MasterMind Drummer
Newsletter #37
Sep 2nd, 2024
How To Get The GIG of Your Dreams – pt. 2
Welcome back, and thanks for all the positive feedback to last week’s newsletter – pt.1.
Before we kick off, I thought I’d update you on what has been happening at my end. Lots on as always…
Well, that’s a wrap on the Black Comet tour. We are done! Phew!
We traveled all over the country playing a bunch of shows (mostly sold out), to very appreciative audiences, and we had an absolute blast doing so.
We just released our latest single R.C, which you can hear on Spotify HERE, and to celebrate, I filmed a live drum play-through in my studio, which you can watch HERE.
Last week, before heading back out on the road, I also filmed a FULL rig rundown video, taking you through all the little details of my set-up that we all seem to enjoy.
We are all just nerds, right? You can watch it HERE.
So yeah, as always, lots on. Lots keeping me busy.
I have just finished writing my next course – The Key To Dynamics & Mechanics Mastery, and now that I have a bit of time, I’ll start filming that this week.
As the title suggests, this course goes deep into dynamic control and mechanical awareness – so breaking our movements down, and working through them individually, and most importantly, with intention.
I don’t mean dynamics, as in, can you play quietly in the corner of a jazz cafe. I mean, how loud can you do your backbeat, right beside your quietest ghost note? Proper dynamic control.
This control really is the difference between a good and a great player, in my opinion.
Once I realized that dynamic control was a common thread among the greats – Gadd, Weckl, Colaiuta, I went deep into how to attain this type of control, then wrote a 44 min plan, which I did every morning for 4 months straight.
This had a profound impact on my playing.
That is what I am going over in this course, plus some high value mechanical work I’ve come across since, that has really helped move my hands forward, too.
Its going to be jam packed!
In terms of my drumming curriculum specifically, this course is a major piece to the puzzle of what I see as the MasterMind Drummer Pathway.
I am also refilming my 30-Day Coaching Program – updating it to a 2.0 version, and am releasing ‘The Key To Personal Mastery’, which is a course focusing specifically on the personal development side of my 30-Day program.
Once those are complete, the pathway will go like this –
The Key To PERSONAL Mastery
The Key To TUNING A Modern Drumkit
The Key To DOUBLE STROKE Mastery
The Key To DYNAMICS & MECHANICS Mastery
The Key To SINGLEKICK Mastery
The Key To CHOPS Mastery
(Or you could just do the)
The MasterMind Drummer 30-DAY Coaching Program
This is the vision I have had right from the start, and its very rewarding seeing it all come together, now that I am nearly there 🙂
I’ll make sure I have bundle packs etc. too, for those that already own certain courses, that want to expand, etc.
———
Now, let’s get into pt.2 of ‘How To Get The Gig Of Your Dreams’.
Remember, I spoke about how, firstly, we need to zoom out, look at things from a more macro perspective, and ultimately increase our value in two areas –
On The Kit
Off The Kit
As a side note, for those that have been with me for a while now and have heard me go into this before, don;t underestimate the power of repetition.
I put a tweet out last week explaining this very thing –
I read the same book multiple times (if its good), I listen to powerful audio over and over, I watch impactful videos multiple times – you can never hear a good message too many times.
Drown yourself in it.
You have to remember, at the end of the day, we are just creatures of habit, whether they are good or bad – especially as we get older.
So, the more we can surround ourselves with information that will keep us in the right mindset, blocking out everything else coming at us, the better.
Life is set up to distract, plain and simple, and we can very easily forget our mission at hand – ‘be better, do better’.
And THAT is what I endeavor to do with these newsletters. The aim is to keep you in the zone, and a constant reminder that progress is a choice, not an accident, and that you are in control.
1% better every day.
As we were…
So, to recap – To get the gig of your dreams, first, address the quality of player you are – so, On The Kit
A great player is defined by a balance between:
1. Groove
2. Facility
3. Personality
If you are lacking in any of these areas, become relentless in your pursuit of developing them. The aim is to be world-class in all areas.
Now, for pt.2, this week I want to discuss – Off the kit.
This is definitely the most overlooked area when it comes to leveling up in order to get the gig of your dreams, but also, my favourite to discuss.
So let’s break it down.
I define this by 4 categories.
1. Health
I’m speaking external here, and define this by 2 parts – exercise and nutrition.
Although I certainly have my advice, nutrition is a personal journey, as it’s often wrapped around ideology, so today, let’s just focus on exercise.
Look, in short, the body is the filter to the mind. You start here, and everything falls into place really quickly.
Let’s go over some basic benefits.
Firstly, this is a physical instrument, so ANY activity you do outside of it will benefit you greatly. I always say, but playing the drums should not be the hardest part of your day. You should have your body dialed in to the point where a 90-min set at full power isn’t hard, it’s a given, as that’s just what we do!
Secondly – mental health. Everyone deals with self-doubt, impostor syndrome, inadequacies, inferior complex etc. But, I am telling you now, you start looking after yourself daily? Eg, cardio, weights, nutrition, and most of this will go away.
Regular exercise is the fastest path to confidence, self-love, self-worth, self-belief.
It blows my mind how many drummers deal with doubt about themselves and their playing, and to be blunt, I just don’t.
Do I think I am awesome? No, not at all. I am very aware of what I can not do on the drums (trust me), but, I have full confidence and belief in what I offer, and what I can do, and that is in large part due to regular daily exercise.
And thirdly, brain health!
It used to be anecdotal that the more you look after your body, the sharper your brain gets, but now there is a ton of data to support this.
Aside from the ability to control our emotions much more when we exercise regularly (hippocampus health), they now know that you are more likely to be able to start and stick with new habits, too. In fact, Huberman just tweeted this yesterday –
Amazing stuff! And I am here for ALL of it.
One thing I haven’t mentioned here, too, is vanity metrics! Meaning, you’ll look good as well! Which is totally a great reason (but the least important IMO), also.
2. Wellbeing
I separate this from 1. Health, as I’m looking at it from an internal perspective. So, Input vs Output.
And that is it in a nutshell, really. Controlling what you have coming in, so the quality of what you put out is much, much higher.
Little things like staying away from the ‘doom scroll’ on your phone – much like alcohol, vapes/cigarettes, sugar, porn, etc, the phone is not the problem, we are, and our inability to control and manage it.
Self-control! This must be exercised at all times, in some shape of form. Staying away from anything that has a ring of ‘instant gratification’ is a pretty good starting point.
Another way to control your input positively, and in my opinion, is one of the best ways, is reading!
Read books that educate you in areas of interest. Specifically, mindset, habits, systems, philosophy… Anything that will help prevent mental atrophy.
Remember, if you ain’t using it, you’re losing it!
3. Relationships
Get better at how you interact with others.
It surprises me how many people blow their chance purely because they ‘aren’t a good hang’.
Be mindful, considerate, and purposeful in how you deal with everyone you come into contact with in your professional life. Get as good at this as you can.
My rule of thumb is, I aim to leave a room in a better place than when I entered it. This comes down to really listening to others when they are talking, picking up on body language and sub-text etc. Often, it’s what is NOT said that you need to be listening for.
And look, if needed, lets get real. Ask a good friend ‘hey man, am I a dick?’ This could be a total gamechanger, and save you many years of unnecessary social faux pas.
Remember, what you give out, is what you get back.
Think “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”.
Regardless of the source, that’s a powerful statement.
4. Business
Whether you like it or not, you are a personal brand. Deal with it.
If you charge for your services, or wish to one day, then make no mistake, you are a brand, so look at the world through that lens.
What you put out there, is how people will perceive you, so get sharp and tidy it all up!
Think of social media as a business card for what you offer, and then tidy up your offerings to reflect that.
Also, think about diversifying. So, how else can I make money from this?
For me, I currently make money from 8 different ways within drumming! You don’t necessarily need that many streams of income, but diversifying on some level is really important as it…
A. Increases your odds of survival if one area was to slow for some reason outside your control. Eg. Lockdown meant no live shows.
B. You have a better chance of maintaining your love for the craft and staying inspired and motivated to practice, as you won’t get rinsed out or fatigued by one thing.
There is so much more nuance to all these, but this is a pretty good summary of how you can start to move towards increasing your value in these areas, which, in turn, will increase your chances of greater opportunities.
Do these, pt.1 & pt.2, and it truly is the pathway in
How To Get The GIG of Your Dreams
Let’s leave it there for this week as I need to get my daughters lunch ready for school, and start my day.
As always, thanks for taking the time, and thanks for all your feedback, too. I really appreciate it.
I read them all. So please, if you have any thoughts, send them through, and let’s get a dialogue happening.
Don’t forget… Stay hungry (and stay healthy!)
See you next week.
Stan