How to REALLY Feel Comfortable & Musical Behind the Kit

Sometimes the most practical, helpful thing you can do to be a better drummer is relax. Literally.

Relaxation is something we’ve learned to appreciate here at the Clark Household since having our baby 2 months ago! Any chance we can get pays off.

But it’s easy for me to say “relax!” while playing the drums, and it’s another to actually do it. Ultimately it comes down to a couple of things…

• Build up your playing from a technical standpoint so that you’re not constantly bumping a ceiling. Here’s a recent video that will help you with that.​
• Physically relax while you play. Listening helps a bunch, and here’s a link to today’s video that will help you with exactly that (+ a bunch of additional tips for getting better sounds out of your drums!)

Beyond these two core tips, logging real-world playing experience with actual musicians is the best way to rapidly grow in these skills. But I also heard something interesting from the drummer, Shawn Pelton. In a podcast interview, he mentioned taking lessons from non drummers when he was in school. He didn’t mean taking guitar or piano lessons (though those can be very valuable, too). He meant taking drum lessons from non drummers.

This might mean sitting down with a bass player and getting his or her feedback on what they like to hear from drummers. Or it might mean having a lesson with a good saxophone player who knows exactly what they like to hear from a drummer while they’re soloing. These are things that often aren’t covered in drum lessons, but they’re equally valuable skills that help you blend into whatever musical environment you’re in. That’s a huge step to relaxing behind the kit and making music.

I actually ended up taking trombone, saxophone, guitar, and bass lessons in college for extra credit. I didn’t literally take drum lessons from these teachers, but dipping my feet into the waters of these “foreign” instruments helped boost my awareness and listening skills on a gig. If you ever have the opportunity to do something like this, jump on it!

But here’s what I want you to do right now. I know many of us are positioned elsewhere in life where we don’t have that college student freedom to explore new avenues of music. That’s fine! Keep working on the drums, but think less about the drums and more about the music. How do you do that?

• Hone your craft. Work really hard at building a solid base level of technical proficiency on the drums. Work your hand technique. Work your coordination. Become physically comfortable playing so that you’re not worrying about whether you can hold a particular groove together or play a particular fill right.
• Practice paying more attention to the music than what you’re actually playing on the drums. This sounds counterintuitive, but by focusing your ear on melody and what’s going on around you you’re actually inspiring endless creativity. Don’t play from your hands - Play from your ear!

Mastering these two areas starts with regular discipline, between working your skills and just sitting and listening to music through headphones. But my goal is to help you get there. Check out the two videos I mentioned up top, starting with the coordination lesson then looking at the “how to get a pro sound and play musically” lesson. I’m currently working on some new content designed to push your technique and coordination skills, since I’ve heard from you that this is a real struggle at times. I’m also working on some content to teach you how to structure a practice routine, which is a big deal. Knowing how to practice is huge, so stay on the lookout for that.

In the meantime, shoot me your questions as you’re working on this! I’m excited about the new content to come, so keep an eye on the channel.

Remember that you CAN master the drums when you’re armed with the right knowledge, and giving you the right know-how is the mission of The Non Glamorous Drummer.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

God Bless,

Stephen