MasterMind Drummer
Newsletter #23
May 27th, 2024
The PERSON as well as the player…
Today marked the 4th and final Live Lesson, for Mays ‘MasterMind Drummer 30-Day Coaching Program’. And I must say, what a fantastic bunch of drummers in this group!
I mean, they have all been great if I’m honest, so maybe a better way to put it is, I had another great bunch of drummers in this cohort, too. I’m very lucky.
What I like about teaching these coaching programs, is everyone is there for different reasons, but overall, very similar reasons too.
Everyone wants to level up in some way, whether it be greater hand mechanics, building a stronger single kick, strengthening their facility around the kit. Any and all of the above.
And then there is this whole other side, too. So, looking at ways to build a stronger personal philosophy off the kit. Things like setting goals, dialing in a sustainable daily-weekly-monthly-yearly routine, being healthier, more mindful, etc, which, in turn, makes things much easier back on the kit.
That’s the whole point here; developing the person alongside the player.
And that’s what I want to talk about today.
So, coupled with the drum curriculum I teach for Week #4 of the MMD 30-Day Coaching Program, I also dive into the subject of business, discussing all the ways in which we can generate an income from drumming, and how we can increase our personal value, overall, to help generate more money from those areas.
Business is one of the 4 pillars that anchors MasterMind Drummer, the other 3 being Health, WellBeing, and Relationships.
Business is a massively important topic that is incredibly underrepresented in drum education.
There are a lot of people talking about pataflaflas out there, yet not many discuss the importance of personal value, brand, social media, etiquette, your impact on others, self-awareness, how to carry yourself in a band setting, punctuality, and more…
Remember, for the 1-hour on-stage, there is 23hrs off-stage… And how you carry yourself will determine whether you have a gig to come back to. Ask yourself, are you a good hang?
This stuff is SUPER important, and I’d actually argue it’s even more important than having a good paradiddle up your sleeve (which is still the worst rudiment in my opinion lol).
I know plenty of scenarios where, what would be considered, ‘ok’ drummers have fantastic gigs, and it’s not because of their ability on the kit. It’s because they are great people, and an absolute pleasure to be around on and off the stage.
This goes a looooooooong way. Trust me.
And then, on the other side of it all, I also know a bunch of world-class top-tier players, (that you know of too), that don’t get hired very often, if at all, because their reputation for being difficult gets in the way of their ability.
This is quite common. The industry is very small, and word travels very fast.
(If you reply to this, and push me hard enough, I will tell you 3 of them…. haha)
And even if you’re not necessarily out to make a living from this instrument, all the points I go over in the business portion of the Live Lesson, still apply to you too, as essentially, it’s about character development, as much as it is about professionalism, which we can all benefit from focusing on a little more.
And going back to the ‘value’ comment I made earlier, that’s what this whole MasterMind concept is about; increasing your personal value on and off the kit, and helping you find an honest and sustainable personal philosophy, to go along with that.
So with that, all I wanted to touch on today, was tell you a brief anecdote that really emphasises this point.
When I was living back in Melbourne, I had the good fortune of playing for a bunch of great artists. Some big, some small, and all very different.
One artist, in particular, I had been playing with for a couple of years, when I decided it was time that I pulled back, and handed the sticks on to someone else.
At that time, my now 12-year-old daughter was still in her mum’s belly, but was close to arriving, and things were about to ramp up big time at home. I needed to be present and available.
I’ll say too, as I’ve gotten older, these decisions do not phase me in the slightest, and are not hard to make. Intuition is always loud and clear, and at the end of the day, all session gigs aren’t yours, they are just a gig, and have a shelf life. They won’t last forever.
So, in my head, they are not the-all-end-all, when I go into them. It’s a healthy way to approach the situation.
Remember, with session work, you’re needed…. until you’re not. It’s that simple.
Anyway, as I was saying, I ended up calling it a day with this artist, and even helped them find a new drummer. I always do this if I can, as it helps with a much smoother transition, and it means I know they are in safe hands.
Now, fast-forward a couple of months and my new daughter was on the scene, and things were now settling down.
My phone rang, and it was that same artist I had left a couple of months prior, basically asking if I’d be keen to jump back in.
“Well, I suppose I could”, I thought. Things were stabilizing at home, and I did enjoy playing with them.
We discussed details of some of the shows coming up, and what their plans were next, and it all sounded good.
I then asked, “what happened to ‘so-and-so’?”
To which the artist replied, “Great drummer, but to be honest, they a real punisher off-stage, and it’s making downtime hard for everyone.”
I thought this was so interesting. It was such a great gig, and their skills were perfect for the job, yet, they made things difficult with everything being a problem off-stage.
Things like, the accom wasn’t good enough, the rider didn’t have their favourite food, the backstage area wasn’t tidy yet. You name it, they found a problem with it. And guess what, for that reason, they lost the gig.
This is what happens!
So, I jumped back in, and we had a blast. We played some amazing opportunities that presented themselves over the next year or so, and I often found myself thinking about how this other drummer had let such a great gig slip through their hands, due to a bad attitude.
Such a shame.
This has actually happened a couple of times in my career now, so I suppose all I’m trying to say is, work on becoming self-aware, and think about how you impact the people you are around.
I mentioned a couple of weeks back, all I’m ever trying to do is leave a situation better than when I entered it. That is it. That goes for on the stage, and off the stage.
Remember, it’s about…
The PERSON as well as the player.
We’ll leave it there for this week.
As always, thanks for taking the time, and thanks for all your feedback, too. I appreciate it.
I read them all. So please, if you have any thoughts, send them through, and let’s get a dialogue happening.
Thanks for your time, stay hungry, and see you next week.
Stan
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PS. Not happy with how your kit sounds? This is an easy fix. Trust me. It doesn’t take much. You can now purchase my new course –
‘The Key To Tuning A Modern Drumkit’
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