1.  1st goal is to be here in 10 years. 
   
2. 2nd goal? Be happily married.
   
3. 3rd goal? Study and practice with the most effective coaches I can find in drumming and piano.
   
4.  4th goal? That in four more years I start cutting back one day a week, until I'm down to 3 days a week of teaching. About 20 hours. Financial impendence is arriving soon. 
   

What is your ten year plan?

David

A couple of my friends of retirement age are still playing up a storm. And in the game. Why?

They both responded similarly, "what and sit around all day waiting to die?" I agree, let the grime reaper catch us on the bandstand, or packing up. 

That being said, being prepared just in case is a good idea. 

Cheers, 

​David

Bernie 1970s era coach, Mark 2020 coach. 

Lowell Whitty working on my NOLA funk and swing

Jackie working on my classical phrasing on the piano

Terry Clarke, a constant source of inspiration since I was a kid. 

​

1. Intrinsic motivation: "I love doing this."
2. Self-determined extrinsic motivation: "I should do this; it will be good for me"
3. Non self-determined extrinsic motivation: "if you don't get off the couch and exercise you are going to die early" or more hopefully, "If you do that I'll give you this positive thing"
4. Amotivation: "whatever"

A lot of research has been done on children's motivation and educational outcomes. It seems that allowing increasing choice to students as they age and supporting those choices in positive ways leads to better overall outcomes. Click on the picture above for more information.

At our age we need to understand these four types in order to stay in the game. The psychologists seem to agree the first two types of motivation are the strongest and most important to a positive outcome in any activity. Nagging from others and our own indifference are motivational suppressers. 

Intrinsic motivation comes from knowing yourself. Self-determined extrinsic motivation comes from knowing what's good for you. In other words, education. 

How to keep demotivation at bay? Here are some possible ideas. 

1. healthy living
2. goals that make you shout, "hell ya".
3. a social group(s) that supports your devoted efforts. 
4. an environment that offers opportunities to express yourself and your core identity 
5. access to resources: freedom, time, money, etc.

best regards,

David 

Drumming stuff

1. Reinstall the double bass pedals
2. Bass drum foot needs some attention
3. Setup with the big drum set for recording
4. Experiment with the mics for a better sound
5. Rudiments with metronome is the thing
6. Playing tunes I’ve transcribed is effective learning
7. To paraphrase Buddy Rich, “you gotta play with others if you want to get better”
8. Drummers have a culture of brotherhood, pianists not so much
9. It takes a lot of confidence to be yourself on the drumkit
10. The path to drumming self-actualizing is focused practice, regular lessons, jamming with as many folks as will play with you, self recording, working on time feel, hand and foot fundamentals, personal reflection and patience.

Best, 

David

I've been enjoying "Breakfast with Vinnie!" a podcast with the incomparable Vinnie Colaiuta. I'm now all fired up to hit the practice room. Listen here: https://breakfastwithvinnie.com/

​

My coach and I have planned a project. Finalise my list of memorised jazz standards at the piano. I've got 10 days to memorise and present 5 standards he has chosen. This has been an ongoing project I've been working on myself. Time to supercharge the effort. 

Here are the steps I'm taking. 

1. I downloaded recordings of the tunes on my phone.
2. I printed some lead sheets.
   
3. I'm comparing the harmony of the various sources.
   
4. I'm practicing.
   
5. I'm analysing the harmony and forms of the tunes.
   

Next up?

Create a list of jazz drumming tunes, a "greatest hits list" and get busy there as well. 

My daily practice of classical piano repertoire is going well. I'm feeling much more confident in that department. 

Cheers, 

David

Sometimes you just got to step back and regroup. It's time to spend some time in the woodshed and rethink business, drumming, and piano practice. I need a new strategy that fires up my enthusiasm going forward into the new decade. 

It may be time to pivot. 

Stay tuned...

David

My mentor drummer Terry Clarke says it all about time and keeping it simple. Amen to that. This past week I filled in for an ailing drummer in a local big band. Two plus hours of full speed sight reading. Swing, second line, funk, ballads, and blues. It was a reminder of the importance of the basics and fundamentals of drumming and playing music in general. 

Fundamentals

1. Time and keeping the beat clear. A big band has as many ideas of "time" as there are musicians. The drummer must prevail.
   
2. Sight reading skills.
3. Knowledge of repertoire.
   
4. Not letting them see you sweat.
   
5. Confidence that comes from deep and sustained preparation. 
   
6. Being physically prepared. It's a marathon of sustained exertion. 

What I learned. 

1. Continue to prioritize physical fitness, stretching and good sleep.
2. Revisit my goals in practice to avoid wasted effort. Practice time is very precious because it's so short. No time for screwing around. 
   
3. Big band drumming is a gas. 
   
4. I can do this next year on a regular basis. 
   

best, 

David

Are you stuck in a creative rut? This is a common problem with musicians everywhere. Many of us were attracted to music in our youth. Most musicians are still stuck where every they jumped in But, the world has moved on. Over the last 100 years we have gone through:

1. Trad jazz
2. Swing era
   
3. Bebop
   
4. Western
   
5. Do-wop
   
6. Rock and Roll
   
7. Motown
   
8. Rock
   
9. Punk
10. New Wave
    
11. Disco
    
12. Grunge
    
13. Rap
    
14. Hip Hop
    
15. Country
    
16. EDM
    
17. Pop

A small sample of possibilities...

That being said, the other night I played piano in a trio jam. We played jazzy pop tunes from the late 1950s-60s. What a blast! But we did it in private. I believe it was successful because we were all in the same cohort, we are friends, we don't play this music often. And, it reminds us of our pre-music days as young children listening to music our mothers played on the radio. A private pleasure. 

Best, 

David