6 years of playing - have i lost my way?

JT1

Silver Member
Hi everyone i've been playing drums for about 6 years now and i feel like i've hit a bench and i don't even think i'm very good, a lot of people say i am the best in the area but i honestly don't think i'm that good. I play decently in a band however when i'm jamming at home i really think my playing sucks and i'm so impatient that i can't be bothered to learn anything new like rudiments and things. It's frustrating. I guess what i want to ask people is, are you good in a band but not particularly good playing on your own? Are you good playing along to music but not so good just jamming to yourself? I feel after 6 years i should be a lot better and it's getting me down. It would be nice to know if someone feels the same way.
 
Well I think, the longer you have been playing drums, the harder it is to get better. I mean, its like, in your first week you can start playing some cool rock beats. But as you keep goin, the progress seems way slower. You just gotta keep goin, and know that you are getting better. Hope that helps and pardon ma english
 
Hi everyone i've been playing drums for about 6 years now and i feel like i've hit a bench and i don't even think i'm very good, a lot of people say i am the best in the area but i honestly don't think i'm that good. I play decently in a band however when i'm jamming at home i really think my playing sucks and i'm so impatient that i can't be bothered to learn anything new like rudiments and things. It's frustrating. I guess what i want to ask people is, are you good in a band but not particularly good playing on your own? Are you good playing along to music but not so good just jamming to yourself? I feel after 6 years i should be a lot better and it's getting me down. It would be nice to know if someone feels the same way.

Well, I think you just need a Holiday or we say, Vacation for a week or two away
from the drum set!
You will come back re-freshed & opened minded...
Don't be impatient - It's the No.1 evil thing Drummers have to deal with...
Also try giving a listen to another type/style of music to broaden your arsenal....

Good Luck !
 
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I think both randrade89 and chazz are corrrect. Taking a short break to recharge your mental battery won't hurt and may help you come back with fresh ideas and a fresh approach. Also I do believe one gets to a point where progress slows considerably. Look at a bodybuilder, when he first starts lifting weights the gains come fairly quickly, but as he starts to build muscle mass even the smallest gains take longer. I think it's the same with drumming or any instrument for that matter.
 
I reached a similar point at about the 7 yr. mark. Although, I had been well aquainted with rudiments I grew tired of my style and the music I was playing. I actually changed my approach to a degree. Although, I had played some jazz at that point I took more interest in learning more and developing better technique. It made a big difference. I would suggest just even a minor change in your approach would make a difference.
 
I can pretty much play along to anything I like. I just have to listen to it over and over and practice over and over. As far as not being able to jam by yourself/solo i hear ware you are coming from. I also agree with taking a break. Sometimes i come back refreshed and ready to go but sometimes it can work in reverse.
 
all the advice about taking a break is good. take a week or so away from the kit and you may find your frustration has eased and you can go back to playing relaxed.

when you ask if there are other drummers who are good playing in a band but not that great playing by themselves i think i count as one of them. i'm good at playing grooves, and my stick control is a comfortable level (it can always get better of course), but i'm definitely not a great soloist. i can play lots of different styles of music well when i play with other musicians, but i almost never take a solo. its just not my thing.

when i play by myself i usually practice grooves, independence exercises, and try to nail feels (cuban rhythms are my favourtie right now, but its tough to get the right swing, especially when you're not cuban), but i find i'm not that great with fills, so i dont play many, and i'm not an awesome soloist.
 
i've been playing for six years and i've just gotten over this problem. it was frustrating as anything too.

but i just took like a week break from the set, and just messed around with rudiments here and again. i didn't worry or think to much about my set or how it'd be when i came back. i just took a break.

Then after about a week and a half, bought a reggae cd cause they're drums have always kinda appealed to me and just tried to figure out their approach to timing and drums altogether. It helped alot but also thanks to my twin i learned to be patient and jump through the hoops(if you will) and learned to play some rudiments and work on my timing.

just a couple tips.

hope it helps and best of luck.
 
Hi everyone i've been playing drums for about 6 years now and i feel like i've hit a bench and i don't even think i'm very good, a lot of people say i am the best in the area but i honestly don't think i'm that good. I play decently in a band however when i'm jamming at home i really think my playing sucks and i'm so impatient that i can't be bothered to learn anything new like rudiments and things. It's frustrating. I guess what i want to ask people is, are you good in a band but not particularly good playing on your own? Are you good playing along to music but not so good just jamming to yourself? I feel after 6 years i should be a lot better and it's getting me down. It would be nice to know if someone feels the same way.
Meh, that's just a plateau, you'll get by it like we all have. I'm personally going through that at the moment. It sucks but I know that good feeling will return and my drumming will again move forward.
 
I want to thank everyone for the advice and maybe you're right, a small break would to the trick i might also start playing some different music to open my mind up a bit. Thanks everyone, you have made me feel tonnes better =D drummerworld really is a great place.
 
Hi everyone i've been playing drums for about 6 years now and i feel like i've hit a bench and i don't even think i'm very good, a lot of people say i am the best in the area but i honestly don't think i'm that good. I play decently in a band however when i'm jamming at home i really think my playing sucks and i'm so impatient that i can't be bothered to learn anything new like rudiments and things. It's frustrating. I guess what i want to ask people is, are you good in a band but not particularly good playing on your own? Are you good playing along to music but not so good just jamming to yourself? I feel after 6 years i should be a lot better and it's getting me down. It would be nice to know if someone feels the same way.

Roughly a year ago I was in the exact same position as you. I was playing with bands that I thought I sounded pretty good in (so did other people), but I didn't feel like I had any "independence" - not in a physical way, but in a musical way. All I was doing was learning covers and writing originals, but the originals took a backseat in terms of effort put into them.

So, instead of giving you general advice, I'll just tell you exactly how I went about fixing my particular problem:

- Focus as much as possible on making your drum parts musical while eliminating fills that don't fit (this is very subjective, so I like to get consistent input from my band).

- Expand your musical tastes as wide as possible. (I developed a lot of respect for funk drumming when I listened to "Mellowship Slinky in B Major" by RHCP and realized that I couldn't play the song, knowing that the best funk drumming is even more difficult!)

- Identify your most glaring weaknesses (hand/foot technique, weak pocket playing, etc), find a good description on youtube (or here) of how to strengthen that technique, and focus intensely on it every time you play the drums.

Sorry for the long post, but I know how much this drumming-rut sucks and I'd love to make it easier for somebody else, haha. Good luck!
 
...music is like sex.

you can do it solo, but it is always better with others.

If you think of your drumming as one ingredient in a recipe, you may put your playing in a different context. Onions by themself may be okay, but toss them in a stew, and they improve the overall taste. When you play with a band, you can hear how your playing compliments the song. When you play in your practice room, you are an onion in search of a stew.

Don't beat yourself up over this. If you know that your playing makes a positive contribution to your music, and that is what gives you the warm and fuzzies, be happy with that.

Good luck, and good drumming.

Barry
 
...music is like sex.

you can do it solo, but it is always better with others.

If you think of your drumming as one ingredient in a recipe, you may put your playing in a different context. Onions by themself may be okay, but toss them in a stew, and they improve the overall taste. When you play with a band, you can hear how your playing compliments the song. When you play in your practice room, you are an onion in search of a stew.

Don't beat yourself up over this. If you know that your playing makes a positive contribution to your music, and that is what gives you the warm and fuzzies, be happy with that.

Good luck, and good drumming.

Barry



HAHAHA! Barry you are amazing at analogies (at least i think thats what those were, probably wrong though, but whatever the word is you're awesome at them!!)!! Back to the subject, first off yes taking a break will help. it you feel like you need more than a week then take more than a week. You'll go through this process time and time again throughout your drumming life, just remember how you get over it this time so you know what to do next time. You obviously have areas you feel like you need to improve on. So when you sit down behind the set again, figure out what you don't know and what thing you would most like to learn is. whether it be soloing, or double pedal technique, pick up the moeler techinique, if you play jazz try country or rock styles, search youtube for some good learning videos, randomly click on some of the names on drummerworld's main page then go find a video of them playing. there are always new things to do. i'm sure even dave weckl or steve gadd sit down from time to time and try to learn something new. hope it helps!
 
I play decently in a band however when i'm jamming at home i really think my playing sucks and i'm so impatient that i can't be bothered to learn anything new like rudiments and things. It's frustrating.

Thats the issue right there. It sounds like you need to go back to the basics and fundamentals and really work things out. It can be a downer if you approach it the wrong way, but if youre enthusiastic and try to enjoy it, just realize itll really help make your playing solid. Make the basics sound great so you can have a solid foundation to build upon.
 
I don't have any advice to offer, but I can relate. I've been playing far longer than six years, and people compliment me on my drumming, but I am often very unsatisfied with my playing ability. It's partly because I am a perfectionist, and partly because many other drummers just blow me out of the water. But the plain truth is I am into drumming, so I will keep doing it whether I think I am playing well or not.
 
...music is like sex.

...You need to have a variety or it gets old?
...You get excellent results with the rhythm method?
...If you do it right, you are really sweaty afterward?
...They both have introduction, bridge, crescendo and coda?
...Both require endurance to work well

>ahem<

DVD's are a superb way to get you over the plateau. They give you all kinds of new practice routines and techniques to get better. They are also very inspiring. I know when I got stuck in a rut that I could focus on the weak areas just by following expert instruction.
 
HAHAHA! Barry you are amazing at analogies (at least i think thats what those were, probably wrong though, but whatever the word is you're awesome at them!!)!! Back to the subject, first off yes taking a break will help. it you feel like you need more than a week then take more than a week. You'll go through this process time and time again throughout your drumming life, just remember how you get over it this time so you know what to do next time. You obviously have areas you feel like you need to improve on. So when you sit down behind the set again, figure out what you don't know and what thing you would most like to learn is. whether it be soloing, or double pedal technique, pick up the moeler techinique, if you play jazz try country or rock styles, search youtube for some good learning videos, randomly click on some of the names on drummerworld's main page then go find a video of them playing. there are always new things to do. i'm sure even dave weckl or steve gadd sit down from time to time and try to learn something new. hope it helps!

...Thanks Sarge.

Great to see that you are still with us.

Keep on posting, and remember to duck.

barry
 
Around the six year mark I was more interested in building a model railroad than the drums, although I was still active as far as music was concerned. The thing is, I was not over- involving myself to the point of burnout in any one thing, so I had balance. Stuff like this tends to happen in waves anyway, and sometimes it's just best to leave something be while you pursue some other passion, and when the streak for THAT runs out you switch back (or to whatever else floats your boat).

It wasn't too long before my buddy let me borrow his copy of Rush's "A Show of Hands" video and I was into my dreaded "Neil Peart Phase" (Yes, I capitalized Phase. We have named this stupid phenomenon). It would take Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson to snap me out of THAT!

All of this was 15 or so years ago, and since then I have cycled between drumming and non-drumming obsessions a few more times. It's all part of the deal, but I'm still with it after 25 years.
 
All of these suggestions about taking a break are really great. When I was learning the drums (oh, who am I kidding, I still am, we all are, but more to the point, around your stage), I did this a few times, and it really helped.

The other thing (and I struggle with this now from time to time) is that if you are playing with one band, and your focus is always on that music, or learning stuff that is similar to that style (like playing along with your favorite bands, but they are the same style), you can get in a major, major rut. Major. You know the songs, you know the ins and outs of that style, so you just go through the motions. I'm gigging on average 3-4 times a week right now, and practicing 2 times a week with the same groups. I spend 21-25 hours a week making music with the same guitarist, and am joined for most of that by the same bass player as well. It's awesome, it pays well, and I'm living my dream, but at the same time, it is hard to avoid ruts.

My advice to avoid that is start playing with some other people, preferably in a different style. Even if it's just a fun jam every once in a while, it will really help you out, help you refocus on what you need to do, and satiate that need to actually LISTEN to the music you play, as opposed to just DOING it.
 
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