jazzerooty
Junior Member
I refused to learn to read or take lessons when I was a kid. I taught myself via two methods. One, was sitting and playing the drums, working out the beats
from the latest Rascals Album. I spent a lot of time with James Brown's "Cold Sweat." When Cream and Hendrix busted out, I aped every song I could. In my first band, we covered James Brown, Junior Walker, all of Motown, and later, Blood Sweat and Tears. The other method was to just noodle on my drum kit. Trying out shit. I didn't know what a paradiddle was. But I played Cream's "Toad" while a senior in high school. I took lessons, learned reading in my 20s. I still practice from books. But I've mostly returned to my routines as a kid. I mess around on the drums. I attempt stupid moves. I throw caution to the wind and may slow down for a certain passage, speed for others. A few days prior to a gig, I play along with records and even improvise with a metronome. Butt most of my practice now consists of exploration, improvisation. I think every drummer needs to explore this aspect.
from the latest Rascals Album. I spent a lot of time with James Brown's "Cold Sweat." When Cream and Hendrix busted out, I aped every song I could. In my first band, we covered James Brown, Junior Walker, all of Motown, and later, Blood Sweat and Tears. The other method was to just noodle on my drum kit. Trying out shit. I didn't know what a paradiddle was. But I played Cream's "Toad" while a senior in high school. I took lessons, learned reading in my 20s. I still practice from books. But I've mostly returned to my routines as a kid. I mess around on the drums. I attempt stupid moves. I throw caution to the wind and may slow down for a certain passage, speed for others. A few days prior to a gig, I play along with records and even improvise with a metronome. Butt most of my practice now consists of exploration, improvisation. I think every drummer needs to explore this aspect.