Magic Technique I Use To Help All of My Private Students

To me, drumming is more than just a technical skill set.

Therefore, any issues that might not be solely a technical issue.

There could be mental issues.

There could be emotional issues.

I’ve been teaching for over 20 years and I know this to be true.

For example, how can you explain a student who sometimes has trouble playing the exact same bar, 4 times in a row?

…and no, I’m NOT just talking about being consistent or playing clean.

I’m talking about executing a basic rhythm 4 times in a row.

I believe in these situations, the student is too focused on playing 4 bars (of 4/4) and kind of gets lost playing a total of 16 counts.

So here’s a fix it: I tell the student to focus on 4 counts in the moment. That way, all you have to do is repeat the exact same 4 counts you executed the first time (assuming it is executed correctly the first time).

Profound advice I know…but sometimes that’s really all it takes.

I think a lot of issues stem from thinking too much about bigger phrases, rather taking things in chunks. It’s the exact same reason why your instructors might ask you to rep a few bars over and over again, rather than play a full show run during every rehearsal. Working on things in chunks is better for learning, for retaining corrections and increasing the overall execution of an entire piece.

So, when you learn music, when you practice and when you are looking to simply improve your drumming, always break things down in chunks and focus on the mirco rather than the marcro.

What do you think? Is this helpful to you?

For more perspective, make sure you watch the video below: