Getting Yourself Out Of A Rut

[Frank Sanchez]

Hey folks,

Do you ever get tired of your own musical voice? How do you change things up for yourself? How do you keep things fresh musically? Where (Beside here of course) do you go for new inspiration?

Thanks everyone!

[DSOP]

Where (Beside here of course) do you go for new inspiration?

http://www.spearmintrhino.com/

[sjj123]

Christ DSOP...it worked! I didn't think about drumming for one second during that

[DSOP]

All joking aside, with so much material available online or on DVD, I find it impossible to NOT be inspired. But, there were definitely periods when I was not into playing. I would suggest you just take a break for a week or two and see if you come back refreshed. Or, attend some sort of jazz camp, or that drum fantasy camp.

[Clint Hopkins]

I've gone back and read interviews with players I enjoy to try and find out what makes them tick. I've found that they all have a genuine love for R&B and Soul, so I've been checking some of that stuff out to tap that treasure trove of great music.

[cristaples]

I go back to old favourite albums that are not so drum oriented, then I read an old Vinnie interview from MD when he was on the Joan Rivers show, maybe the Todd interview that was a couple of years ago in MD and listen to one of the clinics being showcased in the threads this weekend....Then I'm back to creativity and working on something new.
I play in a rock covers band that sometimes gets a bit boring, I used to play in more creative outfits but there isn't anything around that floats my boat lately. I'm sure that'll come again though. So I try to keep my home practice as fresh as possible and have a list of stuff to work on and stick to it for 80% of my practice time so I make progress, and then 20% noodling to discover myself.

[Steve Holmes]

Pick an artist that's not a drummer that you really like and dig into a few recordings. I get tons of inspiration from Brecker, Pat Metheny, Branford Marsalis, etc. Pick one recording and study it maybe? There's a lot of tunes that I can sing entire sax, guitar, or piano solos (butcher them is more like it). Point being going beyond listening and really becoming intimate with it. It helps to really like the tunes obviously, otherwise I would get sick of it, but there's lot of stuff I never get sick of. Speak No Evil from Wayne Shorter. The piano comping on that recording blows my mind. You get so familiar with playing music that when you hear it you can picture the guys playing it, because you know it look right? SO I put on Nerfertiti and picture Tony playing that shit. So out!!! Crazy deep reactive drumming on there!
Dennis' groove being so rock fucking solid and better than most others. Why is that? Listen and analyze his habits. I keep mentioning BENT from Gary Willis, for me it's one of those recordings. Dennis is amazing on there, and the tunes and instrumentation is super cool. If you hear the groove start on Cadillac and don't get the "Aww fuck yeah" face then you're missing his point of playing it that way.
Sorry- tangent.

[Riddim]

Excellent point. Everything we do is based upon our response to our musical environments. If we intimately grasp the details, we'll hear other things. And they'll all be based on the music.

Along similar line, study keyboards and hand drums. And don't forget Indian music.

[circh bustom]

I like to really strip down my kit. I go down to a four piece with a hat and just one cymbal in the ride position. Then I play thru songs I normally might gig with. Keeps me from relying solely on muscle memory. Forces me to concentrate on what the rhythms and patterns are that Im playing, rather than the sound source. Pulls my ear in different directions.

[Henry II]

Hey folks,

Do you ever get tired of your own musical voice? How do you change things up for yourself? How do you keep things fresh musically? Where (Beside here of course) do you go for new inspiration?

Thanks everyone!

A few suggestions:

- Work through a new method book.
- Listen to new music.
- Devote yourself to learning a new genre of music.
- Go see a great drummer or musician perform.
- Take a break from music. This has worked for me. When I take time off and come back, I can hear my own playing differently. What seemed stale before sounded fresh and inspiring again.