MasterMind Drummer
Newsletter #21
May 13th, 2024
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Welcome back!
I love this quote.
I know its cliché, but it’s actually quite a poignant line, and one I’ve personally been using for many years, now!
I’ve used it mostly with my students, basically explaining that you need to learn to walk before you can run, and recently, I have been using it in my 30-Day Coaching Program, too, explaining how learning rules/boundaries with concepts can be quite a helpful tool.
When writing the curriculum for 30-Day, I decided to finally look into where the quote came from as I use it so much, and it turns out it was actually Pablo Picasso who said it!
I was quite stoked to read this.
The reason being is, coincidentally, my wife and I visited the Picasso exhibition in Melbourne a couple of years back, and we loved it. We were both floored. It was amazing.
The exhibition was a walk through his life, shown through the lens of his art, and in chronological order, too. So, from the beginning to the end of his artistic journey,
You got to see where he started as a young artist, and the growth he made into the styles he was most known for over time – cubism and surrealism.
Let’s take a quick look and a couple of his most famous pieces.
Cubism
Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, 1910 by Pablo Picasso
We saw this in person, a very striking piece of art to stand in front of. Picassos version of a ‘portrait’.
Surrealism
The Weeping Woman, 1937 by Pablo Picasso.
Also, amazing to see in person. Striking colours, lines, and an overall sadness about it.
Now, the reason why I have shared these in particular is because
A. They are just amazing, I mean, just look at them! And
B. It’s the sort of work that Picasso is most known for.
What’s interesting though, (but also not surprising), and something we found out at the exhibition, is that he did not start here. No. Of course not!
In fact, not only did he not start here, he actually started as quite a ‘traditional’ young painter…
The Old Fisherman (Salmerón), 1895 by Pablo Picasso
Now, I say traditional, but what I really mean is, when he started out, and was in his ‘skill acquisition’ phase, he painted many portraits and objects very literally, aiming for realism.
And here’s another, which he painted at just 15 years old –
Portrait of the arists mother, 1896 by Pablo Picasso.
So what am I getting at here?
Well, I think that this is so amazing. Picasso, one of the most prolific and talented painters of all-time, and known for his abstract work in cubism and surrealism, started his creative journey by learning the rules.
He spent many years working solely on the fundamentals, dialing in his technique/mechanics, making sure he had full control of the brush, colour, shading, depth of field, (what us drummers would refer to as stivck control and dynamics, in a lot of ways), before letting all the rules go, throwing caution to the wind, and finding his own true voice as an artist.
Knowing this just gives the quote so much more gravitas now…
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
So why am I talking about this?
We can think about this in terms of learning the fundamentals, as a player, for sure. Things like mechanics, dynamics, rudiments, a range of styles etc, but I want to talk about it in the context of something else. Session work.
So, with my MasterMind Drummer Clinic I am currently touring, one of the talking points/tracks that I perform is in regard to when I joined my first ‘major label’ band, and how I, myself, had to ‘learn the rules before I could break them’, and what an amazing learning experience that was for me.
I was 21 years old, and in short, what led to this opportunity was my long-time-running instrumental prog band The New Caledonia, had decided they were ready to take on the world, and move to Melbourne permanently.
We had just released our album Lotus, received three 4 out of 5-star reviews in major publications, and by all standards, were gaining traction in the right places.
But with this, the boys decided that given the size of New Zealand, and the timing of everything, now would be the best time to go explore, and see what the band could do elsewhere.
And they were probably right.
The problem was, I couldn’t go.
I had some responsibilities at the time that needed to take priority, and although it was an extremely hard decision to make, I made the call not to go with them.
It’s weird when you have to make decisions that are extremely painful, yet you know deep down they are the right. Well, this was one of those.
Intuition is a very powerful tool, and something we could ALL spend time listening to more. It’s a muscle/voice that needs to be kneaded regularly, to strengthen it, and it should certainly not be undervalued.
Your intuition may not always be right, but it is always worth exploring when it speaks up.
Well, anyway, in this case, for me, it definitely was right.
I’m a firm believer that sometimes you have to create space in your life, in order to let new opportunities come your way, and that’s exactly what happened here. One door closed, and only because of that door closing, was another one about to open…
I think within weeks of the boys leaving for Melbourne, I had a knock at my door, and a local pop/rock band named 48May, were looking for a drummer.
48May were signed to Warners music, were busy, had been on the New Zealand Music Charts multiple times, and had just finished recording their second album ‘Streetlights and Shadows’.
It was at this point that their drummer had decided that he wanted to go in a different direction, and basically get off the drums and become a front-man himself, so made the call to leave the band.
So anyway, they had heard through the grapevine that my band had moved away, and I was now available, so they asked me to come in for an audition. Great!
This was my first audition, and something I did not take lightly. I prepped as best as I could for this.
I remember being given 4-5 songs to learn, over a 5-day period, and instead, I just decided to learn their whole catalog. I wanted to blow these guys away. Not just with my playing, but with my willingness to step up, and go that extra mile.
I wanted to make sure they knew that not only could I play the songs, but I was a hard worker who went above and beyond, as I knew even at that age that first impressions truly do last.
Remember, preparation is key.
So the audition day came, and we all got in a room together.
They were all super nice guys, we all clicked immediately, but wasted no time, kicking into one of their more known songs off their first album, Home By 2.
Judging by the looks on their faces, that all went great, so we then proceeded to play through the remainder of the songs they had given me to learn, as well as a couple bonus tracks that I slipped into conversation, letting them know I had learned them.
Its fair to say, they were impressed.
My only goal with this audition, was to make them feel comfortable. I wanted them to know they were in safe hands, BUT….
I also wanted them to know that I was ‘Stan Bicknell from The New Caledonia’ lol, whatever the f*ck that means haha, and made sure I added in a few moments here and there, you know, to flex a little, in areas where I thought it would work.
From what I could tell, in the moment, these were received well also, with a few smiles here and there as we were playing.
So, the audition finished, and their bass player got straight to the crunch. He was very gracious in his praise, letting me know the pocket was great, and everything sat nicely, but he then said to me…
“Hey, you know all those cool extra things you were chucking in?”
To which I said ‘Yeah man’, thinking he was about to ramp the praise up to 11…
He followed it with a very straight up to the point –
“Don’t do that. The songs don’t need it. We already know you can play that stuff, but that’s not why you are here. You’re here because we want to know if you can do the job.”
Wow. Don’t me as I remove the tiny little dagger from my heart. Now, once I pulled that dagger out, a major realization came over me, a total ‘penny-drop’ moment, you might say.
OF COURSE they didn’t want all my extra bits and pieces added in. They wanted the songs played as they were written.
This was pop/rock, not prog. Tight hooks, strong melodies, and great songs! All the players become one sound in this band. No one is fighting to be heard, as opposed to The New Caledonia. This band was an actual unit.
What a massive thing to realise in realtime, and I’d honestly say it was one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years.
It was about zooming out and looking at the big picture, and serving the band, not myself. Listening to what was needed, and using my skills in other ways – playing tight, playing consistently, and making the songs feel great, and the band feel comfortable. That was my job.
I learned the rules!
So, you’ll be pleased to know I got the job, and over the next couple of years I had an absolute blast with this band. Tours locally, internationally, music videos, high-profile industry events, autograph signings, the works!
We even managed to slip in an ‘on brand’ shopping-trolley photoshoot. Hahahaha.
Look at Baby-Stan in the back left!
This band was my introduction to ALL of that side of things, and was an absolutely amazing learning experience. Lessons that I still carry with me now, with all the session work I do even to this day!
I mean, just this past week, I was up at Parachute Studios in Auckland, tracking drums for a very talented songwriter named Dan Sharp. I played on Dans previous album, which you can hear some HERE, but this time we were working with a high-profile producer named Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Mel C).
All I am ever thinking about in these moments is ‘what exactly do THEY need?’. So essentially, ‘what are the rules, here?’, and ‘how can I make this process smooth and pleasurable for everyone?’.
I’m there to do a job, and I’m going to do it well, and I’m going to make sure I leave with EVERYONE feeling great, and that they are stoked that I was involved in the session. That is my only goal.
Do the job, and do it well.
Now, back to 48May, and just to wrap it up in a nice little bow. Here’s the kicker…
What’s interesting is, down the track, after 6 months or so of playing with the band, guess what…
I DID start adding in all my bits and pieces again, because at that point, I had earned their trust! We had formed a bond, not just as a band, but as people also, and they were now comfortable with me bringing some of my personality to the music.
So to wrap up, and to swing this right back to the very start of this newsletter, as Pablo Picasso poignantly stated, first, you must….
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist”
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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