Justin Scott on Hand Technique, Humility in Teaching, and Secrets of Chris Coleman

Justin Scott has, for the past several years, been a point-of-reference for hand technique and body mechanics. Which is to say that whenever I’ve wanted a gut-check about whether I’m on the right track with some technique or movement-related thing, I tend to watch Justin.

I’m not alone. Recent podcast guest Yogev Gabay shouted Justin out as helping him with his hands, and podcast guest Brandon Green is collaborating with Justin on instructional materials.

All of mean I was primed-and-ready to pepper Justin (politely) about all things hand technique. What I was not prepared for were the areas in which he surprised me.

For instance, that he feels playing softly is a greater challenge than playing loudly.

Or that there’s no one “right way” to hold the sticks.

As you’ll hear, we spent quite a bit of time unpacking the second of those two assertions.

In addition, Justin dishes about his early influences, and what he learned from Chris Coleman, when, as a young student, he played drums with Chris played bass.

It was a lot of fun chatting with “the hand whsiperer”, and I hope we’ll have a chance for a round-2.

Enjoy!

The Drum Beat That's Suddenly Everywhere

First things first. Download your free transcription here.

There's a drum beat that's suddenly everywhere.

And maybe you're "get off my lawn" type. In which case you might not care.

But think you should, and here's why:

There's no "classic" beat or drumming style that wasn't at one point "the kids" or "the new thing". I'm sure I can find headlines about how ragtime is corrupting our kids and destroying the family.

The it was jazz. Then bebop. Then rock and roll. There was always something "the kids were doing" that was scandalous at the time, which has since become the incumbent music.

Some of you will say "it's all notes" or "it's too busy". Know who else they said that about?

Charlie Parker. Then Coltrane.

Maybe I'm being too defensive. But there's a lot of blanket dismissal of "what the kids are doing" in my YouTube comments these days.

But what are we actually talking about?

It's a style that's suddenly everywhere. Like some of the other styles I've covered, it's a little hard to describe, but you know it where you hear it.

And if you squint, you hear echoes of In A Silent Way and Red Clay - an era when a generation of musicians with a new level of technical facility were stretching musically.

To my mind that's what you hear when Jharis Yokley plays...well, Red Clay...or when some of the latest generation of artists "mess around" with what's essentially a vestige of all the exercises they had to learn to improvise. A sped up version of what I'd call a "switching exercise".

Phew.

Anyway, that's why to make hide or hair of any of this stuff, the key in my opinion is understanding the movement system that underlies all this stuff. And my way into that was the funk clave system.

So in this video, we appy the funk clave system to decode what the kids are doing. Hope you enjoy!

Do You Have to Chop to Be a Great Drummer?

First things first. Download your free transcription here.

Today's video touches on a topic that comes up relatively frequently with my students.

"I'm not trying to be an instagram star or play 25 minute stadium solos. Can't I just focus on groove?"

Well in one very basic sense, yes of course.

We can all think of great drummers for whom solos or "chopping" was and is a very minor part of their lexicon, if it's a part at all.

But the inevitable follow up is "well what's a 'good' drummer anyway?"

Because it's not like fight sports or flying space craft. It all really is subjective to a degree, depending on the audience. So that's why I say the definition of "good" or "great" drumming depends on what you're trying to do. Be an adaptable studio great like Steve gadd? Well that's a different skill set from integrating really well into one band. Which is different from just enjoying yourself whenever you play.

But here's the rub: if we take that third definition, then for Me, chopping is indeed part of being great. Etc etc.

Then there are two other angles: not knowing what you're missing, and "headroom". It's possible that if you haven't experienced chopping, you actually might like it.

It's also possible that many of our favorite players who don't routinely "bust out" solos nonetheless are able to improvise when the moment calls for it, and that extra capacity gives their playing an intangible confidence.

But as usual, I'm out here trying to have a better conversation than just "groove va chops".

See if you agree with my opinions.

The Real Reason You Feel "Stuck" on Drums

First things first - download your free transcription.

The inspiration for this week’s lesson came from my excellent students.

I was musing that once we have a shared understanding of the concept I’m going to share in this video, two things happen. First, their progress accelerates, and they feel like they “unlock” a bunch of potential energy. Second, they acquire the freedom to go in a much more “personal” direction, creating their own vocabularies. The number of “wrong answers” shrinks to near-zero.

And I’m spoiled to have the students I have, because when I look across the drum landscape, I see a lot of drummers who feel “stuck”.

It’s not that they can’t play. On the contrary - they’ve put in a bunch of work, and are often in working bands. It’s just that they’ve lost track of how to achieve their goals. Their forward progress toward playing like the players they look up to has “stalled”. (Or appeared to stall.)

And a big source of inspiration for my videos are things that seem ultra-clear to me, and even to my students, but which, for some of the drumming world, are opaque. The videos practically write themselves.

As subscribers to this list, you might have an inkling what I’m talking about. But when I say it it will be obvious. It’s attention to detail.

In other words, the “how” - rather than just the “what” - you do in the practice room.

If you’re attentive to the most important details, you can work on practically anything, no matter how fundamental, and still get growth.

If you’re oblivious, it will seem like you keep putting in time, but you’re just stagnating.

But the solution is simple! Just start paying attention to these key details I’ll share in this video (but which, if you’ve followed me for some time, won’t be a huge mystery).

Hope you enjoy this one, and see you soon!