The email subject affords me more nuance than the YouTube Title field.
How to express a strongly held opinion - that drumming's about a lot more than just chops...and even a lot more than just how good your solos sound in the practice room...
...without coming across as a self-important douche.
Put yourself in this headspace: you know you've got a lot to work on. You're well-acquainted with your flaws.
Sometimes it's a struggle.
Sometimes you go weeks without feeling like you see any improvement.
But you're in the shed every day. Trying gamely.
Then, you flip open the laptop, and see some videos from people who obviously didn't even try.
Who, at the time of the video, weren't aware there was a bar, much less that effort was required to reach it.
I knew this week's lesson would be a tough one to pull off.
How to express that, flawed-though-I-am, my 20-some years of toil...
...of getting yelled at in percussion ensemble...
...of sweating through rough rehearsals and gigs, and festivals with jazz bands...
...of not-getting gigs, then, finally, of getting gigs...
...I've noticed a few things that bandleaders - and, indeed, audiences - appreciate from a drummer.
Things I thought were obvious.
Then you go on the internet, and realize they're not.
So, I've gotta make a video that makes it sound like I think I'm sitting above a whole echelon of musicians.
In Judgment.
Which I'm not.
And I've gotta call it something like "5 Ways Pros Can Tell a Good Drummer from a Bad One".
And I'm not impervious to these flaws, either. I run afoul of them all the time.
But, switching hats, some people don't even f@#$ing try😛
And a lot of the general public, it turns out, is not even aware these are a thing.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this week's lesson.
See you next week,
N