How Eric Moore plays fast...

Eric Moore Transcription

It's been nearly two months since my first Instagram exchange with Eric Moore.

As I say in the lesson, I'd been curious about one aspect of his speed, and messaged him to see if he could offer any thoughts.

What I don't say in the lesson is that I sat on the lesson for nearly two months.

Which is also the reason for the "cutaway" to "future Nate" in the lesson.

Let's set the stage:It was the beginning of August. I'd just released my "Drumeo Challenge" video, and eaten a healthy dose of humble pie on the internet, as people took me to task for my hands.

At just that moment, Eric released the YouTube video that I feature toward the end of the lesson.

No coincidence that I filmed the "What to do when you hate your playing" episode that month.

So, Nate has a Low Moment, sees an Eric video, has to reflect on how to rebuild his confidence? Big deal, right? Haven't we seen that video?

Well, exactly.

Which is why, almost two months later, out of the country on the trip for which I pre-recorded the lesson, I realized I couldn't release it as it was. 

I wasn't sure I'd ever release it.

Until I got home, and re-read it one more time."OH" - I realized. 

"This just needs a transcription."

So that's what I've added. A little more skin in the game. A little more effort to make it "drum-valuable".

With the transcription, I was ready to let it see the light of day.

Presenting the lesson. Hope you like it.

See you next week, with another,

N  

Five quirky drum setups you probably *shouldn't* copy from the greats

This week's lesson began as another practice room rant.

Every time I arrive in a new practice room, whether it's my own, after a band has used it...

...or any of the myriad rooms I've used, literally around the world...

(and no, the irony that I'm touring practice rooms - not stages - around the world, is not lost on me😉)

...I find the same stupid setup mistakes.

If you're a more experienced player, you know what I'm talking about. When you arrive and find the drums setup the way a non-drummer thinks they should look, from the movies. (Including Whiplash.)

But, as I dug deeper, things got...complicated.

Because, for every asinine setup mistake I could flag, some great drummer has used it at some point.

Case-in-point: stratospheric, nearly-vertical cymbals.

Gosh, where to start?

Vinnie? Tony? Simon Phillips? How about every metal drummer in the 80s?

Ditto with everything else I could think of.

But - and some drummers who are physical therapists have already mentioned this in the comments - that doesn't mean you should set up your drums that way.

Indeed, every one of the drummers above still playing...has reverted to a more boring, more ergonomic way of setting up their drums.

So, dispensing with the great-drummers-who-you-shouldn't-copy thing...

...experienced drummers in this day-and-age do tend to coalesce around certain setups. Or at least certain rules that motivate their decisions.

Whether they can reach the drums comfortably.

Whether their posture and stick angle will be right, and easy.

It's just like real fighters versus actors playing fighters. Just as my fighter friends can tell Mark Wahlberg wasn't really Micky Ward, pros can tell Miles Teller's kit in Whiplash wasn't set up the way a real drummer would do it.

So, what are those setup quirks that flag you as an amateur (even though, annoyingly, tons of great drummers did them too)?

To learn, just watch the lesson.

Back next week with another.

Enjoy,

N

Is it ever okay to criticize people on YouTube?

As I write this, this week’s video already enjoys one of the lowest like to dislike ratios in recent memory.

Which I’m fine with. I think it’s my best lesson yet.

So: why is it rubbing so many people the wrong way?

There’s the perception that I’m fighting for my right to judge others publicly.

There’s the belief that I need to be a much better drummer before espousing strong opinions on the internet.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of making work you’re internally satisfied with, as a means to an end to stay “zen” in the face of criticism.

So: what’s this lesson actually about?

It’s one of my “soapbox” episodes, in which I take a break from rote drum instruction to advocate a position.

And that position, put simply, is that there’s an obvious downside for critiquing others in public - one incurred several times. And a less obvious downside of never criticizing anyone.

To learn how I draw the line, and hear about my real life mistakes, just watch the lesson.

Back next week with another.

Enjoy,

N

5 Subtle Ways Pros Can Tell if a Drummer's "Legit"

I remember the first time I saw a “bad” drummer with chops. It was a revelation.

He could move his hands faster than mine.

He could do impressive things on the kit, and had worked out impressive combos and stickings. He could play louder, for longer, than I could.

And yet, anybody who’s played in a band for more than a year would’ve wrinkled their brow, and - hopefully not looking right at the drummer cause that’s rude - thought “that ain’t it”.

Similarly, I saw a bucket drummer in the subway in 2019, and I knew immediately he was legit. There are tons of bucket drummers in New York, and most are…I’m sorry, but well-meaning amateurs. Hobbyists.

But I could tell that this guy had played real music.

Years later, after decades of playing with groups, in recording sessions, and sometimes with difficult music, there’s a set of things I do automatically. They include knowing where “1” is at all times, learning tunes quickly, being able to play unfamiliar kits, and plenty else.

But it wasn’t until I started asking my friends to evaluate some of these subway performers that I realized: these musical skills that pros can identify immediately…

…aren’t necessarily well-recognized among the general public.

Which is why I made a video about it. My most popular video to-date.

Curious what the skills are, and whether you measure up?

Just check out the video.

Enjoy!