What have you realized you need to work on

konaboy

Pioneer Member
I've found that doing fast licks, runs down the toms and triplets between my hands and foot that I always lead those left handed much more comfortably. The triplets especially, left handed I can get that nice "double" bass sound, right handed not so much. I can play faster leading with the left. Need to start working on leading with the right hand.
 
Actually sitting down and playing. I've found it can be all too easy to sit and read or think about drums and drumming without actually sitting there and practising. You finally go to play something you thought you knew and it feels utterly alien. Time spent with you mind on drumming can't replace the motor function.
 
My creation and expression of "the pocket".
 
Somewhat recently, flams. I was trying to play a flam tap riff and my stick heights were all kinds of off.

More recently though, just last night in fact, I was jamming with a friend that teaches drum line to High School students and he caught a weakness in my doubles that comes out pretty bad at higher speeds. Back to the woodshed!

Also I noticed that I tend to lean around a bit when I'm having fun playing. I wouldn't call it bad technique, it just looks weird.
 
Actually sitting down and playing. I've found it can be all too easy to sit and read or think about drums and drumming without actually sitting there and practising. You finally go to play something you thought you knew and it feels utterly alien. Time spent with you mind on drumming can't replace the motor function.

I agree with you. There are so many times I sit down and start playing expecting to immediately play that beat I had in my head all day and I fail miserably.

Also I need to work on my rudiments.
 
I need to work on building and maintaining endurance. The older I've gotten, the less time for playing/practicing. I think a 3 hr. gig would probably kill me right now.

Aside from any actual songs/charts to learn at this time, I need to work on my double bass pedal abilities and learning some new grooves.
 
I'll go out on a limb here and state that I'm fairly happy with my playing. It feels strange saying that. My solos can always use improvement. But I'm fairly happy with the skillset I have. I couldn't jump into a jazz or big band gig cold...at all....but frankly that doesn't interest me. The music that does interest me....I can pull most of it off at an acceptable level.

To me it's more important to be a drummer that people enjoy listening to, and musicians prefer playing with, than for me to be able to pull of some wicked lick. Wicked licks aren't even on my list of things that are important.

If I never made any more progress, I would have all the skills I need for the gig I have. Of course, I am always trying to make progress. Headroom is a wonderful thing.

My gigs only use maybe 25% of the skills I have. I have a much harder time in the practice room than on stage.

Transpose it to driving an automobile. I'm good enough to get me from point A to B without making a mess.

Of course we are supposed to say how bad we suck, so we don't get a big head and all complacent. But I feel fairly good about what I can bring to the table when it comes to drumming. I focus on what I want to focus on, and don't bother with what doesn't appeal to me.

Of all the things I know how to do, I feel I can play drums....with other musicians anyway.... better than I do anything else. And everything can improve. But right now, I'm already in possession of everything I need (not want) to do my job. So there's no real pressure, and I can work on what I feel like working on. I don't tie my self worth to my drumming skills.
 
I need to work on my ghost notes; the ones I do on the snare drum.
I need to stop ghosting so much. Some songs sound OK with ghost notes.
But some songs sound bad with ghost notes. It can sound too busy.
Sometimes I only need a simple backbeat and it is very hard to turn off the ghost notes.
It's like my left hand gets bored just hitting the 2 and 4. I have to concentrate hard to hit a straight 2 and 4.
CUT OUT THE JAZZ PLAYING ALREADY !!!!!


.
 
I'll go out on a limb here and state that I'm fairly happy with my playing. It feels strange saying that. My solos can always use improvement. But I'm fairly happy with the skillset I have. I couldn't jump into a jazz or big band gig cold...at all....but frankly that doesn't interest me. The music that does interest me....I can pull most of it off at an acceptable level.

To me it's more important to be a drummer that people enjoy listening to, and musicians prefer playing with, than for me to be able to pull of some wicked lick. Wicked licks aren't even on my list of things that are important.

If I never made any more progress, I would have all the skills I need for the gig I have. Of course, I am always trying to make progress. Headroom is a wonderful thing.

My gigs only use maybe 25% of the skills I have. I have a much harder time in the practice room than on stage.

Transpose it to driving an automobile. I'm good enough to get me from point A to B without making a mess.

Of course we are supposed to say how bad we suck, so we don't get a big head and all complacent. But I feel fairly good about what I can bring to the table when it comes to drumming. I focus on what I want to focus on, and don't bother with what doesn't appeal to me.

Of all the things I know how to do, I feel I can play drums....with other musicians anyway.... better than I do anything else. And everything can improve. But right now, I'm already in possession of everything I need (not want) to do my job. So there's no real pressure, and I can work on what I feel like working on. I don't tie my self worth to my drumming skills.

I'm about the same, to be honest. I've only realized this fairly recently. Most of the stuff I do on the bandstand is almost automatic.

The stuff I practice on my own is what I have the most trouble with. A lot of that, I have come to realize, is stuff I would probably never use on a gig. At least not the gigs I currently play.

With that said, my most gig-specific stuff that I focus on is getting around the kit fast and clean, playing a fast Samba, and I would like to be able to lay singles faster...headroom, as you said. And I am working on just laying on a groove since I don't really get to do that too often.

Case in point, my blues band recently had a friend of the band sit in with us. We played Freddie King's "Goin' Down". I only had a few hours of warning, so I charted out the groove for the song and just tried to sit on it and make it feel good. When you're playing mostly shuffles, slow 12/8, or on a jazz gig, it's easy to forget how to difficult it is to just play a straight rock-ish groove sometimes.

I must have done alright because everyone seemed to love it. My recording from that night sounds a bit...meh...to me. Oh well...
 
I'm about the same, to be honest. I've only realized this fairly recently. Most of the stuff I do on the bandstand is almost automatic.

The stuff I practice on my own is what I have the most trouble with. A lot of that, I have come to realize, is stuff I would probably never use on a gig. At least not the gigs I currently play.

...headroom, as you said....

Case in point.... it's easy to forget how to difficult it is to just play a straight rock-ish groove sometimes.

...

Bandstand/automatic, agreed. It's easy, fun and very satisfying. I stick with what I know how to do, and just be the best team player I can.

The stuff I practice at home...most of it is to stretch my capabilities, take me out of my comfort zone, and isn't usually something I can whip out on my gigs. Some stuff like linear trips I can use on endings. But flam paradiddles? I'm not that drummy. I like space and groove, and most of all musically complimentary parts to what the others are doing.

But practicing stuff I can't use gigging does increase my headroom, which still translates over to my playing as ease of effort. Endings are pretty much the only place I can do anything that I consider drummy. I get off a hundred times more when the crowd is having a great time than if I pull off something drummy.

My priority is for the greater good of the people that are there, over my individual performance. That's something I can't practice alone....I have to be at a gig with an audience for that.

And "Goin Down" is a burner. Love love love that song. Freddy King was right up there with Willie Dixon in the songwriting department. What a voice he had too. He's in my top 5 list of greatest bluesmen ever.
 
I echo what Larry says. I practice a lot of stuff I hardly use. Most of the things I play aren't all that difficult, which is fine: my attention needs to be focused on the other players and complementing what they're playing, following the band leaders cues, and adding little nuances.

That being said, I'm primarily trying to increase my vocabulary with pedal work, linear fills, and polyrhythmic grooves.
 
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