The following essay is Chapter 1 from
Drummer's Insight, the Meta Pursuit of Musicianship and Meaning
Conscious, disciplined engagement with work we love elevates our highest human virtues. The initial objective may be to connect with our best on the instrument. As the level of our musicianship is raised, there lies the potential for profound transformation as a result of such discipline.
An effective personal discipline positively influences all aspects of our work, from making space for drums in our lives to strategies for smart practice. And on a higher plane, it forms an essential component of self-mastery. As we develop our musicianship, we uncover the complexities of ourselves and the instrument, and witness the transformative effects it has on our lives.
What follows are not my personal directives for success, for these would only apply to me. Far more useful is a guide to assist in the establishment of unique, flexible mental and integrative skills which enable the development of one’s own critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Readers are encouraged to be the primary participant in their own development.
To take effective control, we must set out to create an integrated and transformative mental state. It is one in which we direct our attention to intention, and continuously attempt to go beyond the information given.
Instead of simply being given answers to problems, we work from a conceptual interpretation of how details function within a context. We take responsibility for how we function in the dynamic, microscopic interface between ourselves and the instrument, between ourselves and the music, and within the larger context of the interface between us and our world.
We therefore develop the ability to extract our own unique solutions from a wide range of complex problems, whether musical, improvisational or beyond. Devising and implementing analytical skills through problem-solving and critical thinking polishes these important internal skills, after which we are able to apply them intuitively across multiple domains. As we shall see, the internal skills developed through the disciplined pursuit of musical excellence are transferable well beyond the domain of the instrument.
In the immediacy of work, we ourselves must apply our mettle to the task. We must bring all of our cognitive faculties to the place where the rubber meets the road. Seeing what to play, what to practice, what instruments to acquire is fine, but there are far more complex, fuzzy mitigating factors by which we must effectively complete the interface. Herein we explore the importance of our role in connecting our inner faculties with all that lies beyond them.
A major hurdle for the drumset player is bridging the perceived divide between the technical and the creative. With the proliferation of drum books, instruction videos, clinicians and websites, technique and licks have come to be perceived as the dominant characteristic of the instrument. As a result of this misrepresentation of what it means to play the drumset, players have now become technicians more than musicians, perfectionists more than artists, with little if any guidance or discussion in the field regarding how to approach the instrument musically.
As drummers we have become used to looking outside ourselves for fixes and easy answers, particularly in the areas of instruments, gear and technique. Rather than providing easy answers, which would be impossible, the primary thrust of this book is to urge the reader to summon their own determination to go deep; to come to terms with his or her responsibility in the processes of creativity and personal discipline, and to establish natural avenues for personal growth and consciousness.
To do so, we simultaneously make use of and develop our most valued assets: our internal skills.
Music is an aesthetic concept that arises from our unique human capacity to transcend the external situations of our lives. To conceive and comprehend symbolic thought is an important part of our consciousness, as is our capacity for self-regulation, self-reflection, and vicarious learning. Humans create language and art, music, science and philosophy all based on the capacity to symbolize. At the very core of what makes us human is our capacity for abstract thought – the ability to see one thing in terms of something else.
Playing creative music is a state of being we call musicianship. How do we understand musicianship? Musicianship is musical ability that is flexible and masterful, fluid and deeply human. It lies in the interaction of reason and intuition. The parts of us which define our musicianship are nothing less than the flexible cognitive convergence of our experience, our sensibilities and our imagination. It is a highly complex cognitive skill which requires intense listening skills, and demands that we be mindful and present. We make use of a well-informed, seasoned cultural awareness and operate with a sense of collaboration. Our musicianship is guided by personal discipline and informed by peers and predecessors in the drumming community. All of which are delivered via our touch with a good degree of empathy, bravery, humility and technical skill.
Far more than that which is simply learned, musicianship is a life-long process of discovery, change and assimilation. Our aim is to incorporate elements which elevate our musicianship into our practice and into the way in which we live.
Efforts directed at sounding and playing better are typically populated by attempts to control or arrange external factors for our benefit. Controlling and arranging external factors are typically where we look for answers and are not necessarily wrong. External factors include, but are not limited to, technique, the drumset and all its gear, the music, other musicians, our musical responsibilities, self-promotion and the performance environment.
Some external factors or motivators may drive us in other ways, such as competitiveness or recognition.
However, on the road to mastery, excessive attention directed externally overshadows our more important internal aspects, which are frequently overlooked. While acknowledging the relevance of the external factors on which we generally focus, here in the present text we will deal with the development of a more dynamic and integrative internal/external connection. The task before us is to see how working with what we have inside us connects us with all that is outside. This connection, this bridge, this pipeline, enables the sharing of the currency with which we trade: our human-ness.
These external parts can become internalized. For example, the drumset becomes a transparent yet tangible part of us. Music also comes to be internalized, filtered through our intuitive and emotional selves. Over time, our priorities, responsibilities and motivations become internalized, and as a result we act of our own volition rather than for external rewards.
Some may perceive the world as ‘us and everything else’. Yet the discipline of developing our internal sensibilities dissolves the artificial boundary we’ve created between these internal and external worlds. This internal world, made up of a wide range of aspects either inherent or developed,[i] must be employed in the art and discipline of creative drumset.
The vast majority of what comprises our world is internal, whether in relation to drumming or in relation to everything else in our lives.
Through a process of inquiry, our state of being, and the convergent nature of the instrument, we transform our musicianship and discover the drumset’s potential for the development of our self-determination, well-being and self-mastery.
Let’s look at how an inquiring mindset connects our awareness with our actions. Being curious with a desire to learn leads us in our pursuit by clarifying what the questions are, and provides the practical methodology for discovery.
A process of continuous inquiry
As a creative drumset musician we stand between the evolutionary tradition of American music and the truth of our contribution. Our contribution – what we bring – is context-dependent. What we deliver is, hopefully, relevant (whether in harmony with or in contrast to) the musical and cultural context. Intuition is our guide as we strive to uncover, connect with, and propose truth amidst the push-pull of tradition and creativity.
It would be naïve to think of engaging in inquiry as simply the pursuit of a clear and decisive answer to a singular problem or question. Even if that were the case, the idea that we might arrive at a conclusion both absolute and permanent is highly unlikely, even dangerous. The real value is that the pursuit of answers, or of truth, refines our sensibilities. We learn how to think, and make infinite new discoveries along the way.
Let’s take a moment to consider the concept of truth. Somewhere between notions of absolute fact and the Postmodernist view of individual perception and limitless interpretation, we search for, rely on, create or discover diverging dimensions of truth. In our work we may encounter truth in beauty, or uncover personal truths, musical truths, or resonant truths. We may not even recognize them as such. Truths may be fleeting, with short-lived certitude; others, although less frequent, endure for generations.
The processes of inquiry we use in our work and daily life get us closer to something resembling truth if we are cognizant of our individually colored perceptions. Everything we perceive is colored and distorted by our experience, emotions and motives. We are likely not even aware of these deep-rooted influences. If we wish to see the world as it is, we must be aware of this. We must put in the personal effort to know ourselves well enough to see our world as it is. Or, risk living a life of illusion, bias, emotional reactiveness and false identity.
We work for truth in our touch, timing, phrasing, and accentuation. Musically, these basic truths help us to present and represent our place in this moment in time, within this phrase, and this cultural context. In the moment we are called upon to be a witness for and to testify on behalf of the human condition.
Being true to ourselves and living in harmony with our principles are aspects of truth. Personal, musical or resonant truths are not representative of any absolute truths or factual propositions. We encounter these types of truths at a deeper intuitive level.
Seeking, acknowledging and speaking truth can be uncomfortable and messy. We may initiate a search for understanding with only a glimpse of what shape it might take. We may not identify it until we’ve found it. When we do, whether fleeting or eternal, we must have the wisdom to recognize the resonance within. And still, what resembles truth may evolve, and may eventually be disproved.
The pursuit of truth can be blind adherence to misguided beliefs or it can take the form of open-minded, flexible inquiry. One in which we remain open to being wrong. In the pragmatism of John Dewey, we may wish to accept the fact that any kind of “inquiry, whether scientific, technical, sociological, philosophical or cultural, is self-corrective over time if openly submitted for testing by a community of inquirers in order to clarify, justify, refine and/or refute proposed truths” ("John Dewey", 1967, p. 383).
In my view it is the latter which takes place in the creation, evolution and endurance of American music. Its truth is integrated into the complex fabric of American culture, where it bonds with new relevance in the shifting dynamics of a fragile democratic ideal.
Any of us who have gone deeply into the instrument can sense that the discoveries are limitless. We find that to be committed to the drumset means to be continuously engaged with processes of inquiry and investigation.
Although at times certainty is illusive, or may be non-existent, it is the pursuit itself which brings with it many beneficial rewards, such as finer senses, imaginativeness, self-knowledge and wisdom. And in this willingness to place ourselves in the position of not knowing, of uncertainty, from the desire to grasp the unknown, creativity arises.
Our pursuit is one in which we reach, using scientific methodology, to get closer to truths framed within the context of the moment. The pursuit leads us through realms of the personal, cultural, and universal. Through our entire relationship with the instrument, the work involves intensive observation, determination, and experimentation internally and externally.
The scientific method begins with observation. We then pose a question, formulate a hypothesis that would answer that question, and finally, take steps to address the effectiveness of the hypothesis.
In the following chapters we take a deeper dive into how the processes of inquiry form the connection between our practice and the sensibilities needed for music-making.
Creative human consciousness is energized in the charged space between the acceptance of uncertainty, and an unending attempt at clearing away the perplexities which obfuscate truth. In the process of inquiry we refine our sensibilities, in service of our internal musicianship, and uncover a personal discipline for growth and mastery. The process of inquiry sharpens our capacity for reasoning, and with each careful step we hope to uncover what is more likely to be true.
In-depth musical instrument artistry is a non-linear form of inquiry. We don’t start at the origins of music and work our way to the present. Instead our journey begins from where we are, looking back to better appreciate how we got here. As in any complex pursuit of knowledge, we ask questions. We pull threads. We follow them with self-guided openness, to see where they might take us.
Through intensive, directed observation we must bore down into countless points simultaneously and continually make connections between them. These connections form a multi-dimensional latticework that informs our intuitive sense and expands as we learn.
We must formulate our own unique questions to discover our own unique answers. Observations and discoveries can take different forms. Some answers may be universally applicable, empirical in nature and easily understood. Some discoveries may be quick and easy, while others are part of personal evolution, refined over decades or a lifetime.
If we are questioning and paying attention, we may find that what we thought we once knew may no longer hold relevance. Revisiting and reassessing are essential processes which coexist with creative exploration.
Questions may be framed in countless perspectives, such as arising from within the music itself, from the culture in which it is created and through the discipline of thoughtful practice. A result of our own curiosity, our questions guide us on the path of inquiry.
Attentiveness and curiosity feed an observational mindset and initiate inquiry. It is a non-linear process requiring continuous observation, trial, and failure. Attentiveness, presence of mind, observation, mindfulness are the prerequisite for all else.
As musicians we devote great effort to achieve specific elements of skill and broad musicality through practice. Without question, making music is a complex cognitive skill which requires critical application. Behind it lies the internal cognitive work of top-down executive function used and developed through the processes of discovery. Our capacity for focus and how we use it is the vital link and is one of the main areas of focus of this book.
Once a certain level of competency is reached, we are able to make music via intuition, clarified via direct perception. In the making of music, consciousness shifts from self-critical awareness to a wider state of being. In this state, our capacities, thoughts and senses are free of directed self-criticism and may be used to their fullest. This expanded state of being is examined in the next section.
The relentless pursuit of what we believe might hold truth ought not be neglected. At times, the path of self-mastery can be an abyss replete with obstacles, frustration and fog. It is my belief that few efforts are more worthy than the pursuit of truth, regardless of whether or not any real truth can be found. Though indisputable truths may be unattainable, the perspicacity developed through the discipline of inquiry is itself of utmost value. Intensive personal investigation enhances our cognitive abilities, which, as we shall see, are the very tools by which we make creative music.
State of being
Consider for a moment, the state of being we experience when playing creative music. What are some of the primary states directly associated with creative music-making?
When the creative being-state takes over, are we not fully in the moment, present and ultra-focused? Might we describe the state as a sense of flow in how we interact with events in our field? We may experience direct perception, an un-obscured clarity of things as they are. We possess a larger field of awareness. Our attention is directed towards our intention. There is a kind of defocusing, or a broader focal range, yet our senses operate at a microscopic level. There is a powerful feeling of connection and ease while also a feeling of detachment from limitations. Self-consciousness is absent; we are not focused on outcomes or self-criticisms. We are simply in the moment, in the music.
So far, not a bad state to be in, making music or not.
The musical state of being is further characterized by a feeling of musical embodiment – we experience the instrument and the music as part of our body – giving us a sense of control and the feeling of becoming the music. There is a heightened state of listening. We are fully engaged, conversing and responding, collaborating in a human exchange with something larger than ourselves. The sense of time passing is suspended. We are pleasantly challenged by the music but are able to meet the challenges with little effort. We feel an unconscious yet immediate engagement with our touch, our ability to sculpt tone and dynamics, feel and phrasing, on the fly. Intention unites with the intuitive.
Our state of being is also a real-time reflection of our own personal, cultural and musical experience, of which our intuition is indicative. Intuition provides imaginative, creative content, reflecting our emotional state and personality, our life experience, cultural awareness, musical influences and more. It forms an inexorable narrative not only within the moment, but within the piece of music, within the performance and within the cultural context.
The moment is also characterized by the circular, immediate energy between us and the other musicians, by surprise elements within the performance, the acoustic environment and, importantly, the audience. The dialogical nature amplifies the energy of the performance.
The act of making creative music is a state of being that not only animates who and what we are, it transcends it. Music-making is a state where being and doing are directly linked. We externally manifest the internal.
There is a correlation between technical ability and the above states of being, but technique itself is not causation. Technique does not create music. When considering the states associated with making creative music, the technical aspect is but a facilitator. It enables the fluid connection with the dominant, internal, primary states of being through which we make music.
In the musical moment, our presence of mind is not directed at technique, nor should it be. The sum of the state of our being, of our music, of whom and what we are, is far more than technical ‘hardware’: technique and our neuro-muscular, motor controls. In fact, the ‘soft’ states of being, outlined above, are simply the totality of who we are.
Each one of the states we experience in the creative moment is an internal aspect of our selves. Yet these profound architectural components of our identity, of who we are, not only become evident in a creative moment but become the focal point of the music we make.
Therefore our work, (by ‘work’ I refer to nothing less than the entirety of our personal discipline), ought to emphasize the aspects of ourselves with which we make music. What we desire in our musical encounters is access to the state of being where creativity and engagement flow. We experience the merging of intention and intuition. Creation of and access to this state of being must be the primary condition of practice. Creative music-making, in its immediacy, is a state of being defined by presence, listening, intuition, musical embodiment, and responsiveness.
Let me make a slight distinction at this point. The state of being associated with creative music identified above occurs, and is required, in every creative musical performance. Much of what I describe above could be considered the ‘flow state’, the elusive state in which one’s prior experiences come together in an activity combining awareness and action, challenge and skill (Csikszentmihalyi,1990).
The flow state Csikszentmihalyi and others describe is one we hope to attain, yet is often elusive in creative music-making. We’ve all experienced it and welcome its presence in our music and in all areas of our lives.
Herein we are not consciously chasing the flow state, per se, since to do so would push it beyond our reach. Nor is our purpose here to identify and analyze the characteristics of the flow state[ii]. More important, in these pages we are tasked with creating and connecting with our internal cognitive conditions, in our thoughts, actions and expression. These conditions are conducive to clarity, attentiveness, and being fully engaged with our critical faculties and sensibilities in any creative environment or situation. In doing so, we draw out the internal dynamic within us which is conducive to living, working, and playing creative music; mindful control helps us implement a dynamic personal practice moving us to a positive state of well-being, mastery, creativity and artistry on our instrument and in other domains.
There is a distinction between the disciplines used for self-directed criticism in practice mode and the receptive, creative state we enter for music-making. However, the distinction is not as black and white as it is made out to be. Our aim is to develop the sensibilities which we require for creative music through the states of inquiry used during practice. At the same time, we must use, expand and evolve our musical sensibilities in practice. This exchange between awareness and presence significantly widens our available capacity for the cognitive interaction of all we use for music.
Our relationship with the drumset is largely defined by a combination of experience, sensibilities, intuition, reason, listening skill and technical ability, within a framework of culture, collaboration, support and leadership. Why focus solely on the technical in practice? Perhaps it is time to rethink our role in determining the level of control we have over ourselves, the instrument, the music and much more.
Convergence
Proper use of the tools of inquiry in our practice can dramatically enhance the cognitive states for creative music making. We don’t use external tricks or techniques to do so – the tools lie entirely within us.
To use the tools of inquiry deliberately is the conscious choice to fully connect, in the present moment, all the parts of ourselves with the continuous exchange of observation, questioning, discernment, experimentation, participation and more observation. Our conscious participation in the discipline of practice is unlike the customary view that practice consists solely of repetition. To be engaged during practice is to be engaged during music. Simply put, it is to care.
What lies in the gap between the drumset and the creation of music? We do. Who are we? The complex sum of who we are goes well beyond the physical body. We are so much more than that. Who and what we are exceeds the limitations of the physical.
If we look beyond our physical makeup, we see that our internal world makes up the vast majority of who we are. Beyond the body, we are our experiences, intellect and intuition. We are our instincts, emotions and motives. We are our identity, our principles and our sensibilities, our responsibilities, relationships and actions. We are possibility. In addition, who and what we are is in a constant state of renewal. It is through the real-time interplay of these infinite combinations and characteristics; it is via the convergence of all that we are that we connect with culture, music and the drumset.
Although the drumset appears to be the final vehicle for the deliverance of this exchange, it is not the primary player in the game. Ultimately, we are the instrument which must be mastered. We don’t achieve mastery by some kind of magic. It doesn’t happen automatically. We must bring to bear all we are. Our role is hardly a passive one; we are simultaneously the instrument of observation and the subject – the observer and the observed.
Themes of unification, or convergence, inherent in the drumset play out in several dimensions. Details we may perceive as separate can be thought of as one.
Principles of convergence
These principles of convergence are explored in Chapter 10, Collective Purpose.
Directing our conscious awareness cultivates a personal discipline which integrates all we are. Awakening our ability to think, we feel and act more holistically. The discipline is not limited to the drumset or to music-making. When this discipline synchronizes with our entire selves, it permeates and arches over all of our behavior, influencing all we think, say and do.
I suspect each one of us is determined, through great personal effort, to bring together the complex parts of who we are in the pursuit of musical truths. For it is nothing less than this harmonious and ragtag collection of self that we summon and present to the musical moment.
The complete assembly of the individual internal aspects of who we are is far greater than the sum of the parts. Our consciousness is an assemblage, a pointedness of being; a presence which elevates and transcends the limitations of each part.
It is a beautiful thing when all the parts of ourselves convene in the midst of a performance. The experience is one of effortless fluidity, of total immersion in the moment; the music and the body, time and space, resonate harmonically, radiating high-vibrational energy. Everything flows effortlessly.
For most of us, the coming together and unification of our entire being doesn’t happen by itself. It is a practice we must be mindful of each and every day. The convergence of all we are within the context of a creative performance is no small matter. Creating the internal conditions for this convergence to happen naturally and continuously ought to be a priority.
One aspect of bringing about the unification of the internal parts of who we are is to break down the partitions which needlessly separate the external parts of our lives. Many of us tend to compartmentalize and create unnecessary distinctions between aspects of our lives, fabricating divisions between personal, family, and profession. We may even have several cultural, social or political identities. Juggling separate lives seems like a kind of insanity.
The aim here is to bring about the complete unification of the complex parameters of which we, the drum set, the music, and our environment intersect. Through this integration we are able to add value. We become a positive force for good, are compassionate, and act for the well-being of ourselves and all things. Each one of us has the opportunity to artfully bring together and unite these divided parts, whether internal and external, in creating a life in which connectedness, ability, service and independence convene.
Doing so is truly life as art.
This organic holistic alchemical integration takes disciplined effort and time. However, this noble worthy endeavor has the potential to transcend our thoughts, beliefs, and words, to transform our actions, habits and values.
Let’s explore ways in which these foundations for self-determination, authenticity and convergence are present in the drums. We will examine how each leads us not only to playing better but can also contribute to a life of well-being and self-mastery.
The benefits of positive cognitive development and personal discipline which result from musical instrument study (Hille & Schupp, 2013) can be realized through most any instrument, and radiate abundantly from the drumset. The instrument itself is a catalyst for connecting ourselves with the world around us. It is a bridge to self-knowledge. Via the personal disciplines established through our practice, we act of our own volition to hone and polish musical ability. Yet it is the honing and polishing of our sensibilities arising from these personal disciplines which are of the most value, musical or otherwise.
Sustained music participation on almost any level, from childhood band or private lessons to a lifetime devoted to music, cultivates many positive personal characteristics. As one goes deeper into creative and improvisational music and masters their instrument, the skill set expands in even more practical ways.[iii]
Research into how music-listening affects the brain is the most prevalent, followed by the benefits of musical instrument study in children, as well as in classically trained professionals. While the cognitive enhancements of music study are well known and widely accepted, for our purposes we are more interested in the ways in which the cognitive benefits of creative music-making, in other words improvisational, can enhance and broaden our capacities in several areas.
For example, improvising musicians have been shown to possess higher than average problem-solving skills (Kleinmintz, Goldstein, Mayseless, Abecasis, & Shamay-Tsoory, 2014). Improvisation fosters divergent thinking – the ability to see many possible answers – as well as convergent thinking – the ability to find the most appropriate answer.
In general, drummers are typically self-motivated learners. Combined with the convergent nature of the instrument outlined above, we have the opportunity and are more likely to recognize connectedness.
When asked why they play the drumset, the most common answer is because it’s fun. Besides the fun, we may also notice playing drums shares similar personal benefits with other instruments, such as it is cathartic, therapeutic, inspiring. Drumming challenges us to be our present best within a positive context. It provides the opportunity for self-guided pursuit of excellence, and a real sense of connectedness with something larger than we are.
For many of us, we play because we must. Like eating and sleeping, I cannot imagine a life without it. Over time we develop a positive inseparable relationship with the instrument. It becomes a part of us. It fully belongs to us. It provides a medium by which we connect with ourselves by connecting with others.
The musician’s journey typically gets underway before the age of 12, usually between the ages of 7 and 12. Instruments such as piano and strings are commonly suggested by parents and/or teachers. The reasons for choosing particular instruments vary, and can be inspired by practical concerns with regards to parental preference, instrument availability, family economics, space, social status and personal choice.
Electing to play the drums is typically a choice made by the kids themselves. This is an early indication of independence and self-direction. Being driven to create what is theirs alone and being allowed to make their own choice is a significant turning point in a young person’s independent development.
Music instrument study fosters self-efficacy, the belief in one’s own capacity for effectiveness, and self-determination, the sense of control one has over their own destiny. This self-direction plays a key role in the development of intrinsic motivation and positive cognitive development (Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991).
This degree of independence, or autonomy, is the ability to work on one’s own, to follow one’s own set of rules without the need for direction or supervision from a higher authority.
Drumming is a self-directed, self-initiated, autonomous activity. It involves making an infinite number of connections, and inspires us to keep learning and growing. In the music, drummers are simply given more leeway in providing exactly what the music needs. There usually aren’t charts to follow and seldom is there detailed instruction regarding what to play, though at times this would be useful. In creative musical situations, intuition can outperform chops.
Allowing for guided autonomous exploration at a young age encourages positive cognitive and character development, yet produces positive results at any age. Learning that is self-initiated, with timely guidance, creates self-efficacious individuals capable of personal responsibility. In addition, the process of discovery develops imagination, builds skills in problem-solving, reasoning, risk-taking and assessment. Importantly, self-guided learning establishes the self-efficacy, the internal belief we can take on challenges and succeed. It improves spatial-temporal reasoning, conceptual comprehension, and flexible use of knowledge.
These factors, embedded within our relationship with the drumset, build the critical-thinking skills we need to face adversity and challenges. The skills we develop are not so much answers as they are flexible problem-solving skills applicable across multiple domains.
Individuals who are intrinsically motivated – are driven to work by their own curiosity – have increased conceptual and critical thinking skills and are therefore well-positioned for self-learning. Being intrinsically motivated is intertwined with autonomous exploration, and can be effective when a substantial degree of discovery and personal responsibility are allowed from a young age.
Learning through exploration allows us to see the connectedness of the world, to know how to find multiple answers in a variety of circumstances instead of simply knowing a singular ‘right’ answer. Self-motivated learners learn not simply a ‘correct’ or expected answer, but develop unique skills for solving problems. In the process we learn the value of a thing, not simply its price. Problem-solving is not a matter of simply knowing, but is the ability to identify patterns within complex behavior and to apply knowledge in a flexible manner, in a way that is contextually appropriate.
Intuition, self-reflection and reason, creativity and collaboration, these are the unique attributes of what make us human. Collectively, it is our capacity for abstract thought which enables us to go beyond the information given (Bruner, 1973).
The cognitive skills enhanced by the discipline of drumset study are among the most important and desirable attributes for growth, development, and maturity, attributes which shape a person’s character.[iv] The more mentally engaging and stimulating activity we subject ourselves to, the more our capacity for connections is increased.
Regardless of age we play drums because of its unparalleled fun while implicitly acknowledging we are on a path of continuous improvement through deliberate effort. The implication is to devote a certain amount of time and effort to the path of self-improvement. The love of playing increases as a result of our efforts. This we know from experience. The more we give, the more it gives back, which inspires more intrinsic effort. This simple cycle describes what we consider to be talent: the inclination to work hard at what we love.
Simply playing the drums we feel a sense of well-being and self-improvement. We recognize the self-engendered personal growth arising from playing and practicing. It holds many positive benefits, lets us express emotional content and connect with others while being true to ourselves. It is not surprising that young players who have made their own choice to play the drums remain committed to it over their lifetime. It simply has so much to offer.
The exploration related to creative musical instrument study, in particular the autonomous nature of the drumset, establishes a discipline which cultivates a desire to bring out the best of ourselves while in service of others. Drumming is a personal investment in authenticity, done simply for the joy of doing it. The return on this investment belongs entirely to us, and can be re-invested in pathways near and far, bringing about further growth.
Creative drummers – naturally curious with an aptitude for experimentation – take calculated risks and learn from failure. All of these are part of learning how to think and building a direct connection with intuition.
Drummers are typically self-reliant while also the ones who build bridges, and are demonstrably diplomatic. It is time to put to rest the tired, negative, Euro-centric stereotypes of drummers as non-musicians. As master recording engineer Steve Albini says, “Generally speaking, if there’s a smart guy and three dumb guys in a band, the smart guy’s the drummer” (Albini, 2005).
Our role in learning and in the development of our sensibilities
Within the complex mix of what constitutes our sound, touch is the secret sauce which contributes the essential expressive component to all the choices we make. A valued characteristic of our musicality, touch shares a direct link to our sense of hearing and listening. Touch, or the lack of it, reflects our inner state. How we touch the instrument conveys the tone by which our music is felt and heard. Touch connects what’s inside us with those outside us – the other musicians, the audience, etc.
Our touch is emblematic of the level at which we are able to hear. It is also linked to our sensibilities – our capacity for sensing the world around us – and forms a bridge between our precepts and our humanity. How well we make this connection depends on whether our sensibilities are adequate to the task.
‘Adequate’, you say?
The concept of adaequatio, or adequateness, states “the understanding of the knower must be adequate to the thing to be known” (Schumacher, A guide for the perplexed, 1977, p. 39). But before we resign our efforts and give in to an idea of pre-determined fate, we ought to realize our capacity for mastery, for sensing, for being, can be expanded. No matter how limited our sensibilities may be at any given time, it is not a static condition. With training, our sensibilities become significantly sharper, finer, and perceptive. This is a continuous effort.
As a friend once said, “you can’t know what you don’t know”. To which I replied, “yes, that’s right. But you can learn!”
Although what we perceive at any given time is in no way all there is, our attempts to see what we don’t know help to illuminate the darkness ahead. The degree to which we sense, and make sense of, the world around us is limited, at least in part, by our own desire to do so.
This is where we must step up our game.
In relating and understanding the world around us, our pursuit of truth is is colored by experience, motive and emotion. We have a complex web of resources, a priori, by which we can go beyond the information given, to go beyond the filters which accompany experience, motives and emotions. These human attributes [v] are conscious efforts – choices – rather than a baseline state in which we act unconsciously. When taken mindfully in the present moment, we are able to rise above a functional understanding of our world an transcend our human condition.
When we are cognitively engaged in the careful re-examination and reassessment of our biases, we can extend the range of possibility and sharpen our senses. Simply having an awareness of what we don’t know helps us make flexible use of our present sensibilities. It guides us in the direction of our interests. Combined with an acute awareness of the present, seeing how much we don’t know clarifies a path of inquiry toward comprehension and creativity. We move from a simple functional engagement with our world to one of possibility.
In balancing an awareness of the limitations of our understanding, we must also recognize the wisdom in our maturity. This is to not only see what we don’t know, but to acknowledge what we do. The usefulness of our experience, degrees of certainty, provides the starting point from which we explore the unknown. The present is the culmination of our past. Experience, at the very least, frames a network of information through which we are able to function and survive. What’s more, the task before us here is to go beyond these experiences in the present to create our future; to transcend a state of mere function to one of imagination, creativity and growth.
In the present moment, how we work, specifically how we direct ourselves, defines the outcomes which result from our work. While it may be obvious, the depth of engagement we have with the music and with the drumset is an important relevant point. It defines our personal success as musicians.
What we ultimately bring to the musical moment is all we are. Practice that. Practice the aspects of ourselves we use to make music.
If we practice rudiments as tools separate from the flow of music, what results is the ability to play rudiments separate from music. Similarly, working solely on technique will result in a way of playing originating in technique. And so on.
This text is certainly not advocating against the important study of technique or rudimental vocabulary. The aim is to strengthen and intensify the degree of cognitive engagement we have with the entire act of playing. Well beyond the minimum of simply ‘showing up’, we must develop and integrate the sharpness of our cognition in practicing the technical, and engage with it.
It’s essential that we learn the technical and physical aspects of the instrument. But there is so much more to it than that. To play creative music well it is important that we actively develop the sensibilities by which we make music: our sensibilities for listening, imagining; to be disciplined and to let go; to be present, to expand our communicative and collaborative sense. Be supportive, intuitive and creative. Mix logic, experience, language, and cultural awareness.
Practicing in a way in which we are cognitively engaged refines the full range of the intellectual senses[vi], those not limited to the bodily senses alone.
Responsibility
For more than 100 years, American music and its diversity of influences has been and must continue to be the primary teacher for drumset players.
Historically, the drumset has been the primary carrier for the rich culture that makes our music unique. Since music is an aural tradition, listening is the most natural way to learn, to build vocabulary and intuition.
We are lucky to have available countless great books of exercises, rudimental vocabulary and approaches, with others providing clear guidance in accenting, phrasing and soloing. But most of them have two characteristics in common: they are well-removed from musical context, and most of them neglect the importance of our role in the process.
A notable exception is Bob Moses’ book Drum Wisdom (1984). Drum Wisdom offers opportunities for drummers to make real musical connections. The text is both immediate and effective in the way it directly connects the player with the reality of creating music. It doesn’t so much ‘teach’ but provides the drummer with pathways to their own development.
Music is music. It can best be internalized as the aural experience that it is. Text, on the other hand, whether in the form of the written word or notation, is inherently problematic in assimilating the complexities of American music. Textual representation of music instills the notion that music is outside of us, and we must operate this machinery in such a way as to give voice to this text. This way of thinking emphasizes the external.
Perhaps this is why improvisation is a problem for so many musicians. Too much verbal or visual communication of music can and does reduce the experience to technical knowledge alone. Verbal or textual communication of an aural tradition mistakenly presents the technical as the main, sometimes the sole component of the art form. This is a disappointing misstep in the learning of the instrument.
There are many great books for drummers which share the rhythmic systems and language of various cultures. As accompanying guides to the music, they are essential for deciphering the sophisticated rhythmic architecture of the music of India, Central America, Brazil and West Africa; as well as funk syncopations, jazz comping and phrasing arising from America’s diverse rhythmic traditions. Gaining understanding in these areas goes a long way in providing the substance of what to play and what to practice.
With rhythmic language books for example, we can familiarize ourselves with the essential foundation, clave. We can learn fundamental complex rhythmic variations of the Caribbean region, for example, and although many are based on the 3-3-2 universal rhythmic pulsation, they are remarkably diverse.
As useful as the books are however, we also must deeply immerse ourselves in the music.
More than copping patterns and licks from a page, we must immerse ourselves in the music to assimilate the rhythms, variations, and complex interpretations. We may begin by playing examples from a book, but our work requires that ‘patterns’ be integrated into useable, malleable vocabulary and feeling. We absorb the flow, the contours, the emotional waves and turns-of-phrase which make up the music’s emotive aspects.
This deep internalizing enables embellishment, interpretation and creative improvisation in a culturally relevant expressive context. Through deep exploration and real connection we absorb the individual, personal interpretations of the countless musicians who’ve lived the music their whole lives. In doing so, we elevate our intuitive skills.
We mustn’t be entirely focused on external aspects. Instead, actively develop strategies which combine the external and internal. Incorporate creativity as a natural state of being.
Regarding the internal aspects, books generally offer little if any guidance on how to approach practice, or how to set about doing the work. It seems as if ‘we’ are the elephant in the room that goes un-acknowledged and underutilized. When communicating technical aspects of drumming, the individuals studying the music often lose sight of their own crucial role.
Videos can make it easier to demonstrate specific techniques, but learning is still critically limited to the technical. The visual component tends to emphasize the external aspects of playing. There is less attention to listening, internalizing, and the work of self-observation necessary for recognizing and solving problems as they come up. For many, the visual eclipses the audible.
In addition, we may sometimes find conflicting, inaccurate or incomplete information in the videos. The lyric, “video killed the radio star” (Horn, Downes, & Woolley, 1979), was prophetic in demonstrating the power of the visual to diminish the aural.
The overwhelming and pervasive amount of books, videos, clinics and instruction websites focusing on the technical aspects of playing drums leads one to assume technique is the primary ingredient, the one component we must master.
As a result we place too much emphasis on the externals, the ‘what’ part of practice, not on our own role in the entire process: the ‘how’.
Instead we must take the reins and exercise mental discipline and flexibility for learning. We must devise strategies for recognition, assimilation, alteration and application – the creative process. Within the work itself, we must learn to think critically, how to find and solve problems, and cultivate divergent thinking for creativity.
We may not, at times, have all the answers but with a holistic perspective and mindset we can develop pathways for where and how to look for them. The discipline which follows encourages and challenges us to work mindfully, to walk our own path, to uncover our own essential truths. Not for the sole purpose of reaching a destination, but to also make essential discoveries along the way.
Well beyond the minimal repeating of patterns, our responsibility in the process is to use and develop our cognitive, intuitive and creative capabilities to their fullest.
Frequently we face specific musical challenges requiring us to explore more deeply. Avenues of development may require focusing time on the practice of subsets derived from a main idea or song. We may feel such deviations slow us down, or we may tell ourselves we need not learn something so deeply. In fact, going deeper is precisely what we need to do.
The attentiveness used to bore down deeply expands our cognitive potential and allows for connections across a broad range. It’s the difference between playing something correctly vs. making it sound and feel really good.
Attentiveness itself is the prime component we must master. Short-term gains, the lick or pattern we develop, are not the only benefit. The sharpened senses and skills resulting from such attention are more broadly applicable and hold tremendous value.
A large part of learning includes knowing which questions to ask. The process of deconstructing exposes the hidden essentials of function. In doing so, we not only expose the hidden elements of our outer world, but of ourselves, too. Deconstruction, or retrograde analysis, is an essential component of improvisational practice. Done with contextual awareness, it lets us make connections as to how individual aspects are put together and why.
Asking, ‘what if’ ought to be a regular part of how we think. With context-based learning we make the vital connection between creativity and technique. Form follows naturally from a deeper appreciation of function.
Practice and playing music makes possible an artful pursuit of essential truths within the context of now. This now is the moment in which we create change through action. The present is where we create the future. Being present in the moment is the heart of the creative tradition. We let ourselves be fully present, with clarity of perception unclouded by past or future affairs. The now allows space for us to take action in creating something we think might hold truth.
Our work cannot be regarded as simply a journey toward a destination. The path is rich with opportunities for growth along the way.
At times it can be difficult to gauge one’s own progress with any certainty. But for what purpose must we measure ourselves in this way? No matter what our skill level or accomplishments, whether we subscribe to the notion of innate talent or hard work or both, we still wish and need to work each and every day at being our own best.
Among the many conditions embedded within the fun of playing drums we find freedom, independence, discipline and personal connection. The discipline shows us that the work we do within us creates the change we wish to see. This is of the most value in connecting with our own resonant truths in the external and internal realms.
In the next chapter, we examine the demands and expectations placed upon the drummer, and in the chapter on Practice, we’ll dig deep to develop strategies which expand our sensibilities. We will discover by being fully present in our daily practice, we can uncover the internal skills to excel in any situation, in our own way and with our own voice. It’s our responsibility.
Expanded notes from the text above:
[i] Internal aspects of creative musicianship:
[ii] Conditions which contribute to the likelihood of reaching a sense of ‘flow’ in action:
[iii] Personal Qualities learned from Drumming and Improvised Music (many are qualities unmeasurable by traditional academic testing)
The creative drummer’s unique skill set:
[iv] Cognitive refinements simultaneously used and developed in deliberate practice, music-making and in daily life:
[v] Enhanced perceptive capacity:
[vi] Senses bodily, intellectual and intuitive:
Thanks for reading.
-- Brett F. Campbell, 2021
References
(1967). "John Dewey". In P. Edwards (Ed.), Encyclopedia of philosophy Vol. 2 (Vol. 2, p. 383). New York: MacMillan.
Albini, S. (2005). Drum mic clinic. TapeOpCon. New Orleans. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/FvLuP4Kya8U
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper and Row.
Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan. (1991). Motivation and education: The self-determination perspective. Educational psychologist, 26 (3&4), 325-346.
Hille, A., & Schupp, J. (2013). How learning a musical instrument affects the development of skills. SOEP Papers on Multidisiplinary Panel Data Research.
Horn, T., Downes, G., & Woolley, B. (Composers). (1979). Video killed the radio star. [The Buggles, Performer] London, England.
Kleinmintz, O. M., Goldstein, P., Mayseless, N., Abecasis, D., & Shamay-Tsoory, S. G. (2014). Expertise in musical improvisation and creativity: The mediation of idea evaluation. PLOS|One. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101568
Moses, B. (1984). Drum wisdom. Cedar Grove, New Jersey: Modern Drummer Publications.
Schumacher, E. F. (1977). A guide for the perplexed. New York: Harper Perennial.
Addendum for Chapter One
[i] Some of the internal aspects which constitute our musicianship:
[ii] Personal Qualities learned from Drumming and Improvised Music (not measured by testing)
The creative drummer’s unique skill set:
[iii] Cognitive refinements simultaneously used and developed in deliberate practice, music-making and in daily life:
[iv] Senses bodily, intellectual and intuitive:
Drummer's Insight, the Meta Pursuit of Musicianship and Meaning
Conscious, disciplined engagement with work we love elevates our highest human virtues. The initial objective may be to connect with our best on the instrument. As the level of our musicianship is raised, there lies the potential for profound transformation as a result of such discipline.
An effective personal discipline positively influences all aspects of our work, from making space for drums in our lives to strategies for smart practice. And on a higher plane, it forms an essential component of self-mastery. As we develop our musicianship, we uncover the complexities of ourselves and the instrument, and witness the transformative effects it has on our lives.
What follows are not my personal directives for success, for these would only apply to me. Far more useful is a guide to assist in the establishment of unique, flexible mental and integrative skills which enable the development of one’s own critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Readers are encouraged to be the primary participant in their own development.
To take effective control, we must set out to create an integrated and transformative mental state. It is one in which we direct our attention to intention, and continuously attempt to go beyond the information given.
Instead of simply being given answers to problems, we work from a conceptual interpretation of how details function within a context. We take responsibility for how we function in the dynamic, microscopic interface between ourselves and the instrument, between ourselves and the music, and within the larger context of the interface between us and our world.
We therefore develop the ability to extract our own unique solutions from a wide range of complex problems, whether musical, improvisational or beyond. Devising and implementing analytical skills through problem-solving and critical thinking polishes these important internal skills, after which we are able to apply them intuitively across multiple domains. As we shall see, the internal skills developed through the disciplined pursuit of musical excellence are transferable well beyond the domain of the instrument.
In the immediacy of work, we ourselves must apply our mettle to the task. We must bring all of our cognitive faculties to the place where the rubber meets the road. Seeing what to play, what to practice, what instruments to acquire is fine, but there are far more complex, fuzzy mitigating factors by which we must effectively complete the interface. Herein we explore the importance of our role in connecting our inner faculties with all that lies beyond them.
A major hurdle for the drumset player is bridging the perceived divide between the technical and the creative. With the proliferation of drum books, instruction videos, clinicians and websites, technique and licks have come to be perceived as the dominant characteristic of the instrument. As a result of this misrepresentation of what it means to play the drumset, players have now become technicians more than musicians, perfectionists more than artists, with little if any guidance or discussion in the field regarding how to approach the instrument musically.
As drummers we have become used to looking outside ourselves for fixes and easy answers, particularly in the areas of instruments, gear and technique. Rather than providing easy answers, which would be impossible, the primary thrust of this book is to urge the reader to summon their own determination to go deep; to come to terms with his or her responsibility in the processes of creativity and personal discipline, and to establish natural avenues for personal growth and consciousness.
To do so, we simultaneously make use of and develop our most valued assets: our internal skills.
Music is an aesthetic concept that arises from our unique human capacity to transcend the external situations of our lives. To conceive and comprehend symbolic thought is an important part of our consciousness, as is our capacity for self-regulation, self-reflection, and vicarious learning. Humans create language and art, music, science and philosophy all based on the capacity to symbolize. At the very core of what makes us human is our capacity for abstract thought – the ability to see one thing in terms of something else.
Playing creative music is a state of being we call musicianship. How do we understand musicianship? Musicianship is musical ability that is flexible and masterful, fluid and deeply human. It lies in the interaction of reason and intuition. The parts of us which define our musicianship are nothing less than the flexible cognitive convergence of our experience, our sensibilities and our imagination. It is a highly complex cognitive skill which requires intense listening skills, and demands that we be mindful and present. We make use of a well-informed, seasoned cultural awareness and operate with a sense of collaboration. Our musicianship is guided by personal discipline and informed by peers and predecessors in the drumming community. All of which are delivered via our touch with a good degree of empathy, bravery, humility and technical skill.
Far more than that which is simply learned, musicianship is a life-long process of discovery, change and assimilation. Our aim is to incorporate elements which elevate our musicianship into our practice and into the way in which we live.
Efforts directed at sounding and playing better are typically populated by attempts to control or arrange external factors for our benefit. Controlling and arranging external factors are typically where we look for answers and are not necessarily wrong. External factors include, but are not limited to, technique, the drumset and all its gear, the music, other musicians, our musical responsibilities, self-promotion and the performance environment.
Some external factors or motivators may drive us in other ways, such as competitiveness or recognition.
However, on the road to mastery, excessive attention directed externally overshadows our more important internal aspects, which are frequently overlooked. While acknowledging the relevance of the external factors on which we generally focus, here in the present text we will deal with the development of a more dynamic and integrative internal/external connection. The task before us is to see how working with what we have inside us connects us with all that is outside. This connection, this bridge, this pipeline, enables the sharing of the currency with which we trade: our human-ness.
These external parts can become internalized. For example, the drumset becomes a transparent yet tangible part of us. Music also comes to be internalized, filtered through our intuitive and emotional selves. Over time, our priorities, responsibilities and motivations become internalized, and as a result we act of our own volition rather than for external rewards.
Some may perceive the world as ‘us and everything else’. Yet the discipline of developing our internal sensibilities dissolves the artificial boundary we’ve created between these internal and external worlds. This internal world, made up of a wide range of aspects either inherent or developed,[i] must be employed in the art and discipline of creative drumset.
The vast majority of what comprises our world is internal, whether in relation to drumming or in relation to everything else in our lives.
Through a process of inquiry, our state of being, and the convergent nature of the instrument, we transform our musicianship and discover the drumset’s potential for the development of our self-determination, well-being and self-mastery.
Let’s look at how an inquiring mindset connects our awareness with our actions. Being curious with a desire to learn leads us in our pursuit by clarifying what the questions are, and provides the practical methodology for discovery.
A process of continuous inquiry
As a creative drumset musician we stand between the evolutionary tradition of American music and the truth of our contribution. Our contribution – what we bring – is context-dependent. What we deliver is, hopefully, relevant (whether in harmony with or in contrast to) the musical and cultural context. Intuition is our guide as we strive to uncover, connect with, and propose truth amidst the push-pull of tradition and creativity.
It would be naïve to think of engaging in inquiry as simply the pursuit of a clear and decisive answer to a singular problem or question. Even if that were the case, the idea that we might arrive at a conclusion both absolute and permanent is highly unlikely, even dangerous. The real value is that the pursuit of answers, or of truth, refines our sensibilities. We learn how to think, and make infinite new discoveries along the way.
Let’s take a moment to consider the concept of truth. Somewhere between notions of absolute fact and the Postmodernist view of individual perception and limitless interpretation, we search for, rely on, create or discover diverging dimensions of truth. In our work we may encounter truth in beauty, or uncover personal truths, musical truths, or resonant truths. We may not even recognize them as such. Truths may be fleeting, with short-lived certitude; others, although less frequent, endure for generations.
The processes of inquiry we use in our work and daily life get us closer to something resembling truth if we are cognizant of our individually colored perceptions. Everything we perceive is colored and distorted by our experience, emotions and motives. We are likely not even aware of these deep-rooted influences. If we wish to see the world as it is, we must be aware of this. We must put in the personal effort to know ourselves well enough to see our world as it is. Or, risk living a life of illusion, bias, emotional reactiveness and false identity.
We work for truth in our touch, timing, phrasing, and accentuation. Musically, these basic truths help us to present and represent our place in this moment in time, within this phrase, and this cultural context. In the moment we are called upon to be a witness for and to testify on behalf of the human condition.
Being true to ourselves and living in harmony with our principles are aspects of truth. Personal, musical or resonant truths are not representative of any absolute truths or factual propositions. We encounter these types of truths at a deeper intuitive level.
Seeking, acknowledging and speaking truth can be uncomfortable and messy. We may initiate a search for understanding with only a glimpse of what shape it might take. We may not identify it until we’ve found it. When we do, whether fleeting or eternal, we must have the wisdom to recognize the resonance within. And still, what resembles truth may evolve, and may eventually be disproved.
The pursuit of truth can be blind adherence to misguided beliefs or it can take the form of open-minded, flexible inquiry. One in which we remain open to being wrong. In the pragmatism of John Dewey, we may wish to accept the fact that any kind of “inquiry, whether scientific, technical, sociological, philosophical or cultural, is self-corrective over time if openly submitted for testing by a community of inquirers in order to clarify, justify, refine and/or refute proposed truths” ("John Dewey", 1967, p. 383).
In my view it is the latter which takes place in the creation, evolution and endurance of American music. Its truth is integrated into the complex fabric of American culture, where it bonds with new relevance in the shifting dynamics of a fragile democratic ideal.
Any of us who have gone deeply into the instrument can sense that the discoveries are limitless. We find that to be committed to the drumset means to be continuously engaged with processes of inquiry and investigation.
Although at times certainty is illusive, or may be non-existent, it is the pursuit itself which brings with it many beneficial rewards, such as finer senses, imaginativeness, self-knowledge and wisdom. And in this willingness to place ourselves in the position of not knowing, of uncertainty, from the desire to grasp the unknown, creativity arises.
Our pursuit is one in which we reach, using scientific methodology, to get closer to truths framed within the context of the moment. The pursuit leads us through realms of the personal, cultural, and universal. Through our entire relationship with the instrument, the work involves intensive observation, determination, and experimentation internally and externally.
The scientific method begins with observation. We then pose a question, formulate a hypothesis that would answer that question, and finally, take steps to address the effectiveness of the hypothesis.
In the following chapters we take a deeper dive into how the processes of inquiry form the connection between our practice and the sensibilities needed for music-making.
Creative human consciousness is energized in the charged space between the acceptance of uncertainty, and an unending attempt at clearing away the perplexities which obfuscate truth. In the process of inquiry we refine our sensibilities, in service of our internal musicianship, and uncover a personal discipline for growth and mastery. The process of inquiry sharpens our capacity for reasoning, and with each careful step we hope to uncover what is more likely to be true.
In-depth musical instrument artistry is a non-linear form of inquiry. We don’t start at the origins of music and work our way to the present. Instead our journey begins from where we are, looking back to better appreciate how we got here. As in any complex pursuit of knowledge, we ask questions. We pull threads. We follow them with self-guided openness, to see where they might take us.
Through intensive, directed observation we must bore down into countless points simultaneously and continually make connections between them. These connections form a multi-dimensional latticework that informs our intuitive sense and expands as we learn.
We must formulate our own unique questions to discover our own unique answers. Observations and discoveries can take different forms. Some answers may be universally applicable, empirical in nature and easily understood. Some discoveries may be quick and easy, while others are part of personal evolution, refined over decades or a lifetime.
If we are questioning and paying attention, we may find that what we thought we once knew may no longer hold relevance. Revisiting and reassessing are essential processes which coexist with creative exploration.
Questions may be framed in countless perspectives, such as arising from within the music itself, from the culture in which it is created and through the discipline of thoughtful practice. A result of our own curiosity, our questions guide us on the path of inquiry.
Attentiveness and curiosity feed an observational mindset and initiate inquiry. It is a non-linear process requiring continuous observation, trial, and failure. Attentiveness, presence of mind, observation, mindfulness are the prerequisite for all else.
As musicians we devote great effort to achieve specific elements of skill and broad musicality through practice. Without question, making music is a complex cognitive skill which requires critical application. Behind it lies the internal cognitive work of top-down executive function used and developed through the processes of discovery. Our capacity for focus and how we use it is the vital link and is one of the main areas of focus of this book.
Once a certain level of competency is reached, we are able to make music via intuition, clarified via direct perception. In the making of music, consciousness shifts from self-critical awareness to a wider state of being. In this state, our capacities, thoughts and senses are free of directed self-criticism and may be used to their fullest. This expanded state of being is examined in the next section.
The relentless pursuit of what we believe might hold truth ought not be neglected. At times, the path of self-mastery can be an abyss replete with obstacles, frustration and fog. It is my belief that few efforts are more worthy than the pursuit of truth, regardless of whether or not any real truth can be found. Though indisputable truths may be unattainable, the perspicacity developed through the discipline of inquiry is itself of utmost value. Intensive personal investigation enhances our cognitive abilities, which, as we shall see, are the very tools by which we make creative music.
State of being
Consider for a moment, the state of being we experience when playing creative music. What are some of the primary states directly associated with creative music-making?
When the creative being-state takes over, are we not fully in the moment, present and ultra-focused? Might we describe the state as a sense of flow in how we interact with events in our field? We may experience direct perception, an un-obscured clarity of things as they are. We possess a larger field of awareness. Our attention is directed towards our intention. There is a kind of defocusing, or a broader focal range, yet our senses operate at a microscopic level. There is a powerful feeling of connection and ease while also a feeling of detachment from limitations. Self-consciousness is absent; we are not focused on outcomes or self-criticisms. We are simply in the moment, in the music.
So far, not a bad state to be in, making music or not.
The musical state of being is further characterized by a feeling of musical embodiment – we experience the instrument and the music as part of our body – giving us a sense of control and the feeling of becoming the music. There is a heightened state of listening. We are fully engaged, conversing and responding, collaborating in a human exchange with something larger than ourselves. The sense of time passing is suspended. We are pleasantly challenged by the music but are able to meet the challenges with little effort. We feel an unconscious yet immediate engagement with our touch, our ability to sculpt tone and dynamics, feel and phrasing, on the fly. Intention unites with the intuitive.
Our state of being is also a real-time reflection of our own personal, cultural and musical experience, of which our intuition is indicative. Intuition provides imaginative, creative content, reflecting our emotional state and personality, our life experience, cultural awareness, musical influences and more. It forms an inexorable narrative not only within the moment, but within the piece of music, within the performance and within the cultural context.
The moment is also characterized by the circular, immediate energy between us and the other musicians, by surprise elements within the performance, the acoustic environment and, importantly, the audience. The dialogical nature amplifies the energy of the performance.
The act of making creative music is a state of being that not only animates who and what we are, it transcends it. Music-making is a state where being and doing are directly linked. We externally manifest the internal.
There is a correlation between technical ability and the above states of being, but technique itself is not causation. Technique does not create music. When considering the states associated with making creative music, the technical aspect is but a facilitator. It enables the fluid connection with the dominant, internal, primary states of being through which we make music.
In the musical moment, our presence of mind is not directed at technique, nor should it be. The sum of the state of our being, of our music, of whom and what we are, is far more than technical ‘hardware’: technique and our neuro-muscular, motor controls. In fact, the ‘soft’ states of being, outlined above, are simply the totality of who we are.
Each one of the states we experience in the creative moment is an internal aspect of our selves. Yet these profound architectural components of our identity, of who we are, not only become evident in a creative moment but become the focal point of the music we make.
Therefore our work, (by ‘work’ I refer to nothing less than the entirety of our personal discipline), ought to emphasize the aspects of ourselves with which we make music. What we desire in our musical encounters is access to the state of being where creativity and engagement flow. We experience the merging of intention and intuition. Creation of and access to this state of being must be the primary condition of practice. Creative music-making, in its immediacy, is a state of being defined by presence, listening, intuition, musical embodiment, and responsiveness.
Let me make a slight distinction at this point. The state of being associated with creative music identified above occurs, and is required, in every creative musical performance. Much of what I describe above could be considered the ‘flow state’, the elusive state in which one’s prior experiences come together in an activity combining awareness and action, challenge and skill (Csikszentmihalyi,1990).
The flow state Csikszentmihalyi and others describe is one we hope to attain, yet is often elusive in creative music-making. We’ve all experienced it and welcome its presence in our music and in all areas of our lives.
Herein we are not consciously chasing the flow state, per se, since to do so would push it beyond our reach. Nor is our purpose here to identify and analyze the characteristics of the flow state[ii]. More important, in these pages we are tasked with creating and connecting with our internal cognitive conditions, in our thoughts, actions and expression. These conditions are conducive to clarity, attentiveness, and being fully engaged with our critical faculties and sensibilities in any creative environment or situation. In doing so, we draw out the internal dynamic within us which is conducive to living, working, and playing creative music; mindful control helps us implement a dynamic personal practice moving us to a positive state of well-being, mastery, creativity and artistry on our instrument and in other domains.
There is a distinction between the disciplines used for self-directed criticism in practice mode and the receptive, creative state we enter for music-making. However, the distinction is not as black and white as it is made out to be. Our aim is to develop the sensibilities which we require for creative music through the states of inquiry used during practice. At the same time, we must use, expand and evolve our musical sensibilities in practice. This exchange between awareness and presence significantly widens our available capacity for the cognitive interaction of all we use for music.
Our relationship with the drumset is largely defined by a combination of experience, sensibilities, intuition, reason, listening skill and technical ability, within a framework of culture, collaboration, support and leadership. Why focus solely on the technical in practice? Perhaps it is time to rethink our role in determining the level of control we have over ourselves, the instrument, the music and much more.
Convergence
Proper use of the tools of inquiry in our practice can dramatically enhance the cognitive states for creative music making. We don’t use external tricks or techniques to do so – the tools lie entirely within us.
To use the tools of inquiry deliberately is the conscious choice to fully connect, in the present moment, all the parts of ourselves with the continuous exchange of observation, questioning, discernment, experimentation, participation and more observation. Our conscious participation in the discipline of practice is unlike the customary view that practice consists solely of repetition. To be engaged during practice is to be engaged during music. Simply put, it is to care.
What lies in the gap between the drumset and the creation of music? We do. Who are we? The complex sum of who we are goes well beyond the physical body. We are so much more than that. Who and what we are exceeds the limitations of the physical.
If we look beyond our physical makeup, we see that our internal world makes up the vast majority of who we are. Beyond the body, we are our experiences, intellect and intuition. We are our instincts, emotions and motives. We are our identity, our principles and our sensibilities, our responsibilities, relationships and actions. We are possibility. In addition, who and what we are is in a constant state of renewal. It is through the real-time interplay of these infinite combinations and characteristics; it is via the convergence of all that we are that we connect with culture, music and the drumset.
Although the drumset appears to be the final vehicle for the deliverance of this exchange, it is not the primary player in the game. Ultimately, we are the instrument which must be mastered. We don’t achieve mastery by some kind of magic. It doesn’t happen automatically. We must bring to bear all we are. Our role is hardly a passive one; we are simultaneously the instrument of observation and the subject – the observer and the observed.
Themes of unification, or convergence, inherent in the drumset play out in several dimensions. Details we may perceive as separate can be thought of as one.
Principles of convergence
- lie naturally within us – it is a natural desire to live harmoniously
- manifest in our interface with the instrument. Creative musicianship, and drumming in particular, makes use of all parts of who we are
- are embodied within the instrument itself – in its origins and formation, as well as the diversity it represents through its place within the culture at large, and
- hold the potential for a broader sense of unity – a life of meaning, well-being and connectedness.
These principles of convergence are explored in Chapter 10, Collective Purpose.
Directing our conscious awareness cultivates a personal discipline which integrates all we are. Awakening our ability to think, we feel and act more holistically. The discipline is not limited to the drumset or to music-making. When this discipline synchronizes with our entire selves, it permeates and arches over all of our behavior, influencing all we think, say and do.
I suspect each one of us is determined, through great personal effort, to bring together the complex parts of who we are in the pursuit of musical truths. For it is nothing less than this harmonious and ragtag collection of self that we summon and present to the musical moment.
The complete assembly of the individual internal aspects of who we are is far greater than the sum of the parts. Our consciousness is an assemblage, a pointedness of being; a presence which elevates and transcends the limitations of each part.
It is a beautiful thing when all the parts of ourselves convene in the midst of a performance. The experience is one of effortless fluidity, of total immersion in the moment; the music and the body, time and space, resonate harmonically, radiating high-vibrational energy. Everything flows effortlessly.
For most of us, the coming together and unification of our entire being doesn’t happen by itself. It is a practice we must be mindful of each and every day. The convergence of all we are within the context of a creative performance is no small matter. Creating the internal conditions for this convergence to happen naturally and continuously ought to be a priority.
One aspect of bringing about the unification of the internal parts of who we are is to break down the partitions which needlessly separate the external parts of our lives. Many of us tend to compartmentalize and create unnecessary distinctions between aspects of our lives, fabricating divisions between personal, family, and profession. We may even have several cultural, social or political identities. Juggling separate lives seems like a kind of insanity.
The aim here is to bring about the complete unification of the complex parameters of which we, the drum set, the music, and our environment intersect. Through this integration we are able to add value. We become a positive force for good, are compassionate, and act for the well-being of ourselves and all things. Each one of us has the opportunity to artfully bring together and unite these divided parts, whether internal and external, in creating a life in which connectedness, ability, service and independence convene.
Doing so is truly life as art.
This organic holistic alchemical integration takes disciplined effort and time. However, this noble worthy endeavor has the potential to transcend our thoughts, beliefs, and words, to transform our actions, habits and values.
Let’s explore ways in which these foundations for self-determination, authenticity and convergence are present in the drums. We will examine how each leads us not only to playing better but can also contribute to a life of well-being and self-mastery.
The benefits of positive cognitive development and personal discipline which result from musical instrument study (Hille & Schupp, 2013) can be realized through most any instrument, and radiate abundantly from the drumset. The instrument itself is a catalyst for connecting ourselves with the world around us. It is a bridge to self-knowledge. Via the personal disciplines established through our practice, we act of our own volition to hone and polish musical ability. Yet it is the honing and polishing of our sensibilities arising from these personal disciplines which are of the most value, musical or otherwise.
Sustained music participation on almost any level, from childhood band or private lessons to a lifetime devoted to music, cultivates many positive personal characteristics. As one goes deeper into creative and improvisational music and masters their instrument, the skill set expands in even more practical ways.[iii]
Research into how music-listening affects the brain is the most prevalent, followed by the benefits of musical instrument study in children, as well as in classically trained professionals. While the cognitive enhancements of music study are well known and widely accepted, for our purposes we are more interested in the ways in which the cognitive benefits of creative music-making, in other words improvisational, can enhance and broaden our capacities in several areas.
For example, improvising musicians have been shown to possess higher than average problem-solving skills (Kleinmintz, Goldstein, Mayseless, Abecasis, & Shamay-Tsoory, 2014). Improvisation fosters divergent thinking – the ability to see many possible answers – as well as convergent thinking – the ability to find the most appropriate answer.
In general, drummers are typically self-motivated learners. Combined with the convergent nature of the instrument outlined above, we have the opportunity and are more likely to recognize connectedness.
When asked why they play the drumset, the most common answer is because it’s fun. Besides the fun, we may also notice playing drums shares similar personal benefits with other instruments, such as it is cathartic, therapeutic, inspiring. Drumming challenges us to be our present best within a positive context. It provides the opportunity for self-guided pursuit of excellence, and a real sense of connectedness with something larger than we are.
For many of us, we play because we must. Like eating and sleeping, I cannot imagine a life without it. Over time we develop a positive inseparable relationship with the instrument. It becomes a part of us. It fully belongs to us. It provides a medium by which we connect with ourselves by connecting with others.
The musician’s journey typically gets underway before the age of 12, usually between the ages of 7 and 12. Instruments such as piano and strings are commonly suggested by parents and/or teachers. The reasons for choosing particular instruments vary, and can be inspired by practical concerns with regards to parental preference, instrument availability, family economics, space, social status and personal choice.
Electing to play the drums is typically a choice made by the kids themselves. This is an early indication of independence and self-direction. Being driven to create what is theirs alone and being allowed to make their own choice is a significant turning point in a young person’s independent development.
Music instrument study fosters self-efficacy, the belief in one’s own capacity for effectiveness, and self-determination, the sense of control one has over their own destiny. This self-direction plays a key role in the development of intrinsic motivation and positive cognitive development (Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991).
This degree of independence, or autonomy, is the ability to work on one’s own, to follow one’s own set of rules without the need for direction or supervision from a higher authority.
Drumming is a self-directed, self-initiated, autonomous activity. It involves making an infinite number of connections, and inspires us to keep learning and growing. In the music, drummers are simply given more leeway in providing exactly what the music needs. There usually aren’t charts to follow and seldom is there detailed instruction regarding what to play, though at times this would be useful. In creative musical situations, intuition can outperform chops.
Allowing for guided autonomous exploration at a young age encourages positive cognitive and character development, yet produces positive results at any age. Learning that is self-initiated, with timely guidance, creates self-efficacious individuals capable of personal responsibility. In addition, the process of discovery develops imagination, builds skills in problem-solving, reasoning, risk-taking and assessment. Importantly, self-guided learning establishes the self-efficacy, the internal belief we can take on challenges and succeed. It improves spatial-temporal reasoning, conceptual comprehension, and flexible use of knowledge.
These factors, embedded within our relationship with the drumset, build the critical-thinking skills we need to face adversity and challenges. The skills we develop are not so much answers as they are flexible problem-solving skills applicable across multiple domains.
Individuals who are intrinsically motivated – are driven to work by their own curiosity – have increased conceptual and critical thinking skills and are therefore well-positioned for self-learning. Being intrinsically motivated is intertwined with autonomous exploration, and can be effective when a substantial degree of discovery and personal responsibility are allowed from a young age.
Learning through exploration allows us to see the connectedness of the world, to know how to find multiple answers in a variety of circumstances instead of simply knowing a singular ‘right’ answer. Self-motivated learners learn not simply a ‘correct’ or expected answer, but develop unique skills for solving problems. In the process we learn the value of a thing, not simply its price. Problem-solving is not a matter of simply knowing, but is the ability to identify patterns within complex behavior and to apply knowledge in a flexible manner, in a way that is contextually appropriate.
Intuition, self-reflection and reason, creativity and collaboration, these are the unique attributes of what make us human. Collectively, it is our capacity for abstract thought which enables us to go beyond the information given (Bruner, 1973).
The cognitive skills enhanced by the discipline of drumset study are among the most important and desirable attributes for growth, development, and maturity, attributes which shape a person’s character.[iv] The more mentally engaging and stimulating activity we subject ourselves to, the more our capacity for connections is increased.
Regardless of age we play drums because of its unparalleled fun while implicitly acknowledging we are on a path of continuous improvement through deliberate effort. The implication is to devote a certain amount of time and effort to the path of self-improvement. The love of playing increases as a result of our efforts. This we know from experience. The more we give, the more it gives back, which inspires more intrinsic effort. This simple cycle describes what we consider to be talent: the inclination to work hard at what we love.
Simply playing the drums we feel a sense of well-being and self-improvement. We recognize the self-engendered personal growth arising from playing and practicing. It holds many positive benefits, lets us express emotional content and connect with others while being true to ourselves. It is not surprising that young players who have made their own choice to play the drums remain committed to it over their lifetime. It simply has so much to offer.
The exploration related to creative musical instrument study, in particular the autonomous nature of the drumset, establishes a discipline which cultivates a desire to bring out the best of ourselves while in service of others. Drumming is a personal investment in authenticity, done simply for the joy of doing it. The return on this investment belongs entirely to us, and can be re-invested in pathways near and far, bringing about further growth.
Creative drummers – naturally curious with an aptitude for experimentation – take calculated risks and learn from failure. All of these are part of learning how to think and building a direct connection with intuition.
Drummers are typically self-reliant while also the ones who build bridges, and are demonstrably diplomatic. It is time to put to rest the tired, negative, Euro-centric stereotypes of drummers as non-musicians. As master recording engineer Steve Albini says, “Generally speaking, if there’s a smart guy and three dumb guys in a band, the smart guy’s the drummer” (Albini, 2005).
Our role in learning and in the development of our sensibilities
Within the complex mix of what constitutes our sound, touch is the secret sauce which contributes the essential expressive component to all the choices we make. A valued characteristic of our musicality, touch shares a direct link to our sense of hearing and listening. Touch, or the lack of it, reflects our inner state. How we touch the instrument conveys the tone by which our music is felt and heard. Touch connects what’s inside us with those outside us – the other musicians, the audience, etc.
Our touch is emblematic of the level at which we are able to hear. It is also linked to our sensibilities – our capacity for sensing the world around us – and forms a bridge between our precepts and our humanity. How well we make this connection depends on whether our sensibilities are adequate to the task.
‘Adequate’, you say?
The concept of adaequatio, or adequateness, states “the understanding of the knower must be adequate to the thing to be known” (Schumacher, A guide for the perplexed, 1977, p. 39). But before we resign our efforts and give in to an idea of pre-determined fate, we ought to realize our capacity for mastery, for sensing, for being, can be expanded. No matter how limited our sensibilities may be at any given time, it is not a static condition. With training, our sensibilities become significantly sharper, finer, and perceptive. This is a continuous effort.
As a friend once said, “you can’t know what you don’t know”. To which I replied, “yes, that’s right. But you can learn!”
Although what we perceive at any given time is in no way all there is, our attempts to see what we don’t know help to illuminate the darkness ahead. The degree to which we sense, and make sense of, the world around us is limited, at least in part, by our own desire to do so.
This is where we must step up our game.
In relating and understanding the world around us, our pursuit of truth is is colored by experience, motive and emotion. We have a complex web of resources, a priori, by which we can go beyond the information given, to go beyond the filters which accompany experience, motives and emotions. These human attributes [v] are conscious efforts – choices – rather than a baseline state in which we act unconsciously. When taken mindfully in the present moment, we are able to rise above a functional understanding of our world an transcend our human condition.
When we are cognitively engaged in the careful re-examination and reassessment of our biases, we can extend the range of possibility and sharpen our senses. Simply having an awareness of what we don’t know helps us make flexible use of our present sensibilities. It guides us in the direction of our interests. Combined with an acute awareness of the present, seeing how much we don’t know clarifies a path of inquiry toward comprehension and creativity. We move from a simple functional engagement with our world to one of possibility.
In balancing an awareness of the limitations of our understanding, we must also recognize the wisdom in our maturity. This is to not only see what we don’t know, but to acknowledge what we do. The usefulness of our experience, degrees of certainty, provides the starting point from which we explore the unknown. The present is the culmination of our past. Experience, at the very least, frames a network of information through which we are able to function and survive. What’s more, the task before us here is to go beyond these experiences in the present to create our future; to transcend a state of mere function to one of imagination, creativity and growth.
In the present moment, how we work, specifically how we direct ourselves, defines the outcomes which result from our work. While it may be obvious, the depth of engagement we have with the music and with the drumset is an important relevant point. It defines our personal success as musicians.
What we ultimately bring to the musical moment is all we are. Practice that. Practice the aspects of ourselves we use to make music.
If we practice rudiments as tools separate from the flow of music, what results is the ability to play rudiments separate from music. Similarly, working solely on technique will result in a way of playing originating in technique. And so on.
This text is certainly not advocating against the important study of technique or rudimental vocabulary. The aim is to strengthen and intensify the degree of cognitive engagement we have with the entire act of playing. Well beyond the minimum of simply ‘showing up’, we must develop and integrate the sharpness of our cognition in practicing the technical, and engage with it.
It’s essential that we learn the technical and physical aspects of the instrument. But there is so much more to it than that. To play creative music well it is important that we actively develop the sensibilities by which we make music: our sensibilities for listening, imagining; to be disciplined and to let go; to be present, to expand our communicative and collaborative sense. Be supportive, intuitive and creative. Mix logic, experience, language, and cultural awareness.
Practicing in a way in which we are cognitively engaged refines the full range of the intellectual senses[vi], those not limited to the bodily senses alone.
Responsibility
For more than 100 years, American music and its diversity of influences has been and must continue to be the primary teacher for drumset players.
Historically, the drumset has been the primary carrier for the rich culture that makes our music unique. Since music is an aural tradition, listening is the most natural way to learn, to build vocabulary and intuition.
We are lucky to have available countless great books of exercises, rudimental vocabulary and approaches, with others providing clear guidance in accenting, phrasing and soloing. But most of them have two characteristics in common: they are well-removed from musical context, and most of them neglect the importance of our role in the process.
A notable exception is Bob Moses’ book Drum Wisdom (1984). Drum Wisdom offers opportunities for drummers to make real musical connections. The text is both immediate and effective in the way it directly connects the player with the reality of creating music. It doesn’t so much ‘teach’ but provides the drummer with pathways to their own development.
Music is music. It can best be internalized as the aural experience that it is. Text, on the other hand, whether in the form of the written word or notation, is inherently problematic in assimilating the complexities of American music. Textual representation of music instills the notion that music is outside of us, and we must operate this machinery in such a way as to give voice to this text. This way of thinking emphasizes the external.
Perhaps this is why improvisation is a problem for so many musicians. Too much verbal or visual communication of music can and does reduce the experience to technical knowledge alone. Verbal or textual communication of an aural tradition mistakenly presents the technical as the main, sometimes the sole component of the art form. This is a disappointing misstep in the learning of the instrument.
There are many great books for drummers which share the rhythmic systems and language of various cultures. As accompanying guides to the music, they are essential for deciphering the sophisticated rhythmic architecture of the music of India, Central America, Brazil and West Africa; as well as funk syncopations, jazz comping and phrasing arising from America’s diverse rhythmic traditions. Gaining understanding in these areas goes a long way in providing the substance of what to play and what to practice.
With rhythmic language books for example, we can familiarize ourselves with the essential foundation, clave. We can learn fundamental complex rhythmic variations of the Caribbean region, for example, and although many are based on the 3-3-2 universal rhythmic pulsation, they are remarkably diverse.
As useful as the books are however, we also must deeply immerse ourselves in the music.
More than copping patterns and licks from a page, we must immerse ourselves in the music to assimilate the rhythms, variations, and complex interpretations. We may begin by playing examples from a book, but our work requires that ‘patterns’ be integrated into useable, malleable vocabulary and feeling. We absorb the flow, the contours, the emotional waves and turns-of-phrase which make up the music’s emotive aspects.
This deep internalizing enables embellishment, interpretation and creative improvisation in a culturally relevant expressive context. Through deep exploration and real connection we absorb the individual, personal interpretations of the countless musicians who’ve lived the music their whole lives. In doing so, we elevate our intuitive skills.
We mustn’t be entirely focused on external aspects. Instead, actively develop strategies which combine the external and internal. Incorporate creativity as a natural state of being.
Regarding the internal aspects, books generally offer little if any guidance on how to approach practice, or how to set about doing the work. It seems as if ‘we’ are the elephant in the room that goes un-acknowledged and underutilized. When communicating technical aspects of drumming, the individuals studying the music often lose sight of their own crucial role.
Videos can make it easier to demonstrate specific techniques, but learning is still critically limited to the technical. The visual component tends to emphasize the external aspects of playing. There is less attention to listening, internalizing, and the work of self-observation necessary for recognizing and solving problems as they come up. For many, the visual eclipses the audible.
In addition, we may sometimes find conflicting, inaccurate or incomplete information in the videos. The lyric, “video killed the radio star” (Horn, Downes, & Woolley, 1979), was prophetic in demonstrating the power of the visual to diminish the aural.
The overwhelming and pervasive amount of books, videos, clinics and instruction websites focusing on the technical aspects of playing drums leads one to assume technique is the primary ingredient, the one component we must master.
As a result we place too much emphasis on the externals, the ‘what’ part of practice, not on our own role in the entire process: the ‘how’.
Instead we must take the reins and exercise mental discipline and flexibility for learning. We must devise strategies for recognition, assimilation, alteration and application – the creative process. Within the work itself, we must learn to think critically, how to find and solve problems, and cultivate divergent thinking for creativity.
We may not, at times, have all the answers but with a holistic perspective and mindset we can develop pathways for where and how to look for them. The discipline which follows encourages and challenges us to work mindfully, to walk our own path, to uncover our own essential truths. Not for the sole purpose of reaching a destination, but to also make essential discoveries along the way.
Well beyond the minimal repeating of patterns, our responsibility in the process is to use and develop our cognitive, intuitive and creative capabilities to their fullest.
Frequently we face specific musical challenges requiring us to explore more deeply. Avenues of development may require focusing time on the practice of subsets derived from a main idea or song. We may feel such deviations slow us down, or we may tell ourselves we need not learn something so deeply. In fact, going deeper is precisely what we need to do.
The attentiveness used to bore down deeply expands our cognitive potential and allows for connections across a broad range. It’s the difference between playing something correctly vs. making it sound and feel really good.
Attentiveness itself is the prime component we must master. Short-term gains, the lick or pattern we develop, are not the only benefit. The sharpened senses and skills resulting from such attention are more broadly applicable and hold tremendous value.
A large part of learning includes knowing which questions to ask. The process of deconstructing exposes the hidden essentials of function. In doing so, we not only expose the hidden elements of our outer world, but of ourselves, too. Deconstruction, or retrograde analysis, is an essential component of improvisational practice. Done with contextual awareness, it lets us make connections as to how individual aspects are put together and why.
Asking, ‘what if’ ought to be a regular part of how we think. With context-based learning we make the vital connection between creativity and technique. Form follows naturally from a deeper appreciation of function.
Practice and playing music makes possible an artful pursuit of essential truths within the context of now. This now is the moment in which we create change through action. The present is where we create the future. Being present in the moment is the heart of the creative tradition. We let ourselves be fully present, with clarity of perception unclouded by past or future affairs. The now allows space for us to take action in creating something we think might hold truth.
Our work cannot be regarded as simply a journey toward a destination. The path is rich with opportunities for growth along the way.
At times it can be difficult to gauge one’s own progress with any certainty. But for what purpose must we measure ourselves in this way? No matter what our skill level or accomplishments, whether we subscribe to the notion of innate talent or hard work or both, we still wish and need to work each and every day at being our own best.
Among the many conditions embedded within the fun of playing drums we find freedom, independence, discipline and personal connection. The discipline shows us that the work we do within us creates the change we wish to see. This is of the most value in connecting with our own resonant truths in the external and internal realms.
In the next chapter, we examine the demands and expectations placed upon the drummer, and in the chapter on Practice, we’ll dig deep to develop strategies which expand our sensibilities. We will discover by being fully present in our daily practice, we can uncover the internal skills to excel in any situation, in our own way and with our own voice. It’s our responsibility.
Expanded notes from the text above:
[i] Internal aspects of creative musicianship:
- Reasoning
- Listening
- Motor control
- Experience
- Intuition
- Mindfulness
- Autonomy
- Competence
- Music
- Connectedness
- Humor
- Attention
- Choice
- Beliefs
- Feelings
- Touch
- Intentions
- Discipline
- Feel
- Dynamics
- Ideas
- Creativity
- Imagination
- Knowledge
- Comprehension
- Problem-finding
- Problem-solving
- Divergent thinking
- Convergent thinking
- Interpretation
- Truth or bias
- Prioritizing
- Consciousness
- Self-awareness
- Aspirations
- Empathy
- Compassion
- Sensibilities
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Diplomacy
- Style
- Originality
- Intelligence
- Maturity
- Internal motivation
- Enculturation
- Musical embodiment
- Relatedness
- Practice
- Emotion
- Musical assimilation
- Cognition
- Curiosity
- Inquiry
- Experimentation
- Improvisation
- Influences
- Peers & predecessors
- Bravery
- Technical skill
[ii] Conditions which contribute to the likelihood of reaching a sense of ‘flow’ in action:
- Curiosity – When we are genuinely curious we act of our own volition to explore possibility.
- Passion – With passion we are driven to overcome obstacles more easily.
- Concentration – Deep concentration lets us penetrate the moment and engage more deeply.
- Intuition – This vast resource connects our experience and gut sense with the moment to act.
- Challenge slightly above – Reaching slightly out of the comfort zone we are more attentive.
- Autonomy – We are in the driver’s seat, responsible and in control.
- Risk (creative, cultural, physical, financial): Risk helps us suss out creative ideas, learn to assess. We are more invested in them. Improvisation often involves some degree of risk.
- Uncertainty – We get comfortable with not knowing. This is where creativity lies.
- The act is demanding – Acts which demand that we rise to the challenge sharpen our sensibilities.
- Pattern recognition – We focus on intricate details, mindful of the big picture, the context.
- Deep listening – The heart is attuned to the moment via compassionate listening.
- Group collaboration – We work individually for a collective purpose, exchanging energy.
- In control – Physical, emotional, intellectual, intuitive – effortless mastery.
- Trust in communication – We feel at ease in opening to and sharing our creative ideas.
- Contribute positively and creatively – We have a sense that our purpose is meaningful and useful.
- Failure – Unintended outcomes are fertile ground.
[iii] Personal Qualities learned from Drumming and Improvised Music (many are qualities unmeasurable by traditional academic testing)
The creative drummer’s unique skill set:
- Conscientiousness
- Intrinsic motivation
- Set goals, develop strategies
- Conceptual thinking
- Divergent thinking
- Spatial reasoning
- Personal independence
- Personal responsibility
- Personal accountability
- Autonomy
- Experiential learning
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Imagination
- Creativity
- Self-discipline
- Listening skills
- Collaboration
- Self-awareness
- Self-criticism
- Self-efficacy
- Cope with success and/or failure
- Ambition
- Cultural capital
- Science
- Physics
- History
- Cultural awareness
- Diversity
- Social justice
- Equality
- Personal achievement
- Personal identity
- Self-determination
- Adaptability/flexibility
- Support others
- Personal integrity
- Communication
- Freedom / responsibility
- Diplomacy
- Increased cognitive capacity
- Mental focus/clarity
- Mindfulness / being present
- Physical self-control
- Leadership
- Reliability
- Humor
- Self-motivation
- Curiosity
- Persistence
- Awareness of how much there is to learn
- Empathy
- Determination
- Core values / principles
- Compassion
- Courage
- Sense of beauty
- Aesthetic sensibility
- Failure / opportunity
- Humility
- Resourcefulness
- Perspective-taking
- Perseverance
- Self-reflection
[iv] Cognitive refinements simultaneously used and developed in deliberate practice, music-making and in daily life:
- DEVELOPING SENSIBILITIES: LISTENING, AWARENESS, MINDFULNESS, PRESENCE, INTUITION, GRATITUDE, EQUANIMITY: receptivity, open to receive, allowing space for others, for different perspectives, for new ideas; accept something new, allow for difference; assessment, discernment, listen for fine details, able to see the big picture; trusting instincts; recognize the difference between an object or event in isolation vs in its context or arrangement; hearing subtle differences as a result of making changes to what we are doing; initiate and enhance positive harmonic resonance; diplomacy, service to others; being thankful, having all that we need, the end of desire; happiness is the path not the goal; cessation of blame; no longer feeling a victim; awareness that all is in a state of change; live in the present moment; engaged with living; conscious choices; holistic mindset; non-judgmental awareness; observing distractions, returning to the center; meditation; clarity; recognizing, uncovering; perspective-taking; empathy; awareness of how our actions might affect others; perceptive capacities; direct perception; wisdom; humility; allow space to be; neutrality; compassion; share knowledge and experience; work for justice and education.
- IMAGINATION: POTENTIAL, POSSIBILITIES: discovery, wonder, excitement of learning; following an organic path of curiosity; design thinking; combining, uncovering, exploring Nature, understanding basic laws of physics; having a scientific/intuitive mind, testing theories; awareness of design, form, function, composition; collaboration; get out of comfort zones, reaching, asking “what if?”; autonomy; making space for playfulness; de-clutter your life; release tension & burdensome emotions; modulations; unearthing; renewal; educing; removing layers, educe; insight; applied knowledge; avoid cynicism.
- DISCIPLINE: MENTAL / PHYSICAL SELF-CONTROL: choosing right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood; acting not out of fear; having convictions for well-being which resonate beyond our sphere; seeing things as they are, undistorted by emotion or motive; organizing our time to focus on what’s most important; conscious choices for health & well-being, for ourselves and the world; ability to focus, choosing where to direct attention; conservation; transmutation of energy; polishing; immersion; coaxing; living fully; patience;
- Discipline: according to and apply to
- Determination / Perseverance: working each day at what we love because it is the work itself which gives us the greatest pleasure; going beyond ‘hope’, setting goals, attending to details, solving problems, assessing risk, taking chances, doing the work of preparation; prioritizing, making choices, eliminating drains on resources; failure; failure as opportunity; taking action; acting in spite of fear and baggage; being the change; personal responsibility; action in the ‘now’; cannot wait for ideal conditions to act;
- Diligence
- Integrity: actions align with our principles and values.
- INTELLIGENCE: REASONING, PROBLEM SPOTTING AND PROBLEM SOLVING, DISCERNMENT, KNOWLEDGE, TRUTH: critical thinking; questioning; understanding of basic principles of physics; living harmoniously with Nature; reasoning from the ground up; not reasoning by analogy; making connections; transferrable intellectual skillset; gaining knowledge, practicing discernment; scientific reasoning; testing hypotheses; trial & error; doing something for a reason; taking alternate perspectives with the goal of getting closer to Truth; truth as continuous evolution; knowledge pertaining to one’s field; cross-disciplinary relationships; seeing the connectedness of all things; not putting ideas or information in boxes; an openness to learn; applying knowledge for positive results; using knowledge selflessly, for the good of all; non-linear problem-solving.
- PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION
- Alchemy: the discovery and polishing of our rough selves to a more pure state
- Diligence; Continual Sensory Development: challenge self; evaluate; answers easily found; direct perception; wisdom;
[v] Enhanced perceptive capacity:
- Disposition for learning
- Curiosity
- Imagination
- Reasoning & logic
- Intuition
- Listening
- Discovery
- Wisdom
- Conceptual thought
- Collaboration
- Inference
- Critical thinking
- Creative enterprise
- Mindfulness
- Uncertainty, operating outside comfort zone
- Challenging our own perceptions
- Questioning
- Scientific method
- Experimentation
- Ability to generate both divergent & convergent ideas
- Question our assumptions
- Failure
- Neuroplasticity
- Ability to change when new info is presented
- Extrapolate
[vi] Senses bodily, intellectual and intuitive:
- Sight
- Touch
- Taste
- Smell
- Hearing
- Time
- Distance
- Temperature
- Direction
- Balance and symmetry
- Pressure
- Rhythm
- Harmony
- Moisture/wetness
- Tension
- Pain
- Proprioception
- Itch
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Compassion
- Beauty
- Sense of right and wrong
- Humor
- Sense of proportion, fairness and justice
- Intuition
- Gut / the GI-brain connection
- Order
- The free flow of energy
- Efficiency
- Common sense
Thanks for reading.
-- Brett F. Campbell, 2021
References
(1967). "John Dewey". In P. Edwards (Ed.), Encyclopedia of philosophy Vol. 2 (Vol. 2, p. 383). New York: MacMillan.
Albini, S. (2005). Drum mic clinic. TapeOpCon. New Orleans. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/FvLuP4Kya8U
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper and Row.
Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan. (1991). Motivation and education: The self-determination perspective. Educational psychologist, 26 (3&4), 325-346.
Hille, A., & Schupp, J. (2013). How learning a musical instrument affects the development of skills. SOEP Papers on Multidisiplinary Panel Data Research.
Horn, T., Downes, G., & Woolley, B. (Composers). (1979). Video killed the radio star. [The Buggles, Performer] London, England.
Kleinmintz, O. M., Goldstein, P., Mayseless, N., Abecasis, D., & Shamay-Tsoory, S. G. (2014). Expertise in musical improvisation and creativity: The mediation of idea evaluation. PLOS|One. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101568
Moses, B. (1984). Drum wisdom. Cedar Grove, New Jersey: Modern Drummer Publications.
Schumacher, E. F. (1977). A guide for the perplexed. New York: Harper Perennial.
Addendum for Chapter One
[i] Some of the internal aspects which constitute our musicianship:
- Reasoning
- Listening
- Motor control
- Experience
- Intuition
- Mindfulness
- Autonomy
- Competence
- Music
- Connectedness
- Humor
- Attention
- Choice
- Beliefs
- Feelings
- Touch
- Intentions
- Discipline
- Feel
- Dynamics
- Ideas
- Creativity
- Imagination
- Knowledge
- Understanding
- Problem-finding
- Problem-solving
- Divergent thinking
- Convergent thinking
- Interpretation
- Truth or bias
- Prioritizing
- Consciousness
- Self-awareness
- Aspirations
- Empathy
- Compassion
- Sensibilities
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Diplomacy
- Style
- Originality
- Intelligence
- Maturity
- Internal motivation
- Enculturation
- Musical embodiment
- Relatedness
- Competence
- Practice
- Emotion
- Musical assimilation
- Cognitive skills
- Inquiry
- Experimentation
- Improvisation
- Influences
- Peers & predecessors
- Bravery
- Technical skill
[ii] Personal Qualities learned from Drumming and Improvised Music (not measured by testing)
The creative drummer’s unique skill set:
- Conscientiousness
- Intrinsic motivation
- Set goals, develop strategies
- Conceptual thinking
- Divergent thinking
- Spatial reasoning
- Personal independence
- Personal responsibility
- Personal accountability
- Autonomy
- Experiential learning
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Imagination
- Creativity
- Self-discipline
- Listening skills
- Collaboration
- Self-awareness
- Self-criticism
- Self-efficacy
- Cope with success and/or failure
- Ambitious
- Cultural capital
- Science
- Physics
- History
- Cultural awareness
- Diversity
- Social justice
- Equality
- Personal achievement
- Personal identity
- Self-determination
- Adaptability/flexibility
- Support others
- Personal integrity
- Communication
- Freedom / responsibility
- Diplomacy
- Increased cognitive capacity
- Mental focus/clarity
- Mindfulness
- Physical self-control
- Leadership
- Reliability
- Humor
- Self-motivation
- Curiosity
- Persistence
- Awareness of how much there is to learn
- Empathy
- Determination
- Core values
- Compassion
- Courage
- Sense of beauty
- Aesthetic sensibility
- Failure / opportunity
- Humility
- Resourcefulness
- Perspective-taking
- Perseverance
- Self-reflection
- Being present
[iii] Cognitive refinements simultaneously used and developed in deliberate practice, music-making and in daily life:
- DEVELOPING SENSIBILITIES: LISTENING, AWARENESS, MINDFULNESS, PRESENCE, INTUITION, GRATITUDE, EQUANIMITY: receptivity, open to receive, allowing space for others, for different perspectives, for new ideas; accept something new, allow for difference; assessment, discernment, listen for fine details, able to see the big picture; trusting instincts; recognize the difference between an object or event in isolation vs its context or arrangement; hearing subtle differences as a result of making changes to what we are doing; initiate and enhance positive harmonic resonance; diplomacy, service to others; being thankful, having all that we need, the end of desire; happiness is the path not the goal; cessation of blame; no longer feeling a victim; awareness that all is in a state of change; live in the present moment; engaged with living; conscious choices; holistic mindset; non-judgmental awareness; observing distractions, returning to the center; meditation; clarity; recognizing, uncovering; perspective-taking; empathy; awareness of how our actions might affect others; perceptive capacities; direct perception; wisdom; humility; allow space to be; neutrality; compassion; share knowledge and experience; work for justice and education;
- IMAGINATION: POTENTIAL, POSSIBILITIES: discovery, wonder, excitement of learning; following an organic path of curiosity; combining, uncovering, exploring Nature, understanding basic laws of physics; having a scientific/intuitive mind, testing theories; awareness of design, form, function, composition; collaboration; get out of comfort zones, reaching, asking “what if?”; autonomy; making space for playfulness; de-clutter your life; release tension & burdensome emotions; modulations; unearthing; renewal; educing; removing layers; insight; applied knowledge;
- DISCIPLINE: MENTAL / PHYSICAL SELF-CONTROL: choosing right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, not out of fear; having moral convictions which resonate beyond our sphere; seeing things as they are, undistorted by emotion or motive; organizing our time to focus on what’s most important; conscious choices for health & well-being, for ourselves and the world; ability to focus, choosing where to direct attention; conservation; transmutation of energy; polishing; immersion; coaxing; living fully; patience;
- Discipline: according to and apply to
- Determination / Perseverance: working each day at what we love because it is the work itself which gives us the greatest pleasure; going beyond ‘hope’, setting goals, attending to details, solving problems, assessing risk, taking chances, doing the work of preparation; prioritizing, making choices, eliminating drains on resources; failure; failure as opportunity; taking action; being the change; personal responsibility; action in the ‘now’; cannot wait for ideal conditions to act;
- Diligence
- Integrity
- INTELLIGENCE: REASONING, PROBLEM SPOTTING AND PROBLEM SOLVING, DISCERNMENT, KNOWLEDGE, TRUTH: critical thinking; questioning; understanding of basic principles of physics; living harmoniously with Nature; reasoning from the ground up; not reasoning by analogy; gaining knowledge, practicing discernment; scientific reasoning; testing hypotheses; trial & error; doing something for a reason; taking alternate perspectives with the goal of getting closer to Truth; truth as continuous evolution; knowledge pertaining to one’s field; cross-disciplinary relationships; seeing the connectedness of all things; not putting ideas or information in boxes; an openness to learn; applying knowledge for positive results; using knowledge selflessly, for the good of all; non-linear problem-solving
- PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION
- Alchemy:
- Diligence; Continual Sensory Development: challenge self; evaluate; answers easily found; direct perception; wisdom;
[iv] Senses bodily, intellectual and intuitive:
- Sight
- Touch
- Taste
- Smell
- Hearing
- Time
- Distance
- Temperature
- Direction
- Balance and symmetry
- Pressure
- Rhythm
- Harmony
- Moisture/wetness
- Tension
- Pain
- Proprioception
- Itch
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Compassion
- Beauty
- Sense of right and wrong
- Humor
- Sense of proportion, fairness and justice
- Intuition
- Gut / the GI-brain connection
- Order
- The free flow of energy
- Efficiency
- Common sense
Email addresses will never be shared.
Copyright © 2012-2023 Drummer's Insight. All rights reserved.
Text or images on this site may not be copied, reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior written consent of the author.
Text or images on this site may not be copied, reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior written consent of the author.