“If there’s no groove. What do ya got?”

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Larnell Lewis is among the elite modern drummers of the last decade. Whether you found him through his many notable Snarky Puppy performances, his solo work or perhaps his several appearances on Drumeo, including the viral video where Larnell hears Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” for the first time, you know that Larnell has got the goods.

I thought it would be fun to revisit my list of essential drumming skills and have Larnell rank them from most important to least important. As a bonus, Larnell also offers a helpful tip to improve upon each skill set. 

You Will Hear About….

• The BIG 7: Speed, Independence/Coordination, Time Keeping/Groove, Personality, Sound, Repertoire, Technique. This list is then ranked by Larnell from least important to most important. 
• A tip from Larnell for each item in “The BIG 7” to improve upon these skills.
• A word from Larnell about confidence.

Why Should You Listen?

This list is by and large what drummers, and all musicians for that matter, need to develop in order to become competent on their respective instruments. But what needs to be addressed first? Which of these things doesn’t need to be entertained until other skills have been sorted out? Clarity brings focus. Focus brings direction. Direction served with diligent practice brings results. This is the purpose of today’s episode. To help you see results in your drumming and beyond.

Music Featured In Today’s Episode

Larnell Lewis - The Forgotten Ones (RTM)

Larnell Lewis - Change Your Mind (RTM)

Larnell Lewis - In The Moment (RTM)

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“It’s an uncomfortable space to be in especially when you’re playing with a metronome.”

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Donald “DJ” Johnson is the drummer for Khruangbin, an instrumental trio hailing from Houston, Texas. The irony of today’s episode is due to the fact that Khruangbin does not record their records to a click track. They approach their recordings in a very “old school” kind of way. The band has recorded each of their records at Mark’s family farm in Burton, Texas, which is a rural area between Houston and Austin. 

The need for a band to have impeccable timing to record music without a click is paramount, otherwise, the editing would be far more nightmarish. To gain a strong internal pulse that is in time is a skill that every musician needs to continually work on. With that being said, today’s episode focuses on practical exercises to strengthen your timing through metronome practicing methods. 

You Will Hear About….

• A brief history lesson on the metronome.
• A gap click exercise.
• Rob “Beatdown” Brown shares a lesson on displacing the metronome.
• An active listening exercise featuring a Khruangbin tune.
• What is a hemiola?
• How I learned to love the metronome.

Why Should You Listen?

We all need to submit ourselves to the metronome at some point. For timekeeping is arguably the most important skill set to develop as a drummer. This episode provides at least two very effective exercises to sharpen these skills.

Music Featured In Today’s Episode

Khruangbin - People Everywhere (Still Alive)

Khruangbin - So We Won’t Forget

Khruangbin - Friday Morning

Khruangbin - Hasta El Cielo

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“Get the drum set of your dreams.”

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Todd Sucherman, the drummer for Styx, has one of the most immaculate and astonishing modern drum collections I have ever seen. It was during a Drumeo Coaches session where I heard him speak in fascinating detail about a Serenity drum that he owns that I decided to reach out to him to talk about his impressive collection.

So, this is what we have here. Todd goes through each of his most unique snare drums in his collection. These are all bespoke drums from custom builders all over the globe. Whether it is Sugar Percussion’s Sequoia snare drum that was harvested from wood ranging upwards of 5000 years old or his Providence snare drum crafted from the cylinder head of a Rolls-Royce, each of these drums that Todd describes is works of art with a tremendous sentimental appeal.

We are also treated to the sounds of the top five unique drums that were recorded directly from Todd’s home studio. This is a special episode for drummers. An episode that will hopefully ignite our inner drum nerd.

You Will Hear About….

• Incredible details and stories regarding each of Todd’s top 10 unique snare drums.
• A blindfold test to see if you can tell which drum is which.
• A story about Todd’s Signature Series Bubinga drum set and why we should buy the drums of our dreams.
• My own story about the Sugar Percussion drum building workshop.

Why Should You Listen?

I know that part of being a drummer is the admiration of gear. The history, the details, the sounds, and the dreams we all have for those particular pieces we would like to see in our own collection one day. I know that this episode re-ignited my passion for the gear. I used to drool over DW’s kit builder as a teenager and I looked through the Modern Drummer magazines to see what new shell technology was being developed or the newest line of Zildjian cymbals that were available. If that sounds similar to your own experiences, well, you will probably enjoy this episode.

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“To stay on course there has to be a course in the first place.”

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Benny Greb recently released his book Effective Practicing For Musicians: The Ultimate Guide For How To Become Better At Your Instrument. It took him many years of research and several years to write it as well. He wrote me late last year to ask about hosting him on the podcast to discuss his book to which I replied, “Absolutely! Send me the book and we will do it!”. Upon receiving his book I began reading and put together my own EPM system using the book and its sets of questions to determine where I wanted my drumming to go and what needed to be addressed. Since then, I have never been so happy and determined in my drumming life. 

The book calibrates you and fills you up with momentum to tackle the lessons, whether online or in person, with more focus and purpose. Whenever I look for lessons on Drumeo Edge, I now know exactly what I am looking for.

I consider this book an essential resource for drummers who are committed to becoming the drummer they wish to become. You can get it right here.

You Will Hear About….

• Why we must separate playing from practicing.
• Benny’s ratio between time spent practicing versus playing.
• How should we treat ourselves during practice?
• A story from the book outlining how small changes applied consistently over time can create an enormous impact.
• The Whale Method.
• The Feel Good Factor.
• What should you practice?

Why Should You Listen?

Do you want to become better at your instrument? If you said yes to that question then I suppose you should listen to this. This is only the first part of three parts of the EPM series and I think this is a nice coat of primer for what’s to come. A lot of the material in the book and within this podcast episode resonated with me deeply. These are things that most, if not all, of us, go through and to have some empathetic advice to steer us towards more clarity is valuable.

Music Featured In Today’s Show

Moving Parts - Celsius: 0:00

Greb/Husband - Immune System: 1:33

Greb/Husband - Icebath: 11:50

Greb/Husband - Meditation: 32:53

Benny Greb - No. 1: 43:37

Photo by Gerhard Kuehne

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“Everybody should be given the opportunity to enjoy the drums and play music.”

Mike Dolbear has been serving the drumming community and industry through MikeDolbear.com for over twenty years now. What started off as a website to promote the launch of his book “Rhythm & Fills” quickly became more than that. He became a host, interviewer, event organizer, and journalist all while maintaining his career in drum instruction. 

In 2020, Mike has risen to the challenges our industry faces during these restrictive times by utilizing his platform to bring even more awareness to drummers by interviewing nearly one-hundred (at the time of this release) interviews through Instagram. These interviews have been with artists, company reps, and shop owners primarily. To see another individual in our industry take it upon himself to contribute something of value is always appreciated and I felt like now was a great time to catch up with Mike and see how this year has been for him.

You Will Hear About….

• Mike’s early years leading up to and including the creation of MikeDolbear.com.
• Why when you fall you must get back up again and to portray confidence you don’t really have.
• Creating your own luck.
• Mike’s take on teaching and students.
• Social media and mental health.
• An incredible story regarding a student of Mike’s in the past.
• Danny Boyle and why he is so humble.
• What it is like broadcasting in 2020 for Mike.
• Some thoughts about anxiety.

Why Should You Listen?

The story about the kid with cancer that Mike coached in order to play drums at a major sporting event is worth the listen alone. That story is incredibly inspirational and heartwarming. In general, Mike sticks up for the little guy. That is kind of his thing. Everything he does for drumming is certainly appreciated.

The other reason to listen is that Mike Dolbear is rarely a guest on podcasts. I suppose I am lucky in that sense that we have some mutual friends and he trusted me enough to host him. In any case, to hear his thoughts about luck, confidence, anxiety, teaching, and broadcasting media is very interesting and it is coming from a very good source.

Photo by F.Desmaele

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So, last week I decided to pick up bass guitar. I have been practicing and I have taken note of a few things that I have discovered by reminding myself of what it feels like to start something new. Also, I talk a bit about my thoughts on what happened with Dorothea Taylor's IG getting hacked and the spirit of Christmas.

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“If you want to play busy, learn how to play all of the in-between stuff really quietly.”

Brody Simpson is a drummer and recording engineer from Perth, Australia. He is a co-owner of Underground Studios and out of that studio he, in addition to the regular studio services, provides a service that he calls RealDrumsForYou. Brody is very well-known in the drumming community as an exceptionally creative engineer and fantastic drummer, who’s interested particularly in creating sounds that you may believe are samples upon listening. Instead, he has spent years painstakingly creating these sounds through experimenting with equipment and acoustic instruments.

While Brody doesn’t tour and has spent most of his career in a studio, he has had no shortage of keeping busy as a professional engineer and session musician. In this chat, we discuss many talking points directly related to his specialties.

You Will Hear About….

• Brody’s change of approach to laboring over his work.
• Some thoughts about maintaining a fresh outlook towards recording multiple takes.
• How Brody approaches the conversation with artists when offering different ideas for the artists’ music during a recording session.
• A conversation regarding drummers developing a sound and whether drummers pardon their creativity often for the sake of the music.
• Whether or not Brody’s ideas can always become reality as he imagined.
• The importance of playing quietly while recording.
• Some tips for when you plan to buy some recording equipment.

Why Should You Listen?

Brody is highly specialized in recording drums and other instruments. Considering how many people are now getting into home recordings, Brody is a wealth of information. There are many tips and ideas being presented here that will be incredibly useful for drummers that are making their own recordings and don’t have access to a knowledgeable engineer. It won’t answer all of your questions by any means but the bulk of the conversation relates to drummers who are diving into more studio work and/or are making recordings.

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“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind, there are few.” - Shunryu Suzuki

Do I know a lot about this subject? No. However, I have some tangible thoughts about it and I wanted to explore some ideas that involve this beginner's mind concept.

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“I think starting out with those recitals really just burned that love and passion for live performance into me.”

Patch Mahoney is a drummer from Arizona who began making content for Instagram nearly five years ago. Due to his efforts he has gained a career in music. He comes from a musical family and his Dad even worked for Remo for a while providing Patch with his first drum set when he was a little kid.

Patch didn’t begin taking drumming seriously until he was late in his teens. He picked up sticks here and there but he wasn’t considering the drums as his calling or something to take more seriously than a hobby. Patch was actually studying to become a doctor and one day he stumbled across a Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl Kit online and he was struck with a sudden change of heart. The rest is history.

You Will Hear About….

• Patch’s early memories of his Dad working at Remo and the full-circle moment when he became endorsed by Remo.
• Some tips for using social media to maintain creativity, engagement, and reduce burnout.
• Patch’s earliest performances as a kid for Stages Music, which was owned by his parents.
• Some ideas to help manage nerves during performances or any presentation.
• A concept that falls in line with “fake it until you make it”. 
• Patch’s story about the time when he dropped med school to become a drummer.
• Perfectionism vs productivity and keeping the two in check.

Why Should You Listen?

Patch and I are buddies within the community and this was long overdue. He hit me up to hang out virtually and I recommended that we record it. So, this is basically us having a chat. Of course, for the sake of the interview I prepared some stuff and so we get some deep background on Patch and his story. But the “fake it until you make it” part, social media management, and perfectionism is relevant. It is the first time where I bring up some of these ideas I had and it was great that we did because it got me thinking more about it since the interview. 

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Musicians often say, "the music tells me what to play", and I agree with that one hundred percent. But what if music told us what to practice? I have often heard how confusing it is out there with the many lessons online. There is just so much to potentially learn! But if our music tastes dictated to us what we need to improve upon in order to play the music we love, maybe it would cut down the confusion. That is what today's episode is all about.

Check out my Spotify playlist "seamus is all mixed up" for some inspiration.