On Practicing

Practice is the duty and privilege of the musician, yet most musicians neither perform the duty nor exercise the privilege. Most simply play the things that they know again and again, and the progress that they make on their instruments is largely accidental. There are many reasons for this; here are a few:

Many musicians do not understand the difference between practicing and playing. Practice is regular, focused study of the instrument that is centered on those things the musician cannot yet perform. Playing is the use of those things with which the musician is familiar.

Many musicians fear that the study of their instrument, particularly technique study, will somehow corrupt their playing, robbing it of its "feel". They think of their ability as some irrational, "spiritual" thing that can somehow lose its magic if thought of intellectually.

Many (perhaps most?) musicians see practice as a blow to the ego, as if admitting that they need to work on some aspect of their playing somehow means they are inferior. Many feel that they are as talented as they need to be, that adequacy in their particular style of music is all that is necessary.

Next to the joy of self-expression, I believe that practice is the greatest gift the musician has. To routinely attempt the momentarily impossible and over time to prevail against it is one of the most satisfying feelings a musician can enjoy. The benefits are enormous and affect all areas of life, not just the playing of the instrument. Self-discipline, concentration, patience, and organization are all by-products of the study of music. As skills increase, the enjoyment of exercising them does as well. As knowledge grows so does artistic satisfaction. Ideas begin to flow freely and become more diverse. It is a wonderful thing to see, and even more wonderful to experience!

Here are some suggestions for productive practice:

Plan what you will practice. Know what you are trying to accomplish and select exercises that progressively work toward your goals. Take the time to learn why and how the exercises work and what they are doing for you. Know that they must be practiced regularly and diligently and plan your time accordingly. Know that you are going to have to make sacrifices in order to make significant progress. How many and how much is your choice. Keep track of how much and when you practice to help your planning.

Before practicing an exercise, take a moment to look it over. It baffles me that most drummers do not take this first step. We try to "just play it", usually up to tempo, and stumble around until we can sort-of do it. If there is any one thing that frustrates drummers into giving up on practicing, this is probably it. Take the time to work through what you are about to practice, one note at a time. Do not hit a drum until you know, completely, what the exercise is.

Count every note out loud. This can improve the efficiency of your practice time exponentially. Counting aloud focuses your concentration and ties together all of the various "tasks" your limbs are performing. The amount of information your memory will retain increases by a huge amount when you "say what you play".

Play slowly. Most drummers do not practice exercises anywhere near as slowly as they should. Think of the drummer repeating a difficult pattern again and again at a fast tempo. He stumbles, stops, tries again, messes up, curses, plays it once then fails, stops...and so on. He is frustrated, angry, exhausted, and discouraged. Now imagine a drummer slowly repeating an exercise, calmly and patiently playing through the pattern, counting out loud. He is not making mistakes, because he is playing at a tempo he can handle. As he "gets it", he gradually speeds up, and soon has the piece up to tempo. The second drummer has really practiced. He now "owns" that piece of music, and has the confidence to use it well.

Above all, repeat things. The most important thing I have learned from Mike Mangini's work (see links) is the value and necessity of repetition. I measure how many times I practice things in hundreds and thousands of repetitions. Repeating things is the only way we learn anything. The degree to which you remember something is directly related to your exposure to it. I wish there were an easier way, but there is not. Learn to love the act of patient repetition and watch your drumming progress (and your ability to concentrate) skyrocket.

I think that last point is very important. We live in an age of web-and-channel-surfing. Our attention spans are steadily decreasing. We are losing the ability to sit and think about things. I've seen it. I've taught for 13 years, and I can see the change in the kids that take lessons from me. Learning how to focus on one thing for an hour will definitely give the drummer an "edge".

Please remember that musical talent is a gift. It must be used well, or the gift is being treated with contempt. You owe it to other drummers to play the instrument well. Don't devalue this wonderful art form by playing poorly. Don't miss out on a world of enjoyment simply because you didn't feel like working. Don't short-change yourself by only scratching the surface of your potential!