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Today's video starts with a counterintuitive truth - not every drummer needs drum lessons.
And not every drummer who might benefit from lessons needs them at every point in their development.
This may surprise you coming from a "drum coach", but the truth is I see two periods when some drummers can really benefit from having an expert check out their playing and save them "trial-and-error" steps...
...and in many other periods, they might be better off saving their money, or joining a membership site for courses, but working them on their own.
The specific periods in which I would recommend lessons to most drummers are...
...close to the beginning, when an expert can help show you the shortest path to basic proficiency and save you ending up in "local optimums" - I.e. with habits you have to unlearn in able to progress...
...and in the upper-intermediate stage, when most of the "easy wins" are out of the way so you need more specific mentorship, but you're not so advanced you can see clearly where to go and most of the time playing feels easy to you.
But what about drummers who are good candidates for being "career-long"'self-taught?
For that, if you're tremendously disciplined and organized, but also gentle with yourself and able to detach emotionally from the hard parts and see them just as "part of the process", you might be a good candidate.
We hear from some past podcast guests who embodied some of the qualities I'd consider important.
And finally, I end the lesson with some advice to drummers who choose to "go it alone".
Who should try to succeed as a self-taught drummer? And when? And if you are, what's the best way to do it?
We'll discuss all of that in today's video. Hope you enjoy!