MasterMind Drummer
Newsletter #16
April 8th, 2024
Have you seen my rad iPhone 7+? (Updates Updates Updates!)
Today’s newsletter is all about function.
Meaning, its primary objective this week, is to be functional.
Now, that’s not to say that every other newsletter is not functional either. (Mind you, I suppose it all depends on the person on the other end). Every week seems to resonate with everyone differently.
What I mean by functional, is, I have a few things to mention this week.
I want to fill you in on what has been going on in my world of late, as well as tell you why I’m raving about my rad new (old) iPhone 7+. Oh, and did I mention it can’t take calls? lol.
OK, so first off, my latest episode of Rhythmically Caffeinated is out, and this week is with the incredibly talented Chris Turner.
Just when you thought nothing more could be done with a double pedal, Chris turns up, and sets a new high bar. Specifically, with what he calls the ‘Speed/Power Max Ratio’.
This just means the max amount of power he can generate, without sacrificing his speed. Oh, and his speed is insane!
So, if you’d like to watch that episode, you can do so HERE.
It’s a fun chat, with a super nice guy, and a legend both on and off the kit.
Now, on that note, I should mention too, you can now listen to/watch all the Rhythmically Caffeinated ‘Chats with…’ episodes, over on Spotify!
Go subscribe HERE, so you don’t miss any updates.
I have more amazing world-class players lined up for these chats, and can’t wait to share them with you all.
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OK, so next on the agenda…
It is now less than two weeks until my MasterMind Drummer Clinic, here in the Bay of Plenty.
I’m really looking forward to this.
You can read more HERE, but in a nutshell, the whole premise of this evening is ‘How To Level Up As A Modern Drummer’.
I’ll be sharing my thoughts on what it takes to be a successful modern drummer in 2024, as well as lessons learned along the way.
I’ll be doing this through the lens of performance, playing through tracks of some of the artists I’ve worked with over the past 20 years or so, and major lessons learned at those times.
This clinic will have it all – performance, education, Q&A, giveaways… The works!
If you are local, you can grab your tickets HERE
So, with the clinic just around the corner, I have been running through all the tracks, and getting ultra prepped, but that was until last Friday…
I walked past our dining room table and managed to somehow kick the table leg at full force (by accident), and I actually fractured my toe.
How do I know I fractured it? Well, because when I got on the drums the next morning, it was incredibly painful, and I could actually feel the bones crunching around.
Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, maybe it’s broken? Haha. Dam.
But… in the words of Freddie Mercury – The Show Must Go On.
I worked around it over the weekend, and still managed to teach a bunch of 1on1s, online and in person, and run over the tracks a couple more times, too.
Its feeling better already.
Speaking of 1on1s, my booking calander is now LIVE. You can book HERE.
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Just quickly, last October I tracked drums in my studio, for the next album from Aussie rockers, The Bennies.
You can hear the first single here – Lets Have a Party!!!
Or you can watch me tracking the drums HERE Enjoy!
So the next thing to mention is my new course ‘The Key To TUNING A Modern Drumkit’, goes live on April 10th (US TIME).
In this course, I will take you through everything I do to get my drum sound, and without using things like Drum Dials, or frequency readers etc.
It’s about using your ears, and following a few rules of thumb that I have, and some key tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way, too, to achieve that modern kit sound that we all know and love.
Module 1 is on the Snare Drum. So seating both heads, the snare wires, and going over 3 main tunings.
Module 2 is the Bass Drum. So I take you through how to acheive a massive kick drum sound, that is easy to control.
& Module 3 is all about the toms. How to get controlled tone for your rack toms, and how to get your floor toms sounding like mini kick drums! As to me, that’s what a modern drumkit sound is.
As mentioned mid-last week, all my Newsletter subscribers (you), get a sweet little discount too…
Enter ‘MODERN’ at checkout, and receive $10.00 off!
You can pre-order HERE.
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The only other thing I wanted to briefly mention, (as I think its quite interesting), is last week I took my phone (iPhone 14Pro Max) into the shop, as the back screen had a crack, and basically, after the repair, it proceeded to shut off 3 times on the way home, which it had never done before.
I brought it back the next day, and it turned out it was having motherboard issues, so it had to be sent away.
This was a pretty big pain for me, as I operate my whole company from my phone. I also use it for all my content, too.
The repair guy kindly offered me a loaner to use for the week, which I thought about, but at that very moment, I politely declined.
I decided I’d use this week to detach / disconnect a little, as it’s not something we get a chance to do, often.
I still had my laptop, so I was still able to answer messages, communicate in general, book lessons, continue editing my course materials etc, all of it!
The only two things I struggled with was not having Spotify and not having immediate access to my online banking. Thats it.
I listen to a lot of super powerful audios that help keep me in the zone, daily, so that was a big void, and the bank thing, well that is just a bit of a pain to be honest.
So, I pulled out a very old iPhone 7+ we had lying around, put Spotify and ASB Banking on it, and I was away laughing!
The only issue is this phone can’t take calls, but to be honest, that is kind of good. Haha
I still don’t have the 14 Pro Max back yet, but because I have survived the last week fine, I’ve decided I’m going to give that one to my wife, and then maybe I’ll take her iPhone 13. Being a photographer, she will get much more use out of having such a jacked up phone.
Why am I telling you this? Well, when we don’t have our ‘ever so important’ devices, guest what…. Life continues! Crazy I know, but it does.
Just some food for thought.
As always, I 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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PS. Still don’t have World-Class Double Strokes? Why not? I have the solution for you right HERE.
I’ve extended the sale just for my newsletter family. Use the MASTERMIND code for $20 off!
PPS. Are you wanting to level up on AND off the kit? I can help.
Join my 30-Day MasterMind Drummer Coaching Program, where I help you level-up in all areas, on and off the kit.
The May intake is now open. Click HERE to read more and secure your spot.
*Payment Plans available*