to get better. We are our own worst critics forsure. No one else notices the little things about my playing I do, but you are not alone.
 
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