Finding your musical voice at age 62. Part one

I’ve been drumming for 12 years and a professional musician for 45 years. I’ve been around. With the drums I can now play with confidence in the situations I find myself: Jazz, Rock, Country, Studio, New Music, and rudimental concert band work. Every week I share my knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm with my drum students. It is a blast!

Am I ready for a world tour? No. Have I reached my musical goals? No.

What’s next?

The quest to develop a musical voice.

A short aside. Many musicians desperately want to sound like someone else. They are anxiously chasing a sound. Someone else’s sound. But as my early mentor pianist Bill King would say, “haven’t we already made that record?” Life is too short to retell someone else’s story I say. But before you can work on this voice, a few things need to happen.
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1. You need to learn to play your dang instrument. Chimpanzee technique won’t cut it in the 21c.
2. You need to find musical situations where your voice is welcome.
3. You need to deliberately develop this voice with some courage, humility, and faith.
4. You need to listen to a wide range of music, in and out of your comfort zone asking, “what is going on here?” Close score study and deep listening has really helped in my work as a pianist.

Deliberately developing one’s voice will be the focus of this blog over the fall and winter of 2021-2022.

​David