Ok, before we start, I thought I’d share with you a little project I put together with an amazing guitarist friend of mine, Mr. Ricky Davenport.
The concept was simple. Drums first. Recorded. Then sent to Ricky as a black canvas to colour. No Click. No edits, No Samples. And everything was tracked, filmed, and put together, all within 48hrs. Enjoy!
Click here : EROS : ‘The Wait’.
Now, on with the show!
“Wow, boom, fark yeah! Only a week in and if this course ended right now, I’d still feel like I got my money’s worth. After years of thinking I’d ‘hit my ceiling’, I’ve made more progress in one week than I did all of last year! The gains—mentally, and with my hands—have been massive. I’m in the crawl stage, but I’m committed to the process… and starting to dream about what’s actually possible.”
– Paul
So, as you know, I’ve been deep inside this month’s MasterMind Drummer 30-Day Coaching Program, and because it’s fresh in my mind (and literally flowing through everything I’m doing right now), I figured that’s what we’d talk about this week…
We’ve just hit Week 2, and what’s happening inside this group is exactly why I built this thing in the first place –
Real change. On the kit, and off the kit.
With the drums specifically, Week 1 was all about a full mechanics reset. Not a quick review. Not a tidy-up. Not a gloss-over.
It’s a true reframing of how we think about what our hands are doing.
We went through grip, angles, economy of motion, control, how to consciously work with the hands and not against them, and most importantly, intentional dynamics! All of it, under the microscope.
It was confronting for most, basically because the second you start paying close attention, you realise how much control you don’t actually have, and that you’ve just been muscling things out over the years, without much thought.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I fully believe that ‘muscling it out’ has its place, but like anything, it’s just one tool in the cavernous toolbox that we could pull from.
The more tools you have, the more freedom you have, and the more you can communicate your message through the instrument.
So yeah — it rattled the cage a little. But that’s why we’re here. And honestly, that’s why this program works.
It’s the focused work that most drummers avoid, but absolutely need.
That’s Week 1 on the kit… but that’s only part of it!
We also dove deep into Health and the pursuit of Mastery, which are both Priority #1 in what I call our Personal and Professional Value Systems.
How much you move. Your strength. What you’re eating. And then also, your daily habits and routines, too.
Then combine that with your intent to do things at the highest possible standard, and you start to become pretty dam powerful.
The thing is, if your body and mind are a mess, if your energy is low, and if your habits are reactive instead of considered… how are you supposed to grow?
What’s cool about these two value systems — personal and professional — is that they aren’t separate. They actually feed each other.
They impact everything you do. How you carry yourself, your discipline, your ability to show up when it matters. It’s about the standard you set for you life, and the mindset you bring with you.
Work on improving your personal value? Your playing comes together much faster. Flow becomes much easier to tap into.
Level up your professional standards? Then guess what, the needle starts moving bigtime, and in turn, the opportunities start to follow.
Everything is connected. That’s the point. That’s the game.
This is a goal-driven program with high daily expectations.
You’re not here to just clock in and coast. You’re here to create real change, and I am here to help you achieve it.
Everyone in the current round has really leaned into that idea hard. They’ve connected the dots between what they want, and what they need to do to get there, and they are owning it.
You can feel the shift. Its palpable. Not just in their playing, in everything they are doing.
So, as mentioned, now we’re in Week 2… and things are getting real.
We’ve moved into what I call ‘Applied Mechanics’, where we take everything we learned during the reset and begin reassembling it all with new direction and intention.
We’re not slipping back into old habits. We’re building new ones, and better ones.
Every motion is more efficient, more intentional, and every stroke has a purpose.
It’s all about moving with control, awareness, and clarity — not just muscle memory.
The brain and body sync up. The hands feel lighter. The kit starts to respond better.
But again — it’s not just about the kit…
Week 2 also introduces new work inside both value systems –
On the personal side, we’re focused on Well-being.
On the professional side, it’s about Confidence.
We’re building out a solid morning and evening routine, to help start and end the day on our terms.
We’re reading. We’re writing. We’re exercising daily.
We’re working on becoming more present. Because peace of mind and real confidence don’t just appear out of nowhere — they’re built.
They’re built through choices and action, and through how we spend our days, what we consume, and what we commit to.
Want a better mind? Want to feel better? Then stop doing things that are actively working against that goal. Make a decision, and follow through.
Want more confidence? Then give yourself a reason to be confident! Do the work. That’s the goal here.
We’re asking questions like:
What sort of player do I want to be? And what needs to shift today to serve that future version of me?
It’s a shock to the system, but in the best kind of way.
Inside the private MasterMind Drummer community, the energy is awesome. People are posting, encouraging each other, sharing the struggle, and celebrating the wins etc.
That seems to be rare in the drumming world, especially online. But it’s happening here, and it’s powerful stuff.
Which brings me to you!
If you’ve been following along, watching these shifts from the sidelines — and something in you is saying, “I need this,” — then listen up: There are still a couple of spots left in the May 30-Day Coaching Program.
We kick off Monday, May 6th.
And with my schedule filling up, this will most likely be the last round for a few months.
So if you’re on the fence — now’s the time.
Now, before I wrap this up, I want to leave you with the main idea behind all of this:
If you want things to change, you have to change.
Not just your playing — but your routines, your inputs, your habits, and your mindset. Something has to give.
You can’t expect a different result by doing the same thing over and over again. (Pretty sure that’s the definition of crazy, right?)
Growth doesn’t happen by chance — it happens by choice.
You’ve got to be willing to look at what’s not working, take ownership, and commit to the process that real change requires.
That’s what this program is about. That’s what these drummers are doing right now.
And that’s what’s available to you — if you’re ready to step in.
If you’re keen, just reply to this email, and I’ll send you everything you need to claim your spot.
Let’s go!
Let’s leave it there this week. I’m off to throw some kettlebells around, and then off to teach some 1on1s.
If you are enjoying these newsletters, let me know. I’d love to hear from you, and if you have any questions or topic ideas, just ask! Always keen to hear.
Stay hungry, (and healthy),
Stan.