Bad day at the office?

Hey fellow drummers!

Hands up those of us who have days (or in my case, the last week) where - for whatever reason - we feel like we’ve gone backwards?

Nothing feels instinctive, everything feels unnatural and awkward, or perhaps our co-ordination just isn’t right.

That opener was actually a trick question - no-one is immune to this! 👿 

Think of it like being a pro athlete. Despite all of the hard work and training, sometimes they just don’t perform at their peak, or even perform poorly or out of character.

The reasons for this can be varied, many and complex - I’m not sure I can always pinpoint a reason or reasons in my case when it does happen (though being tired or dehydrated can be obvious ones). However, accepting that this does happen is a big step towards dealing with it, and although knowing yourself is a good thing, sometimes I find it can be a bad thing to over-analyse 🤷‍♂️ 

The psychological aspect of having a bad day/week/month is the enemy - you have not gone backwards, but the tricky bit is to keep going rather than get disheartened.

I often find that in such a scenario, getting some confidence back is the key to getting back on track quickly, and so I’ll go back to some simple but meditative exercises that I know will make me feel good and better about playing drums that day. “Meditative” for me often involves using the click and settling in to the routine to get into a state of flow.

Focus-wise, I like to work hands and simple limb co-ordination, and stay away from anything “overly” complicated.

I may replicate hand exercises with feet too, depending on how much time I have.

So this last week, for my hands I’ve been back to the first few pages of stick control and accents and rebounds as well as a Joe Morello accented doubles exercise (that I think may have been part of the “Stone Killer”) - RlLrRlLr and LrRlLrRl (accents in bold caps).

I’ve spent some time in the early exercises from “New Breed”, as they’ve become quite comfortable for me and generally get me back on track.

The same things likely won’t work for everyone, but it’s a good idea to have some strategies in mind that could work for you rather than throwing down your sticks and not making progress that day.

Though admittedly “leaving it until tomorrow” can help, I’m a believer in the idea that all practice moves me forward and in some cases - for example if you’re a pro-drummer or need to cram some learning for a gig - that may not be an option so you’ll need to try to sort yourself out. Having some ideas and tools to do so can really improve your day 😍 

Until next time, enjoy your drumming!

✅ Initiate independence: speaking above of “New Breed”, grab a copy and work through some of the systems to improve your co-ordination.

✅ Push/Pull primer: work on wrist and finger technique by spending some time on your push/pull technique. Check out Rick Dior’s video.

✅ Gig analysis: this can be an uncomfortable one for some, but try recording a gig and check how you come across to an audience. You’re there to do a job and getting in front of people is a big part of it, so why not analyse it? Admittedly, you’ll need a gig for this one 😀 though recording your playing any time is useful. I have a gopro 11 that I’ve clamped to a floor tom in the past, but a mobile phone will do.

The UK Drum Show is coming up at the end of this month. I had a ticket, but unfortunately I’ll be out of the country. Gutted!

Added to the already fantastic lineup, Jamie Murray announced he’ll be there too.

Need a little bit more inspiration this week?