Well, I’m back in full swing now, and it feels great. Although initially a little rough, the jet lag has ultimately favoured me. I’ve been going down at about 8pm and up at 3am, which means I’m back in the studio by 3:30am, knocking a couple of hours out before the day starts. Thats a win!
The setup I’ve been rocking this past week…
The energy I feel in my little drum cave at this time is undeniable. It’s calm, it’s quiet, the world is asleep, and all the power in the air is mine. I feel it. It’s tangible.
I’m always chipping away at half a dozen ideas or techniques – whether it’s something new I’ve come across, or just refining my approach to, say, flams, but there is always something to do in there, that’s for sure.
I’ve never understood people who say they don’t know what to practice. It truly boggles my mind.
Remember, practice doesn’t always need to be this ultra-disciplined act of only working on things you can’t do. Sometimes, for me, practice is simply working on MY playing, MY approach, and MY sound.
I can easily lose a couple of hours just moving around the kit in the way that I do, refining that. THAT is super important practice too. In fact, I’ve always said, don’t just get good at your sound, or even great at it – work at being mindlessly f*ckin’ awesome at it. The highest level. Work at being the best at how you approach the drums, and nurture the way your weird little brain tackles things.
Sometimes that means just working on what you already know, but to a much higher standard than most are willing to go. I swear by this approach. It’s always served me well.
I’ve been loving exploring all my ideas again, and getting myself back into that drum clinic frame of mind… So much fun.
The studio is also a place for me to think. As soon as I enter the room, my mind enters a creative state purely by being there.
This didn’t happen for free. I’ve worked hard at creating a space that reflects that. Aside from the setup – so the layout of the kit, computer, cameras, etc. – it also comes down to how tidy I keep it. I never leave the studio in a mess. Cables, mics, snares – everything has a home. I vacuum it frequently and dust the kit too. lol.
It comes back to a simple line: clean room = clean mind. It’s very true.
But something that has been rolling around in my head this past week is a phrase that really simplifies the focus when working towards becoming a professional drummer/musician, or when already actively working as one too.
It is this:
Focus on your ability on the kit, and your personability off the kit. That’s it.
These two areas are really what it all comes down to if you want a career in this industry.
We can spend a whole lot of time breaking down the nuances and details of what it means to be a working professional drummer, and how to assist that (which you know I LOVE doing too). But there’s a ton of value in zooming out and simplifying the approach.
After spending seven weeks touring with Natasha’s camp, a few things became extremely obvious:
- Every person played an important role. From the drum tech to the tour manager, to the monitors guy, to Natasha herself – every single person was valued, important, and needed to be on point for the machine to work at the level it did.
- The ability of each person was essential. If the drum tech was world-class but the monitors person was substandard, the whole thing would fall apart.
(The person on monitors runs our in-ear mix while performing. At any point throughout the set we could ask for “more Natasha, less guitars” over our talkback mic. A tough job, trust me.) - And finally, most importantly – if you were not personable, you either won’t get hired, or you won’t last. Personality quirks can be tolerable, (depending on the extent of course), but for the 60–90 minutes on stage, there are 22 hours off stage. Those quirks become obvious really quickly, and actually intensify in those conditions – tour buses, planes, green rooms, etc.
(most of our wonderful crew)
One thing is super obvious: bad attitudes and “dick behaviour” just doesn’t last. It can’t. You spend too much time together. People who complain, or look at things negatively, or are just a “bad hang,” are like a virus in a small camp like this, and get filtered out quickly.
I’ve said this before, but I know plenty of people who are good at what they do, yet don’t get hired because they’re “a rough hang.” There’s no self-awareness of what they’re like to be around. In fact, I’ve personally left multiple projects, sessions, and jobs, simply because some people are just a rough hang. Life is too short, and for me, I’m only here to enjoy it.
It’s hard though. We call these “soft skills.” But how do you work on them? Especially if you’re not necessarily aware of them? For me, it came down to a few rules – and sometimes against my natural inclinations too:
- No complaining
- No talking about others
- No being ungrateful
- No taking anything for granted
These four rules became my personal philosophy on tour. I said to my wife before leaving, “I’m going to be the EASIEST person to tour with.” I intended to leave the best impression I possibly could. And I did.
A lot of it came down to looking after myself, so my mind was always tolerable. I had daily routines that worked for me physically and mentally, which kept me stable and able to control my emotions. Even during the most challenging periods – such as, something as simple as your social battery being depleted, I could still hold myself together and not crack. That stuff is hard, but super important.
Also, I took my coffee setup with me, and you’d be amazed at how far the simple act of making someone a coffee goes. Everyone appreciated it. It’s a small skill, but one I know well, and something I could offer. I’m certain that factor alone will get me more work with Natasha or others through the proxy of that tour. Lol.
The point is, yes, you need to know how to play – your craft needs to be dialed in – but the level it needs to be at is actually quite broad and vague. Whereas the personability side? There’s no vagueness here. If you’re a dick, have a bad attitude, or are a tough hang, you just won’t last.
And it’s also the first thing people talk about when your name comes up. The number of conversations I overheard about previous team members, where the issue was personality and not skill, was countless. I took note of ALL these conversations and locked them away in the back of my mind.
So yeah, just keep in mind, as always, who you are is just as, if not more, important as what you can do.
Pocket? Great. Chops? Cool. But can’t string a sentence together and always look at the cup half empty? Nope, you’ll be gone soon enough.
Something to consider, for sure.
So the note I’ll end on is this: how do we improve these traits? These soft skills? How do we become better?
The answer is simple: rewire the brain and work to improve yourself – in other words, self-improvement!
Listen to inspiring and motivational audios when out for a walk or run. Anything by Jim Rohn, Earl Nightingale, or Bob Proctor.
Read books that educate you on the mind and human behaviour. Anything by Ryan Holiday, Malcolm Gladwell, Napoleon Hill… etc. Even Arnold’s latest book that I read a few months back (thanks for the reminder Jay), covers a lot of these basics and fundamentals…
Remember, personality presets are not a life sentence. Regardless of your traits, you still have the power and ability to change them at any point, at your discretion. Neuroplasticity is a thing. It may just take some dedicated time and effort on your part. Don’t forget…
The good earned on the other side of a bit of effort, can be life-changing, so go get it.
Let’s leave it there. I’m about to brew some more coffee, wake the family, get a workout in, and hit the week running (quite literally)!
Thanks for taking the time.
Stay hungry (and healthy),
Stan.
ps. The new DEFTONES album is fantastic. Give it the time it deserves.
pps. Use ‘MASTERMIND’ at checkout, for 20% off any and all MasterMind Drummer courses.