Getting Out of Your Rut

Had a question come in about getting into a rut with your playing...


"Sup man! My name's Dominic, I was watching a Killers video on here and randomly saw one of your videos on the side breaking down a Ronnie Vannucci fill which was dope! I'm a full time musician...I play at my church and also have a band called Flagship, I have such a passion for drums and music, when I'm behind my kit it's the best feeling which I'm sure you can agree! Hints to the subject title above "Stuck in a rut"...I've just been really feeling like there's so much more inside of me that wants to make it's way out but I feel like I'm trap and stuck...like I've hit a wall...and this happens multiple times! It'll happen for a little while but then I break through it for a bit...it's like a cycle, it repeats itself...is that normal? I've only been playing for 5 years and I've grown a lot in that time but I never want to be satisfied with were I'm at as a drummer, I always want to continue to grow and be taught something new everyday so with that said after watching some of your videos and seeing that you're not only a cool guy but a really good teacher...I feel that I could learn a lot from you, do you think you could help me get out of this rut haha."

What's up Dominic,

Thanks for hittin' me up!

Bro, I completely understand the rut thing. The good news is...everyone goes through that. Here's a couple of things you can do to help yourself get out of the rut...

-Regularly scheduled practice sessions. You put them on your calendar, set the amount of time you'll spend practicing, and you don't leave until the timer goes off.

-A practice log so that you can keep up with your progress. You need to be writing down what your practicing, the progress you made, any fill ideas you had, problems, etc. That way, when you begin to feel in a rut, you can look back and see all that you've accomplished.

-Learn different styles of music, even if you don't like them. Take time daily to listen to different music...jazz, rock, latin, pop, country...develop your ears to HEAR the goodness in every type of music.