Playing in Front of 120,000 People

I get to know some really great people through the lessons that I do online. Some really talented, passionate, and driven people. I love it. I met Matt the same way I meet alot of people nowadays...online (geez, I sound like a dating service). Matt plays for Chris Medina (formerly of American Idol), along with a few other groups. We've talked off and on about drums, lessons, etc...then I get this message that he's got the opportunity of a lifetime...check it out...

"Hey man,

I wanted to drop u a line and say thanks for all you do. The lessons, the inspiration, and even the time you took to write back to me with the valuable advice! Im not sure if you remember, but you gave me some confidence and just put a couple things in perspective about playing rock music. The past few months of watching and working on your lessons really helped me to not only improve, but motivate me as well. Tomorrow I'll be playing in Oslo in front of 100,000 people and I can't believe it myself. But before I start rambling, I just want to say thanks again, and any advice you like to throw my way I would totally appreciate it!"


Best regards,
Matt Sebby





Bro, I can't tell you how proud I am of you. That's awesome! What a gig...not many drummers have the opportunity to play to an audience like you will tomorrow. I'll tell you from experience...enjoy EVERY minute of that show. It's something you'll tell your kids about.

The fact that I've been able to motivate/inspire/teach you in any way is huge to me. I really do do this because I love it. No other reason.

And as far as advice on a gig like that...

1) Take a second before you play, set the nerves aside, and really appreciate what is happening. Those people are there to see you. And that's an awesome feeling. Don't let it slide by without acknowledging it.

2) Playing in front of 100k people or 100 people is the same...concentrate on the music, only do the things you know you can pull off confidently, and lay down the groove...that's what they came to hear.

3) Take pictures! Lol, seriously, it's a big deal and you'll want to remember it.

You made my night by letting me know that I've played a positive role in what you do. Keep it up, you've got greatness written all over you bro!

Let me know how it goes.

-Stephen T.


Seriously?! How many people do you know that get an opportunity like that? There wound up being over 120,000 people at the concert...simply a really cool experience for anyone. Check out the video of the show...








Matt recently came through town on tour and we got to catch up before their show at The Rutledge. Had a blast getting to hear about everything he's doing.

I post this simply to say...you can do anything you want in life. You can tour, you can play in front of hundreds of thousands of people, or you can decide to stay in your hometown and teach kids with a passion for the instrument. You just have to decide what your best life looks like and go after it.

As a sidenote...if any of you ever come through Nashville, please look me up. I'm always available to grab some food, hang out before the show, or whatever. I'm seriously your biggest fan. The success that I get to hear about you guys having just floors me.

Drum Lesson: Basic Beat Displacement

Another lesson from my book, Functioning In Time. Pick it up here.

How To Audition

I had a comment left on my Facebook page (btw, if you aren't my "friend", you're more than welcome to find me. I stress this all of the time, but I answer any and all comments, questions, emails, messages, smoke signals, letters, bird calls, and tweets. I love talking drums, teaching, and sharing the knowledge that I've stumbled upon due to the massive amount of mistakes I've made over my career...there were some successes, but I didn't learn near as much from those, LOL). The comment had to do with auditioning, how to prepare, how to handle nerves, what if I get rejected...you know, the usual plethora of emotions and anxieties we experience anytime we have to "prove ourselves" to other musicians. I thought it was a great discussion, so I'm posting it here. These are just my thoughts on the subject...feel free to add your own to the discussion...

Hi!
I have sort of an "Audition" in two weeks for a marching band here in Austria. It's a group of 12 men and women and they play at local festivals here in Carinthia.
My problem is- I don't know how to play stuff in traditional grip.. my rolls just sound terrible.. but when we are marching I need to play in traditional because of the snare hanging sideways... My other fear is that I will just fail miserably at the Audition... Have you got any tips? Please?
Greetings and thanks in advance,
Lucas






I absolutely have some tips bro. First of all, that's awesome that you're even thinking of auditioning! Seriously, an audition is stressful, nerve wracking, makes you doubt yourself, fun, hard work...and lots more all rolled into one. It takes alot of guts to put yourself under that kind of scrutiny. Here's a list of things to watch out for in general on auditions...

1. Identify any problem areas

You already told me your problem area. Double strokes and rolls in your left hand suck. Great! Now that you know what your problem is, you can go about methodically fixing it. Anytime I have an audition coming up, I try to find my weakest areas and work on them. Sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper and write out a practice routine. How much time each day do you have to practice? Schedule your practice time just like you would school work or a job. Every minute should be accounted for in your day and any spare seconds should be devoted to practicing. Every last minute that you have scheduled to practice should be planned out, with additional topics to be practiced in case you have extra practice time. If you really want this gig, then take the audition that seriously. Treat every audition and gig like it's Wembley Stadium...like it's the most important thing in the world...because it is. Take your practice pad EVERYWHERE with you! You should be working on that left hand in your sleep. People should be begging you to stop playing diddles on your left hand. They should be petitioning the local authorities to have you banned in public places due to noise violations. You're a man on a mission! Act like it! (Ok, so maybe that's a bit overboard, but you get the idea!)

2. Try to find out what material you need to play ahead of time.

3. Go to any shows they have in the next couple of weeks. Let them know that you're not just wanting to play for the sake of playing drums. Let them know you're really interested in the group, that you really and truly like what they do. That goes a long way.

4. Whether you get the gig or not, it's worth it. I can't tell you how much improvement has come in my playing in the past due to audition preparation. And you know what? Every one of them gets easier. You'll find that you aren't as nervous at the next audition. Practice improves you...and so does practicing your auditioning skills. Unless you're Steve Gadd or Dave Weckl, people are going to want to hear you play before they make a decision on inviting you into their musical world. That's only fair.

Again, I can't tell you how stoked I am that you get this opportunity. If you get the gig, great! If you don't get it, great! Ask them what you can do to improve yourself...that way, if they have another audition down the road, you can come back and show them just how committed you are. There's a big chance that you could screw up...there's a big chance they won't like you...there's a big chance that you might embarrass yourself...SO WHAT! There's also a chance they might like you...that you'll blow them away...that they'll see potential. Don't judge your worth as a player and human being on the outcome of one audition.

Whew...I got a little long winded, sorry. It's just a great opportunity...you should definitely take advantage of it.

-Stephen

Email Question: Recording Yourself While Practicing

Dear Stephen,

My name is Nathan. I'm actually a student of your old teacher, Jeff Mills. He referred me to your website a few years ago and it's great! I had a question about practicing and recording: I've been working a lot out of Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials and would really like to know what I sound like when I play. Not only that, but Jeff and Tommy both advise recording yourself when you play along. The problem is, I don't have anything to record myself with and have no idea what I should buy in order to do so. Got any advice for someone on a college student's budget?

Also, my little practice room has terrible sound quality. It's like all the sounds bounce around off of each other and it's just a giant sonic mess in there when I play. Do I need to invest in soundproofing or sound absorption? Any advice on that?

Thanks a whole lot for your time!

Best wishes,
Nathan Coumbe

What's up Nathan...

Thanks so much for the email bro! And if you're with Jeff, you're in GREAT hands. Such a talented guy!

Recording yourself...YESSSSSS!!!!! Lol, it's an absolute necessity. It doesn't have to be a perfect recording, just a simple recording. You can buy a camera like this one, http://www.theflip.com/en-us/Products/mino.aspx , or something similar and that will work. All you're wanting to do is capture the sounds, they don't have to actually be sonically great sounds. That being said, the Flips don't have that bad of sound for what they are. The added bonus of recording yourself with a camcorder would be that you can also SEE yourself play and correct any technique or posture issues. I used to have a mirror beside my kit so I could watch myself play and adjust as needed. If you have an iPhone, you could just use the video phone and record yourself. It doesn't have to be great, just needs to give you an idea of your playing and what you need to work on. I'm a big fan of just using whatever you already have that will get the job done (it's what I've done for years).

As far as the sound of your room...simple answer, yes. Here's a few links that will help out.

A before sound treatment and after of my studio. I only used the mic from the camera to capture the sound... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6PMchgv2C4 . I made all of the bass traps in my studio, and only used acoustical foam on one wall to cut down on my costs.

Here's a couple of blog posts I did on the topic...

http://drummeretc.blogspot.com/2011/02/discussion-on-improving-sound-of-room.html

http://drummeretc.blogspot.com/2010/06/difference-little-acoustic-treatment.html

Hope that helps bro! Let me know if you have other questions. Sorry it took me a hot minute to swing back at ya.

-S

You Tuber Question

Had another question come in...

Question:

Hey...

i got a question mate should i use heavy sticks or ligth sticks cuz i m comfortable with light ticks but people in my country all practise with heavy sticks n using lights sticks makes peeps think i may be u kow cheater or sth thts y i use heavy sticks ur thoughts on tht plz??

Answer:

What's up...

Here's my final answer...Use the sticks that make you most comfortable. Period.

Now a bit of explanation.

I know alot of players (I've done it before myself) use heavier sticks to practice with. They do this for a couple of reasons...

1) When they go back to lighter sticks, their hands are quicker from having to practice on heavier sticks. This is a very normal occurence and makes complete sense. If you can play something at a fast speed with heavier sticks, you should be able to play a bit quicker when you put smaller sticks in your hands. I've done that before.

2) Anytime I've recently gotten a heavier hitting gig, I switch sticks. For instance, if I go to a hard hitting rock gig, I'll use a 2B. I lose some of my finesse, but if you're playing larger venues through large sound systems behind distorted guitars, chances are you're not gonna be incorporating alot of finesse. Likewise, if I play a small jazz gig, I'll use 7A's.

In the end, it's what you're most comfortable with. I've used a 5A as my go to stick for years. It's very versatile. That being said, I used alot of 7A's while in college b/c I was involved with alot of small jazz groups and latin type combos. I've also used 2B's for stints in my career.

I'll say this once and I really hope you catch it...

NEVER LET ANYONE ELSE TELL YOU WHAT YOU SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE PLAYING.

Everyone is unique. Play what fits your hands and style.

Hope that helps!

-Stephen T.

MY NEW BOOK IS OUT!!!

Sorry to shout at you in the title...but I'm seriously that excited about this! I've been working for the past 6 months to pump this thing to print, and it's finally there.

"Functioning In Time" is a book on one of my favorite topics...permutation. We define what a permutation is (and isn't) and then use familiar warm ups, popular grooves, and linear patterns to work through the concept. The second half of the book deals with combinations. I know, I know, combination is a broad term...but not when it's dealt with in mathematics. And that's the definition we use to work through the topic. We take a very strict approach to the definition of combinations and then use popular sampled drum grooves to learn how to function using combinations (lots of Drum and Bass goodness!)

I made sure to put things in there for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. I'm hoping that once you grasp the idea, you'll be able to apply it to several areas of your playing. If you'd like to pick up a copy, CLICK HERE. The book is available to be shipped worlwide in either paperback form via snail mail, or in pdf form through your email.

Above is a lesson I did on a linear pattern found in the book. It breaks the fill down, permutates it, and then applies it to soloing and grooving.

Best Drum Quote from a Movie...

So this is a quote from the movie "City of Angels"...cracks me up every time I hear it...

Maggie: Why do you wear the same clothes all the time? Why won't you give me your phone number? Are you married?
Seth: No.
Maggie: Are you homeless?
Seth: No.
Maggie: Are you a drummer?