My goal is to find the "fine" line between over playing and being in the pocket. I've given myself a lifetime to find it.
Curious as to how many of you have specific drumming goals? In other words, do you have certain things on a goals list that you're striving for? Do you give yourself time lines to reach those goals?
My goal is to find the "fine" line between over playing and being in the pocket. I've given myself a lifetime to find it.
Tom, that's a damn good question.
Never had any specific goals for drumming....or pretty much anything else. Take life as it comes.
^^^^^^
This
all the best...
Soloing and playing over bar lines in odd time sigs. It's a never ending and madding quest.
I have my day to day goals with the usual rudiments and grooves i try to practice daily but i also have this goal where my sister and I want to put on a show for family and friends in 3 years just to showcase what we have learnt over the years. She is currently learning to sing opera etc so we are working towards that.
I gave myself a 2yr. goal to be able to play matched grip as well as I play trad. which has resulted in my developing 2 trigger finger problems in my left hand. But I'm at 80% matched vs trad! Age has it's drawbacks, for sure.
My other goal is to have a more fluid style(which I define as being able to add tasteful fills whenever needed without practicing them before hand)...I figure I'm about 75% there.
I almost forgot one of my biggest goals has no time line: to be able to do "machine gun-like" doubles effortlessly. I'm at 50% on a good day and after icing my left hand...
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I achieved my goal which was to become good enough to get paid to play and make a living from it. I did this for 4 years until I impregnated my future wife. Music career ended and I went to school for engineering. I still play and teach family members all in all life is good.
Jim
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Sorry about that, no offense intended
Jim
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10, 12, 13, 14, 16 Suspended toms
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Premier Hardware
Offset Double Pedal
Sabian, Meniel cymbals
Tama Metalworks 6.5 x 14" Black Nickel snare
Ahead Drum Cases
Take care and seeya!
Jim
Drummer, My goal was to be able to play good enough for myself and good enough that I won't be frustrated and will enjoy my playing.
I started off good enough, but I've since hit some health issues that are interfering with my playing, so I haven't touched them in 4 months now.
Hopefully they'll get my issue figured out before the doctor bankrupts me!
I can carry the basic rock beats well enough and can keep pretty good time, but I'm still trying to get my doubles up to snuff and to get where I can work in some fills every once in a while.
I guess my ultimate goal is the play enough to keep me happy until it's my time!
Take care and seeya!
Jim
I think with any pursuit in life, you need to have short, medium and long term goals...here are mine:
short: improve bass drum speed and technique, ostinato HH and improve HH dynamics, work on my dynamics in general, 32nds notes
medium: get down polyrythms (that is maybe a long term one), get my doubles sounding like my singles, be able to do a drum solo, improve my fills
long: be an overall, solid drummer, able to play most/all styles well. Have someone comment that I drum like Mitch Mitchell or have Jimi's ghost come from heaven and jam with me...
So these short goals I've had for the last 2 months roughly, I'm rather pleased with the progress. Some of the medium ones I've been practicing for over a year, however I think I'm getting close enough that in a year I should be there. Generally speaking, I practice things towards these goals everyday.
I think it's good to have your short-term goals change every 3-6 months, medium 1-2 years, long term is really up to you. Having a teacher/mentor is extremely import for the short term goals especially...
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I played for about 2-1/2 years (started at age 46), and was feeling pretty good about my progress until I wrecked my right elbow at work, and spent a year wearing a brace---my doctor just cleared me to start drumming again (in moderation) so my goal right now is to get back to where I was within 6 months
My goal is to practice every day. That is probably 6 rudiments and something new that I am learning.
My only active goals are to;
* have fun
* not stress about how good/bad I am
* continue to improve through playing
I figure I can't accomplish any one without the other two. So far, it seems to be working.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
Best answer:
You're on the right track. It's actually a combination of some of the elements that you've mentioned. If the band is not playing together, then they won't be "in the pocket", this much is clear. It goes a bit deeper than just simply staying together and playing at the same tempo. It can also be song-based, meaning it's dependent on the tempo of the song. Let's say that the most comfortable tempo for Song A is 70BPM, but the band is playing at around 63BPM. The song will feel like it's dragging and that sensation of "playing in the pocket" will not be achieved even if the band is perfectly together!
To add to your point about playing together, the bass player and drummer really need to work together, especially in more syncopated songs, to achieve rhythms that match. This is not an absolute rule, but the rhythm of the bass and bass drum tend to match.
Little by little, my goal currently is refurbing my 1920's Ludwigold bass drum trap kit as seen previously in the Ludwig thread. Currently making a hoop mounted trap table. I have a rack that holds 5 chinese temple blocks but only have 3. Two were kept by previous owner. It also holds two cymbals. I have several other hoop clamp attachments that I may not use but have the option. I found a 1920's Ludwig Jr. pedal that I may use with it but working on it's spring action and it feels a little sticky. Need a 28" batter head. Either going with a coated Emperor or Fyberskyn. Might get a small Wuhan china to hang from a hook style type holder. It's fun.
I have a few personal goals for my drumming.
For the set, I am working on left hand and foot independence, with a goal of playing an open handed style. I am also working on the double stoke technique on the bass drum. I'm pretty comfortable with the right foot, but the left can still use a lot of work. Not that I play a lot of double bass, if any, with the band I'm in, but I need to justify having the Speed Cobra double pedal.
Another area that I am working on is Latin rhythms for the drum set, and diving deeper into up-tempo Jazz.
On the hand percussion side, I am continually working on conga technique. I feel fairly proficient at the bongos, djembe, and cajon, but I have many more years on those than I do the congas. I have only owned a set for a little over a year. Diving deep into conga technique is so much more than just slapping three drums. I have a lot to learn. In the near future, I want to aquire a set of tablas too, but I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated by the learning curve for those.
My Goals would be:
1-Advancing more technically
2-practicing more
3- trying to site read and play! (Just as a challenge)
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