Getting Yourself Out Of A Rut

[nomsgmusic]

Frank,
These are all great suggestions and I do a few of them as well, I 've delt with these questions with students a great deal, and with myself as well, I think we all have at different points.

Although I'll say that I think TRUE inspiration has to come from within. I'm sure there are certain external triggers that might inspire some creativity, but in general I'm not sure that relying on any "external" method books-drum videos-etc, REALLY provides TRUE inspiration. I could be wrong here (and I'm fine with that!) But let's not confuse inspiration from education. I will even go out on a limb and say that, I think that sometimes "traditional" education gets in the way of inspiration.

Music is in our hearts and in our souls, LOOOONG before it is in our brains, and I believe that music must inspire us to create or learn on our instruments. For all of us (I hope,) and throughout history, the joy of playing and listening to music came before learning and studying it. So I'll add a few musical suggestions that I lean on HEAVILY.

First, do some musical "self examination." By this I mean ask yourself some important musical questions to reconnect.
1. What does music REALLY mean to me?
2. What does music represent in my life?
3. What do I feel the roles of the drums within the music REALLY are?
4. How do I serve these musical roles within the music with my drumming?

Please excuse the "deepness" of these questions, but I really believe that creating "anything" is a pretty deep subject, and therefore dealing with the issues regarding lack of inspiration, creativity, or motivation, (being in a rut) is a deep subject.

To go along with question #1 and #2, find a dark room, a comfortable chair, and some headphones, and really reconnect with the music that defines the answer to these questions. It might be the music that first set you on your journey as a music lover, and then a musician. It could be anything, and only YOU know the answer to this question. And it might take some time to remember-reconnect to what it was.

There is another observation that goes along with questions #3 and #4. And that is that GREAT music doesn't NEED drumming. I know this might be hard for some drummers to wrap their minds around, but it's true. Go and find yourself some (what you consider to be) GREAT music that doesn't have any drumming (drum set) in it, and really find a connection with it. I (and others) could make some suggestions, but the music has to resonate with YOU!!!

As a "drumming aside," I do have quite a few drummers that I also hear as "musical sorbet." Musicians that wash away all of the "bad tastes" of musical excesses that (as musicians) we tend to obsess over. Not that this obsession is necessarily a bad thing, but it can often sidetrack us from our own muse (and the personal answers to questions #3 and #4.) Mine are Paul Motian, Levon Helm, Mino Cinelu, Big Sid Catlett, Glen Kotche, Bill Maxwell, Terry Clarke, Ringo, Matt Camberlain, and Keltner.

To go along with Steve's suggestion about other instrumentalists (and really getting inside, up close, and intimate, with a specific recording (I wrote an article for MD years ago called "Creative Listening" (???) that deals with this.) Find some solos or melodies from some other instruments (or songwriters) that inspire you to play (interpret) them on the drums. Sing along with them first. Really internalize them. Then try and play them on the drums. The ones that I have always leaned upon are Wayne Shorter, Peter Gabriel, Jackie McLean, Joni Mitchell, Lukather, Bobby Hutcherson, Bird, and Jaco. You can even get transcription books (The Omnibook for Bird solos) and skip the "transcribing process," if that seems beyond your skills (right now.)

Lastly, I'll suggest Kenny Werner's "Effortless Mastery." I studied with Kenny in college, and occasionally still go back for lessons. His book really cuts to the chase of the issue that you mention, and many others, including the ones that I mentioned here. It is an indispensable book for ALL musicians on "the path" to where ever the music leads us.

Actually, there are two other books that I read the TEXT of quite often. (The notes are very good in these two books as well, but the written text deals more with your present question.) They are Bob Moses' "Drum Wisdom," and Airto's "The Spirit Of Percussion."

Good luck, and let us know how you do,
Mark

[Pocketplayer]

Interesting topic...maybe with overtones of information overload.
Imagine a world where you can magically press a button and get any
album recording you ever wanted? That same magical button will
produce a movie from any era into your home. Dream come true?
Maybe at first, then there is a stagnation process because it comes
too easily. There is no work for it. With no effort or work, there
is appreciation loss. Rather than focus on one band for months, we
tend to gloss over many bands or recordings and never absorb deeply
into any one of them. Now imagine you were born in 1990 and this
magic world is normal or all you know...for you there is no magic...
it is known or experienced reality.

Not sure how this relates to your inner state Frank...but I changed all my
living room furniture around yesterday...rumbled the cage some.

[Rodge]

Yeah Pocket, so much information, it's too much, it kills the creativity...

Anyway, I have the chance to play so many different styles of music with so many different musicians, I have to change my brain all the time, it's always refreshing and I love it !!!

[timmy]

man ,thank yoou for these precises answer , i ll look forward to it ....

[Rhythmatist]

I'm a bit of a guitar geek so I will sometimes just get away from the kit and hit the Strat or Ibanez for a while. I'll practice a little technique but mainly compose. Good or bad, I try to just get some different juices going. Exploring some different harmonic and melodic things does wonders for my drumming when I get back to it.

[Pocketplayer]

Good point Rhythmist...I do the same on piano...go into my George Winston mode and just feel the keys.

How ya doing on all this stellar advice Frank?

Reality TV helps...
Storage Wars --cool episode with Stewart Copeland
Pawn Stars
Deadliest Catch
Dog the Bounty Hunter
Dual Survivor
Survivorman
How it's made
Undercover Boss
American Restoration
Shark Tank
Moonshiners
Dogs 101

[bclarkio]

When I was studying art in school, learning a little about the lives of famous artists, I began to think that the way they lived their lives and perceived the world, the depth of their sensitivity and emotion was really what their art was.

The works that they produced were really just by-products of that, snapshots in time of moments of deep experience and expression.



I came to believe that while not everyone had the deep compulsion, conviction or courage to spend their lives in such a manner, anyone could discover creative opportunities on a regular basis in everyday life.

Constantly cultivating creativity in as many things as possible keeps one from falling into a rut in the first place; there are always so many ideas forming that there is only enough time to pursue a very small percentage of them.

[Andy Vermiglio]

One thing that has been very effective in getting myself out of a musical rut has been to take a few lessons with some monster players. It's true that we should "trust our ears" but sometimes it's helfpul to bring in another set of ears that are at the master level.

I took some lessons from Weckl and Jeff Hamilton out here in southern California. Their perceptions of my playing were not identical to mine! This opened up the door for me to see my playing in a brighter and clearer light. Following their guidance has not only improved my playing and but also my enjoyment of playing.

I can't thank them enough!

[amoergosum]

[Pocketplayer]

Love the dude sleeping in background...

This was good!

"Inspiration and work ethic ride next to each other."