Could use some help...

[Julián Fernández]

Here´s the thing guys... I´ve decided to make a commitment with practicing 30 hours/week (not counting students, rehearsals or shows).

I just finished my degree in Jazz performance, and many variables aligned to make this possible... I feel that this will make a profound change in my person, my playing and my whole perception of drums and music.
For many years, the 6 or 8 hours a day routine was kind of daunting for me... I wasn´t even sure how to approach it and the whole process seemed obscure and intriguing.

I´m ready to start the journey, and I wanna document it... And here´s where I could use some help:

I thinking about a P90x kind of thing... Starting a blog, posting some vids of my playing before starting this experiment, and make weekly updates, showing how progress is happening (if happening at all! haha)

btw, I play everyday and I gig almost every week. I get the "play with people" thing and that´s already taken care of.

So, how do you think it would cool to approach this? I was thinking about posting a couple play alongs (in different styles) and a couple of time playing examples as a starting point.

I´m starting on April 1st, so advice/tips/ideas are welcome...

Cheers!

[electrizer]

Set goals and show how you achieve them!

As I've done the majority of my drum learning myself (the only real tutoring I've done was with percusski, from around here - KUDOS Nick!) I've been interested in the self-discovery journey, so the process of realising WHAT you want to achieve, as well as HOW you achieve/practice it.

Whenever I took a lesson or practiced alone it was always fascinating to discover methods of practicing that suit you or acquire certain tips you can pass on down the line which allow you to practice efficiently, acquiring good technique and execution.

It's a process that you want to document for us but it's YOUR process, so yeah... Goals...

As for the form - I'd think video beats reading hands down.

Good luck!

[chris perra]

Wow.. That's commendable.. Why do you want to practice 30 hours a week? On top of everything else?

If you are going to do it I guess the best plan is to have a goal(s) at the end of the road.. Try and make your practice fit your goals..

In the sense that practicing for the sake of practicing will make you a better player regardless but focusing on what you want skill or knowledge wise ahead of time will make the stuff you practice more useful in the immediate future.

Come up with stuff that you want to accomplish that you need certain skills you need enhanced.. Like I want to record a death metal album or latin album ect..

Another way to approach it is to make a list of the things that you can and can't do..

Make it a big list..

Find the the thing you suck at the most and practice that first. Everyday.. Once you get that happening move through the list till your awesome at everything.

Try and record yourself as much as possible.

Get Dave DiCensos book work through that and then apply the methods to everything else..

30 hours a week.... wow..

Good luck..

[Julián Fernández]

I hear you, guys...

The real goal, to me, is to stick to the plan. I know it´s gonna be frustrating at times, but it needs to be done. Even if it´s just for the sake of ruling out the chance of thinking "What could have been if...".
I´m already practicing everyday and found that for me, it works better if I´m playing the same stuff (odd times, up tempo swing, whatever) every single. So, there won´t be a day of Latin, a day of pad work...
It´s gonna be a repetition game.

I also know that the process is gonna my change my whole perception, so I´m open to change directions after a couple of weeks (as what to practice, or what kind of changes are need).

So yes, 6 hours a day for 6 months. Exciting and scary at the same time.

My english is not that good, so not sure about the video (aside from the playing clips), but we´ll see... Already have my Zoom Q2HD ready for some action!

btw, I need to check out Dave´s books... Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[Jim Richman]

You have a degree in jazz performance. You should have enough chops/licks by now. I suggest learning SONGS. If you do all this repetition, you will just sound like a wind up monkey. Playing stuff you have practiced to no end and putting it in some music. Hopefully the song works with your beats, right? Best to play basically basic beats and make it feel good.

What about forgetting everything you learned on the drums and just PLAY???

If you have timing issues, they get better in time. Best thing to do about time is to record yourself with a song and a click, over and over. Listening to each take, taking mental notes of what sounds good. As many songs as possible. Put a CD on and try to dissappear in the track.

Practicing paradiddles is a waste of time.

Get your piano chops together. If you plan on spending that much time, you could switch to piano and make your own gig.

[Paul Marangoni]

I don't subscribe to the "share your personal journey" mindset. Doing something as intense as practicing drums every day for that length of time is your personal choice and isn't really anyone else's business. I'm sure you'll come out the other side with improved technique, but that won't necessarily translate into being a better and more employable musician, unless your goal is to be a YouTube monster I guess.

The world is a different place now, and gigs are few and far between. You say you're already gigging regularly, so that much is on track. You obviously have an outlet to express the things that you'll be practicing and developing, so this could work out very well for you. If you have the luxury of devoting the time to do it, go for it, but don't be afraid to change plans if you find it stagnating or overly repetitive. Try to be aware of your progress. The people you play with will tell you if your playing is improving. If no one notices anything after a month or two, you'll want to modify your routine.

Good luck, and enjoy the process. It shouldn't be a chore.

[langmick]

I agree with Jim. There is so much to dig into with music as a whole rather than drums. I had that feeling watching Gregg Allman's show the other day, the music floored me, the drums were so solid and inside the music it gave me chills.

How does that work exactly?

I feel the most important thing about playing drums is holding the stick, beyond patterns. It is how you get your sound, that being what you sound like when playing 2 and 4, how powerful or not the drums are. There is a wealth of study there IMO.

If you want to log, us e FB. Make a page, share. It will help you also get your name out there, if you're looking to do so. Don't waste your time blogging somewhere, make it work for you. Put a project plan or spreadsheet together with dates and milestones. If you have a revelation, make a post throw it out there.

[Matthijs Ament]

Some thoughts: the brain will peak in learning ability for about 45 minutes, after that time it will work of course but it will be less effective in learning. The brain will not get tired as we feel fatigue but it will get bored after a certain amount of time. So it could be more effective to cut the 6 hours into 8 sessions of 45 mins. Transcribing excellent music is at least as effective in mastering the instrument as playing by yourself is. If you would transcribe and learn just one solo from Charlie Parker there is enough material for a long while. The same with just one Vinnie solo. The further away you are from your comfort zone, the more there is to gain and find out about your weak spots. Getting your technique/rudiments/coordination into high speed will also make you think faster. New Breed is awesome and often overlooked, especially the vocalizing part of it. Chester was a genius, his books provide for many years of earnest practice.

Good luck!

[bensdrums]

You have a degree in jazz performance. You should have enough chops/licks by now. I suggest learning SONGS. If you do all this repetition, you will just sound like a wind up monkey. Playing stuff you have practiced to no end and putting it in some music. Hopefully the song works with your beats, right? Best to play basically basic beats and make it feel good.

What about forgetting everything you learned on the drums and just PLAY???

If you have timing issues, they get better in time. Best thing to do about time is to record yourself with a song and a click, over and over. Listening to each take, taking mental notes of what sounds good. As many songs as possible. Put a CD on and try to dissappear in the track.

Practicing paradiddles is a waste of time.

Get your piano chops together. If you plan on spending that much time, you could switch to piano and make your own gig.

This is advice I wish I would have had long ago.

[Odd-Arne Oseberg]

This is sort of what I'm doing at the moment.

My routine clearly changes over time. Pure technical stuff becomes a very small part of my routine and less at it progresses. I do some extra work with the feet as my double bass and hi-hat abilities are way behind many other things. I take care of the left foot simply by doing ostinato work and putting my focus mainly there, even not using my right hand for a while if that's what's needed. Basically I group my ostinato practice into what my left foot is doing.

The rest of my routine is stylistically based. I just start out with something simple and add stuff in a way where it's truly accessible. e.g. practice in a way and a context like it would actually be used in a song; keeping time, filling and soloing.

Generally, as a musician and listener I've always found that too simple things can get stale, but full on chopping out is even worse, so I want to be able to be creative in that area in between, which just means taking it slowly, having full control and practicing all elements of making music all at once. Not necessarily to sound rehearsed, but be relaxed and comfortable enough for those little cool things to flourish.