I’ve played drums “off and on” my entire life; but I keep getting stumped by ‘fluency’. Any tips for motivation or fun lessons?
The truth about mastering an instrument that no one wants to talk about is you need discipline. Motivation is unreliable and fleeting. You have to play whether you feel like it or not. It’s also tedious. People think musicians just have it. Nope. They spend thousands of hours of repetition. It’s not always fun. If you need it to be fun, you won’t progress much. Another component, the better you get, the harder it is to improve. And the better you get, the longer it takes to improve. Ive taught music professionally my whole adult life. There is a myth of talent. Yes, some people are more naturally inclined than others. But often those are the hardest students to teach and they often improve the least. My students who soar are the ones who put their head down and do the work whether its fun or not.
I suspect that’s the truth about many things. We love a Hollywood narrative, but a lot of the time having some aptitude and then becoming obsessed is the way.
Indeed! Obsession is really the best description of it. Sarah Bareilles is an absolutely fantastic vocalist and pianist. Ive heard her talk about how she was the kid who never went outside to play with anyone because she was locking herself in her room playing and singing. Ya just gotta do the damn thing and do it a whole lot lol
Well shit, dreams crushed lol
In all seriousness, I appreciate the honest reply. I never intended to master any of my instruments, but always wanted to get over this “plateau” that I experience with all of them. It feels so good when you can finally play what you keep hearing in your head, even just a little bit. The closest I’ve gotten is with my guitar and ukulele, but similar to learning a new language, I lose fluency when I stop practicing
And I know it just comes down to practice, I guess sometimes you need someone to spell it out again. So thanks friend, I’ll keep playing
And keep chasing that feeling! It’s worth it to push through the tedium and frustration to achieve it. And the plateaus are real and are many lol but dont let that be a punishment. One of the best things about instruments and music in general is you are never finished. You always get to keep working at it. What a lucky and happy task to be tasked with.
For motivation I’d recommend lessons with someone, or finding a band to join. Having another person involved may help keep the drive up.
Fun lesson - I personally enjoy making a playlist of tunes I like (or want to learn), then playing along. Helps with endurance & improv
I second this. Playing what you like with the likeminded people helps.
Watch Whiplash?
As a former chef who had an astonishingly abusive boss (he literally violated basic labor laws and I didn’t know any better and felt pressured to impress to advance), Whiplash is maybe the most triggering movie I’ve ever seen.
Anybody who watches that movie and isn’t utterly horrified at the ending didn’t understand the fucking movie.
I watched OZ (the prison fantasy show on HBO) before I watched Whiplash and seeing JK Simmons toned way down didn’t bother me as much as someone who didn’t know him as a rapist Nazi before.
Fantastic actor, love to watch him work, but he is so good at making you hate him.
I can’t unhear him as cave johnson
It’s a tough watch alright.
