Beating the hell out of my drums today feels much the same as it did when I took up the instrument a decade ago.
As a kid learning to play the drums, I was always experimenting and trying to imitate everything I heard other drummers doing. My early years of drumming had no agenda, no practice regimen, NO METRONOME.
I would often find myself far outside the curriculum given to me by my drum instructor when practice time came around. Eventually I dropped the instructor all together and devoted my practice time to endless replaying of Youtube drum instruction videos. I learned a lot in those six months.
As I grew older and my drumming…we’ll say, “matured,” I developed a fairly strict practice regimen consisting of the same four warm-ups followed by a run through of my band’s set list.
After about a year and half of practicing the same old stuff every single time I got behind the kit, it isn’t surprising that I found myself resenting practice. I was stuck in a rut. No longer did the creativity or the experimentation find a way into my practice time.
Today, I became aware of this fact. Determined to shake the dust off my practice sessions, I put in my headphones and jammed along to album after album of my favorite artists. From Tom Waits to Tyler, The Creator my practice session spanned a swath of genres.
For those three or four hours I was reminded of why I chose to play this wonderful instrument. The way it makes me feel just letting go and improvising, experimenting in whatever direction I choose.
Don’t get me wrong, a good practice routine is always a good idea. But don’t let that routine stifle your creativity and experimentation behind the kit.
Here are a few Interesting Ideas for Creative Drumming, written by Cody Byassee for Dixon Drums.
Back-Stick Beat 