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Restoration
Tips
ARTICLES
STEPPING
INTO THE NEW
By:
Steve (Father Time) Katz
Let's
talk about climbing over your fears of evolving, learning, growing,
leaving behind what was, and embracing the uncertainty of stepping
into the new. It's a bit demanding putting one's self in turmoil
for a brief time while the head and the heart hash things out, but
it IS do-able. Many great drummers have courageously taken this
bold stroke, if you will, to forget their pasts and begin again.
Turning towards an entirely NEW direction, rethinking their game
plan, asking, "What else IS there?" I count myself among those who've
dared to take this Nestea Plunge into the unknown, and certainly
not without my fears and trepidations keeping me company. 'Til one
day surprisingly, they simply melted away, leaving me with a reassurance
that I CAN evolve, I CAN reinvent myself, I CAN CONTINUE! But
when do you know if it's time to move on, and make the BIG change?
AFFRAID? Well, you should be! After all, you've been in
the same place for quite some time, as far as your drumming goes,
meaning you got comfortable right where you are. You're proficient
at what's already been learned, and your gigs go down nicely. You
got plenty of chops, performing confidence, strong evidence of seasoning
and maturity, which is abundantly noticeable, characteristics we
ALL strive to possess. However this safe, comfy, secure position
can often be interpreted as complacency, something to be avoided
at all costs! ( time to think about moving ahead )
As
a devoted fan, or at the very least a casual follower of one particular
drummer or another over several years, even decades, you're bound
to observe an evolution of sorts, throughout a player's lengthy
career. They seem to pass thru one phase after another, and then
another, and so on, as this is part of our Human condition. It's
expected that change will come. Stop and think a minute about your
favorite players, how they're ALWAYS changing their kits, playing
style, musical approach, endorsements, groups, even their looks
for that matter. Some drummer's changes are smooth transitions from
one project to the next while others undertake more drastic directional
changes. Some players fancy a change by their own choice, tho some
of us have had the misfortune of change being forced upon us. Regardless
of your struggle to steer clear of change whether it's asked for
or not, this self-metamorphosis, this Human evolution HAPPENS!
So
I'll ask again: When will you know if it's time to move on and make
a change? What are a few of the telltale signs that should indicate
it's time for a change? That is, aside from necessity. When there's
NO more challenge and NO more excitement. When little distractions
find a way in, impeding progress, then the FUN goes away. Sheer
frustration and boredom, we've all dealt with this from time to
time, certainly a sign nonetheless. Conflicts that develop over
long-term group ideologies can really strain interpersonal relationships
bringing about change. It will destroy friendships, collapse bands,
dissolve marriages, even ruin lives. Money is often the guilty culprit,
as are legal battles. Lastly, folks will tend to fall out of favor
frequently, as their personal tastes, various motivations, sensibilities,
and priorities are forever changing.
Is
change GOOD or BAD? Excellent question. To begin with, there's good
and bad aspects within every single change we go thru. Most Humans
aren't gifted with foresight, therefore, we truly DON'T KNOW for
sure if any change endured will turn out good or bad for us, 'til
we live through it, and can look back on it. There's curiosity,
thirst for adventure, ambition, indulging one's imagination, testing
your strength of courage, these are all catalysts for seeking change
as a GOOD thing. Still change itself is perceived as something inevitable
whether by neighborly welcome or disrupting with its dreaded arrival.
We confront the eminent changes with all our strength of will and
determination on a moment-to-moment basis, often couched in our
fear of uncertainty, as change can be a BAD thing if thrust upon
us. The outcome: Anger, frustration, resentment, THEN hopeless defeat
instantly takes over, suppressing the necessary logic we'd naturally
employ, pointing us toward any possible good that could emerge from
a bad change. Of course an intelligent mind would rationalize a
bad change in its proper perspective, and turn it around somehow
making it a good thing! OK have we all had enough Psycho-Analysis
for one day? Best we kick on then.
If
this were a religious discussion, no doubt somebody out there reading
this would suggest taking a leap of faith. WELL, let's do just that.
Let's Step Into The New! Admit it! You have far greater abilities
than the musical situations you regularly place yourself in requires,
( playing it safe, removing the risk-factor, always going after
the easy money, keeping in mind it's important to work smarter not
harder ). Why not apply these abilities that you've spent many,
many years cultivating, and drum up 3-4 forward-thinking players
to experiment and explore with. Why not branch out and challenge
yourself, new experiences are out there waiting for you. But you
hafta want something NEW. Look, every PRO player you can think of
has projects on the side, far and away from their bread-n-butter
work. These projects are created by players ARTISTS just like you,
who possess these finely nurtured skills. WHY DO THIS? It fulfills
a burning desire, a passion for diverse musical expression. They've
discovered the need to either explore untrampled territory, or to
expand their musicality, and as logic follows, built an atmosphere
where their highly conditioned imagination's deepest drumistic ideas
can freely thrive, in doing so, achieve balance.
There
MUST be balance: Session drummers are constantly called
on to do a wide variety of short-term assignments, never seeing
or working with the same people twice. Oppositely they'd need to
join a band that recorded and played out quite often. Familiar faces,
thoroughly rehearsed music, performed in front of large enthusiastic
crowds, night after exhilarating night. Now that's definitely the
best of both worlds. Of course the optimum situation would be to
perform and record with a group that every once in a while, takes
some downtime, affording you the opportunity to stretch those creative
wings. It's imperative! You hafta set aside some creative time
for YOU! On the other hand, lets say you've become desperate
to find some other musicians to play with. Disillusioned, you continually
run into the same tired old Vanilla set-list material played by
those who consider $$$ above ART, and only wanna play for a few
drunks at the corner Pub for a few bucks, just to be able to say
they're "still doing it". How would that be for you, can you survive
a non-creative environment? Are you a computer? Good morning
Dave, how ya doin' HAL?
This
is why you hafta diversify yourself. Your inventive, inspired mind
depends on the variety of change just to remain stimulated enough
to constantly fill your imagination with a wealth of concepts needed
to pull out, when the right musical moment presents itself. And
if that moment never comes, then you gotta find / create outside
avenues to pursue, so you can play music that'll allow you to flex
your imagination, utilizing the wonderful rhythmic concepts you've
been storing up all these years. OR you can switch off the Imagination
Center of the brain, relying on what's already known to get you
by. Don't be the person that's decided to learn drumming, then immediately
gravitated to the one style easiest to command, went out bought
a drumkit indicative of that style, joined a group that plays /
takes dates in that style, working only in those appropriate venues.
Instead, why not become the ARTIST, every moth eventually becomes
a butterfly, never forget that , and fashion an environment
that can be romanced by the musical data your imagination is processing
and take your leap of faith. Become convinced of your vast abilities
enough to competently stretch your percussive boundaries to encompass
a much wider field of musical landscapes. Then, when you've developed
your own unique well-rounded approach, make the change. Contemplate
new possibilities and seek to open new doors. Maybe a new endeavor
is just what's called for to catapult you to reaching your pinnacle.
Are you ready for your next phase? Might I ask, what
will happen to your musical career once you're disabled and can't
play as you once did? Time to re-evaluate, doncha think?
Take
a long hard look deep inside yourself, ask what's MORE important,
going along contented, just as you are right now, or will you chance
to risk a completely different path, perhaps one as yet
not traveled. SCARED? Well, you should be! After all,
it ain't easy leaving the comfort and security of all that's been
familiar up to now behind you, to boldly step forward into the new!
It takes plenty of guts and fortitude, I know, based on first-hand
experiences, but you must trust me, the rewards will absolutely
outweigh the emotional apprehension that comes with uncertainty.
Of course, there's your fall-back alternative, which is to keep
things just like they are, taking your drumming / your musicianship
no further. Besides, think, now that you KNOW this fear can
be dispelled, once you set your new course and launch into it, what's
left is a new infinitely broader creative mindset capable of once-thought
impossible musical expressions. This'll produce a better musician,
a better drummer, and many better musical products to show for your
efforts. Thus yielding an improved outlook on life. THAT'S RIGHT!
It's all connected! You make your drumming better to make your life
better. That's logical. Now go make something interesting
happen!
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