Newsletter #14
March 25th, 2024
Hey NERD! Stop being a nerd, and FOCUS!
Man, I have a blast writing these titles, haha, as I’m sure you can tell by now.
Look, I’ll say straight off the bat, I’m talking to myself here, just as much as I’m talking to you. So don’t take it personally.
BUT! Definitely take it personally. 😉
I hope things are ticking along well at your end. All is great here, just super busy.
I had a big week of shows, lessons, wrapping up the March 30-Day Coaching Program, clinic prep, and filming two new courses –
The Key to Single Kick Mastery
The Key to Tuning a Modern Drumkit
Both these courses are dropping soon, so keep an eye out as all my Newsletter Subscribers will be getting a discount when they launch.
So…. You’d like to do this for a career?
Yes! ✅
Cool. Got it.
And…. And you’d like to be paid more frequently for your services? Or at the very least, just start getting paid in general?
Yes! ✅
Of course.
Great. That’s a macro goal. That’s a plan. That’s a purpose. That’s a jumping off point.
So, if that’s the case, we have something we need to address first, so let’s not waste any time and just jump straight in.
Actually, hold up. Before we do that, I should mention you can watch my chat I had with local Kiwi Killer, Mr. Sam Notman, now on YouTube.
Sam came up through the Wellington scene, establishing himself as a go-to for many artists, and now resides in the UK.
We discuss his early influences, his years studying and networking, breaking into the Wellington scene, working with different artists and the experiences he gained, the value of shedding, and now relocating to a new country and scene.
Watch it here. Enjoy!
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So, back to it. What I want to talk about today is the disconnect between your skill set and making (more) money from it.
Or maybe a better way to frame it is the bridge between your skill set and making (more) money from it.
Yes, let’s go with that. The bridge. It sounds much more approachable.
(Remember what I said last week? It’s the language we use, right?)
People often say ‘there is no money in the industry’, ‘no one is paying’, ‘I can’t charge enough’ etc.
Just a heads-up, that’s all just rubbish, and to be honest, it is just a lazy way to justify why you might not be making any (or more) of it.
There are a lot of people out there paying great money for all sorts of drum services, whether it’s live, studio, teaching, coaching, courses, products… whatever!
Lack of money in this industry is NOT the issue. It’s never been the issue.
So what is it?
Well, in short, it’s the value you bring to what you’re doing.
That’s it.
The money is out there, you just need to get in the way of it. There are always people willing to pay, but as long as it’s great. As long as you’re great.
Remember, just because you have a set of sticks in your hands, and just because you love playing the drums and pursuing the craft, does NOT automatically mean you are entitled to an income from it, and especially not a great one.
Like with ANY skill set, it’s the quality and the level you get to, that the market can then determine its value.
How you feel about your playing, or what you think you’re owed, is not a factor in this.
I wish it was, but sorry, it’s not.
It’s good to know your worth, but it has to be set in reality, too.
So what’s the issue here? What’s getting in the way? What’s preventing you from taking in a bit more cash per show, per session, per student?
Well, at its core, it’s because we are nerds.
There, I said it.
You know it, I know it. There is no denying it.
Let’s break that down a little more.
And the problem with being a nerd, is you waste sooooo much time doing dumb nerdy drum shit that often doesn’t actually serve the bigger picture.
#NerdsBeNerds
I know, I know. Once again, my words can come off heavy-handed, but it’s important to shoot straight down the line, as it’s the fastest way to get my point across.
On that note, have you written your goals down in a while? Maybe have a think about that again, too, to keep them current and fresh.
Now, being a nerd isn’t your fault per se, of course not. Nor is it a bad thing. Im just saying, its getting in the way.
We were kind of doomed from the start.
I mean, drums are cool! Drums are rad. Drums are bodacious!
Hang on. Bodacious? I haven’t used that in years!
It instantly made me think of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which I was very much obsessed with.
I remember when I was all of about 4 years old and New Zealand got a 3rd T.V. Channel. This was a BIG deal here, and especially for kids, as one of the 1st shows they aired was the TMNT cartoon!
It was mid-afternoon and my dad was doing everything in his power to tune it in as the intro theme kicked in. I was losing my mind!
Ah…. Good times.
Anyway, YES, drums are bodacious.
Everyone loves drums, and everyone seems to want to be a drummer, too.
But, the downside is they are massively expensive, a huge pain in the ass to lug around, obscenely loud on arrival, and once you get past all that, they require a lot of focus and determination to master. They are also super nerdy fun big-kid toys that have heaps of little bits and pieces to spend endless amounts of time messing around with.
Just take a look at my kit for a second, in all its glory. Like REALLY look at it – all the parts, all the various ways to potentially configure it (depending on my mood on any given day, of course, lol).
It’s a total nerds’ haven!
Drummers pride themselves on what they use, where they put it, and how they use it.
Let me paint a scenario:
I’m standing at a gig, talking to the other drummer in the room…
“Yeah, I put my 8” down here man, it just suits my vibe more.”
“OK, sure it does”.
“Nah, really, it’s just so practical there, for the way I play, anyway. And it’s way more creative, too.”
“Sure thing, mate.”
Yes, I called myself out here. It’s only fair that the egg gets slightly smeared on my own face too, from time to time.
Now, in my own defense, I DO have reasons as to why I put it there, BUT, it’s still a spectacle by-in-large.
But, can I at least explain my reasons?
Please?
Phew. Thanks
Well, I’ve actually played a wide range of setups over the years, depending on the session, gig, or artist I played for.
This has been great as I’m pretty open to different configurations.
When I was younger, I was actually 3 up and 3 down. True Story!
Check it out –
Madness.
But these days, I value all that prime real estate up the top, for stacks, micro-hats, and splashes etc.
It’s always a trade-off, right?
So it seemed like a perfect compromise. I can still reach my floor tom, but I get all the benefits of having an 8” close by.
I’d argue that this placement is even more creative and convenient, as I now use it more like hats, or a ride.
But! There I go again, justifying my nerdy shit.
Man, it never ends!
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So let’s get back to where I was going with this.
I mentioned at the top of this newsletter how ‘being a nerd’ gets in the way of making more money on this instrument.
What I mean by that is, as drummers, our biggest asset we have is our ability to focus. That’s it.
Let’s break it down into even more simple terms.
ANY element of drumming that we are interested in, whether it be – double pedal, jazz, pocket and feel, Latin… whatever it may be, if we 100% committed our time to the mastery of that specific thing, within no time at all, we could be in the 1%.
The problem is, and I see this all the time, our lack of focus coupled with being a little bit nerdy, means we spend a lot of smaller chunks of time working on many things, and very averagely. Rather than hyper focusing on one or two ‘high value’ elements of our playing, and logging the hours required to be in that 1% that I mentioned.
Think about it.
Let’s use double pedal for example… In two ways.
If it was a goal of yours, and if you spent, let’s say, 2-4hrs a day on double pedal alone, and because you’re already a component player, you could literally be at Chris Turner level, aka World-Class, within 6-18mths I’d say, depending.
I truly mean that.
It’s not you or your ability, it’s purely your focus and ‘stay in’ power on the task at hand.
Then, once you acquire the skill level you’re after, (and because you’re now world-class), you’ve created more value in that niche, and you now have the luxury of charging more. Whether its live, studio, teaching etc.
Now, the 2nd way I want to use double pedal as the example here, is the exact opposite, and is in my case, too.
I love double pedal, I always have. I’ve actually been playing double pedal since I was about 16/17yrs old.
In my early years, I was obsessed with the first Slipknot album, and could play the whole thing top to bottom!
But, although I still want to take it to the next level, it currently serves me no purpose as I don’t have any current projects to use it in, nor does it take more of a priority than any of my other current goals.
YES! I’d like to get to a point where I have world-class control, speed, and proficiency with it, of course, but right now, it’s actually a bit of a time-waster for me.
I still have massive goals with my single pedal (I can see even more potential with it), with my hands and the pursuit of mechanics, my freedom and facility around the kit, and then how it all comes together as a creative.
The more I focus on these things, the more I raise my value in these areas, and in turn, the more I get with them etc.
So, back to the top again, how does actually being a nerd come into all this?
Well, in short, we spread ourselves WAY too thin!
We spend too much time on the things that don’t currently matter, and not enough time on the things that do currently matter. The things that are going to help increase your value.
Now, I’m sure you can justify everything you’re currently working on on on some level, even that left foot clave thing you stumbled across, but if there is anything I want you to grab on to here, it’s the idea of simplyfying things and hyper focusing on a couple of areas you’re interested in, and that align with your goals, and then exploiting the living bejesus out of them!
Become the master of just a couple of areas in particular, rather than being average at a bit of everything, and the value you bring to those areas will increase massively.
This will give you much more leverage when you become an authority.
There is a very famous line from one of my favourite public speakers, Mr. Earl Nightingale. Well, he was actually a radio broadcaster from the 1950s/60s, and then found himself as a public speaker when he moved into the space of personal development.
He said, and I quote…
“If you spend an extra hour each day of study in your chosen field you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less.”
He said this back then, when resources were MUCH more limited, and he was only talking about an hour a day.
Imagine having all the resources we have now, and then pushing more for like 2-4hrs a day???
You’d easily be an authority, in the 1%, and in 18mths at the latest!
Once again, the problem is our lack of focus, and spreading ourselves much too thin on things that probably aren’t too important, right now.
As I stated, the problem is we are nerds, and waste time doing nerdt shit.
So, my advice to you is this…
Look closely at the time you spend on the kit and the time on the practice pad, and ask yourself this –
What am I doing when I practice? What am I getting distracted by? What am I nerding out on?
Are these things important?
Do they align with my goals?
Are there ‘more valuable’ areas I could be focusing on, currently?
Do this, and you’ll cut out a lot of the fluff and, in turn, you’ll give yourself a much higher chance of increasing your value.
Focus on just a couple of high-value ticket items, and go all in.
So yeah, thats my thoughts this week.
Stay focussed, and increase your value, and the rest will sort itself out.
Or, another way to put it is….
Hey NERD! Stop being a nerd, and FOCUS!
I always appreciate your feedback. I read all of them. So please, send any thoughts through that you may have, and lets get a dialogue going.
Stay Hungry, see you next week.
Stan
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PPS. Are you wanting to level up on AND off the kit? I can help.
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