Grab your free transcription of the exercises in this video (it will be emailed to you).
This week’s video speaks to a frustration that’s well-represented in the Youtube canon, but with what I hope is a more-novel-than-usual solution.
You practice stuff to improvise better on the drums.
Then you watch the drummers you admire, and what you’re playing doesn’t sound anything like that.
It’s not just that it’s a very-proto facsimile, that requires a ton of time to develop.
It’s that it’s not even in the same universe. You’re practicing French, then you see great drummers play, and it’s Russian.
And most lessons I’ve seen on the subject jump off of that premise by giving you some licks to play. And we’ll be doing that as well, but I also attempted to put the entire thing in context. Today’s video will be a journey through the “layers” of why you might not sound “pro”, beginning with the layers most likely to affect beginners, and progressing to those more likely to affect advanced players.
It’s like IT diagnosing your computer issue, starting with “is it plugged in”.
And for drummers, the “is it plugged in” is simple: are you even studying vocabulary that bares any resemblance to what you eventually want to play. If not, why?
Then, we assume you’ve gotten some basic “real” vocabulary, and can mix-and-match it, but you “still” don’t sound pro.
Great. Now let’s talk about timing, touch, and dynamics.
Still don’t sound “pro”?
Great. Now let’s talk about changing subdivisions instead of always playing 16ths.
Still not?
Cool, now we’ll talk about odd-length phrasees.
Still still not?
How come you’re always “orbiting” the snare? Why aren’t you using polyphony more creatively? etc.
And I link from some of the early chapters to more detailed videos on the methods. But think of this week’s video as a framework to guide your direction with improvisation. And once you get past the first 3 stages, it becomes way more about taste and the direction you want to go.
Plenty of great drummers, for example, play in a more “jazz” style, with most of the ghost notes still on the snare, and other surfaces used for accents.
Or, you can go full-Cleon-Edwards, inventing your own polyphony, and “breaking” every “rule”.
Finally, if you’re interested in a tour-guide for this journey, I’ve got 1-2 coaching slots open before the program shortens from 24 lessons to 20. We’re currently conducting interviews. For more info and the link to apply, click here.