Does RockBand help teach drumming?

Playing drums in the Rockband game is fun, but it doesn’t seem to teach anything about real drums or drumming. Some young people I have met think they know how to play drums, just because they’ve played the Rockband game! I am thinking that fewer people will actually learn the instrument after playing this game, because they will think they have already done it.
If you are a drummer, and play the game consistently enough to score well, does it make you a better drummer?

How many drummers play because they just love the instrument, and how many are hoping to be a star, or rich, or just because they like the attention they get by performing? How many of us would have spent years practicing just for the enjoyment of playing? Not many I fear. Some may say that drumming is a performing art, and without some attention and recognition, it would never be popular.

What do you think? Have you played the game?

Do you think it helps teach or attract young players? Or does it do the opposite, and detract young new drummers?

Are you a drummer?

Anyone who plays can be called a player. Not everyone who drums is a drummer. I have met players who play drums, and even some with great chops and technique, who just don’t play with their heart. Conversely, I have spent periods in my life without playing drums for months, or even years – but I will always be a drummer. The difference is very subtle, but very significant.

There is always some kind of rhythym in my head. If my fingers aren’t taping on a desk, or my foot isn’t taping on the floor, then my teeth are likely chattering some kind of pattern just to keep the energy flowing. As a kid, I was always told to sit still, stop figiting, knock off the tapping, etc., and I have played drums since I was very young. I didn’t learn what an integral part drumming was in my personality, until – for the first time in my life – I stopped playing for several years. Even when my kit was stacked up in cases in the garage, and I hadn’t held a pair of sticks for years, I still thought and behaved rhythmically. Sometimes the rhythms are slow and easy, and roll like a wave. Other times they’re quick and snappy, and keep me hoping when I need to keep an up-tempo activity moving. There is always some kind of a beat, a pattern, or a pulse pumping through me, and from me.

For many years, I did not realize that everyone else does not have this same constant, or at least consistent rhythm in their head, and in their life, that I do. Just about all of the friends through much of my life were players of some kind, and so there was always some kind of music either playing, or being sung, hummed, or tapped. I just assumed that everyone heard or felt some kind of rhythm the same way I do. After talking with friends and acquaintances, I eventually learned that some people just don’t hear anything, unless there’s something playing in the background. Wow!

I couldn’t stop the tunes in my head, any more than I could stop the pulse in my veins or the breathing in chest. My life is a counterpoint of syncopated beats with accents and grace notes embelishing the fringe. Playing drums is the best way to focus my energy, and let the rhythms flow through me as smoothly as possible. Sometimes playing drums even has meditative qualities that seem to improve my attitude and my sanity! Normally, I am just driven to drum.

So, what drives you to drum?  Is there something in particular that pushes you to play?  Does anyone else hear the rhythms and tunes like I do, or is this my self-made sanitarium? Do you just play, or are you a drummer?

More effective practice specifics

In my previous post, I outlined some general practice guidelines that have produced the best progress for me, and for the students I have worked with.  Here is a more specific sequence or routine to help focus and accelerate your technical skills, as well as build a solid repertoire.

A. Warm up (2 to 10 minutes).
Warm hands up by practicing rolls, technical exercises, scales, rudiments, etc. This prepares the hands as well as the mind for challenging material ahead. Be cautious, though, not to practice technique exercises blindly with no thought processes involved. Focus on form.  Careful attention and evaluation should be given to technique in each practice session in order for maximum improvement to take place.

B. Learn and refine new techniques (10 minutes to one hour).
When learning new techniques, practice motions very slowly.  Only increase the speed or tempo gradually once the technique is mastered when played slowly.  “Speed to succeed.”   The muscular memory of our bodies allows us to physically carry out patterns of motion with little or no conscious involvement. Examples of muscular memory include walking, riding a bike, typing, and of course playing a musical instrument.  In order to develop this memory, the muscles require training in the form of repeated conscious guidance. First the mind must learn the pattern. Then the mind must “teach” the pattern to the muscles.  The mind initially must control all the motions of the muscles. The more controlled and precise the motions, the more quickly the muscles will develop muscle memory.  Slow practice also allows the mind to teach “antagonistic muscles” to relax. Antagonistic muscles are those that move in opposite directions. By relaxing antagonistic muscles you can reduce tension and facilitate faster and easier performance and avoid potential injury.  Musicians are ‘small muscle’ athletes. Learning a new instrument or a new song involves physical skill training, just like learning a sport.  Imagine the practice routine of Olympic divers. There are hundreds of repetitions of every aspect of the dive: learning flips and twists independently, then learning to combine them. And finally once the dive is perfected, to ensure consistency and reliability, they practice the perfected dive hundreds, even thousands of times.

Be careful not to practice mistakes!  For every repetition required to learn a pattern of motion, it takes many more times that number of repetitions to change the  previously learned pattern. If in the course of your practice you make an error, stop. Review the pattern correctly in your mind. Reduce the speed of your motions until you play the part correctly.  Do not practice when you’re extremely tired.  You will make more mistakes.

Pause between repetitions.  When dealing with repetitive activities, the mind is better able to focus when the repetitions are broken up by short pauses. After several correct repetitions, pause for about 10 to 15 seconds to regain focus.

Sometimes this is the most frustrating segment of practicing.  It is frequently difficult to work on new or challenging music.  But remember, miracles can”t happen overnight, so be realistic. Don’t attempt too much in one practice. Take big problems and break them down into a bunch of small problems, then convert them into short-range goals, and attack them one at a time. It is much better to take a difficult measure and practice it again and again, until played perfectly, than to stop every time that measure is encountered and say, “I always have trouble with this part.”

C. Learn new music/correct problem spots (10  to 30 minutes).
At this time, the mind and hands are the most alert. Use this time to learn new music and correct problem spots in old music.  Clean up the two seven-stroke rolls that are always sloppy. Practice the sticking on a fill that is a critical queue in a transition spot.  Maybe the new technique is ready to add into a song.  Try it here.

D. Review previously learned material (10 minutes to one hour).
This is the time to “run through” at least a portion of your repitoire.  This can be music you learned last week or last month.  Practice planned groups of tunes so that you keep all the tunes and techniques you have learned fresh in your mind and muscle memory.  Plan the groups so that you review all your tunes at least a couple times a month, if not once a week.  You can run through ten 3-minute tunes each day, five days per week, and keep a list of 50 songs per week fresh in your mind.  The main purpose of this segment is to keep all previously learned material fresh and ready to play when you need to.  Another purpose of this practice segment is to reinforce skills and concepts you’ve just learned and refined, and apply them to a tune.  Remember to practice dynamics and phrasing. Use a click track or a metronome as often as possible.  Go back and play the newest piece that you have been correcting all the way through so it becomes part of your repertoire.

Don’t over practice.  Know when to stop. Focused work for a short period is better than playing through for longer less productive sessions.  During practice sessions longer than an hour, take a short break (5 to 10 minutes). After an intense practice, you will need one! Let your mind and your hands relax a bit and refresh for what is ahead. After a break, your mind is clearer and can function more efficiently. Long practice sessions go more smoothly if interspersed with regular short breaks.  Some research shows that studying too long (i.e. more than four hours) can deplete chemicals in the brain necessary for learning. Therefore, it is best to take frequent breaks and practice no more than 4 hours consecutively.

E. Conclusion of practice.
When concluding practice sessions, review and reflect back over the session, and think about what was accomplished and where you still have to go.  While everything is still fresh, plan sort-range goals for tomorrow,  It’s better to work out your goals when you have a chance to realistically monitor your progress.

F.  Play!
Sometimes it’s good to just let go and have some fun.  Fool around with your own ideas.  Improvise.  Don’t make practice a chore. If regular practice becomes a dreaded chore, you will find ways and reasons to avoid it.  Look for ways to keep it enjoyable and fun!  Play with other musicians whenever you get the chance.  Play along to tunes on an i-pod, radio, or any music source.

Tips:
Have a Pencil    In your practice area… at rehearsal… at lessons… always have a way to write down notes!  Yes, I know we all have astounding memories, but a pencil never forgets. A mistake such as a wrong note or incorrect dynamic is forgivable ONCE! Mark it and it won’t happen again. Besides these obvious mistakes, a pencil can remind you of alternate positions, or certain inflections in a given phrase. In short, the pencil IS your memory! Many great players have developed their own “shorthand” of symbols and markings they use to help them in performance.

Record practice sessions and performances, and listen back to them regularly.  More than any other single activity, listening can help you learn music easily and quickly.  Schedule some listening time into your day.  The biggest advantage in listening is that it helps you prevent making rhythmic mistakes.  Rhythmic mistakes are often the hardest to fix.  Listening will help you avoid some of the worst pitfalls.

Visualization – practice mentally.  This is a technique used by champion athletes world wide.  Focus on a tune and rehearse the entire piece in your mind from start to finish.  This can even be done while riding in a car or bus, while waiting in a line or any time with an extra 5 minutes of normally lost time.  This can also be a good test of how well you really know a tune.

Review your practice plan with an instructor or a mentor.  Get the best advice you can on how and what to practice, and your efforts will be much more productive.  Pick a partner or find a playing friend to keep you going.  Friends who play together help each other and bring each other up level by level.  Either get a friend to start playing, or make a new friend with someone who already plays.

There are many good practice methods. Take some time, and concentrate on methods that work best for you. Then, plan out a personal practice schedule to produce the maximum results.  Use your time efficiently and effectively.  By applying these techniques, you can maximize the effectiveness of your practice.

More Effective Practice

Last year I started working as a beginning drum instructor with a local drum corps.  It has been a great experience!  It made me start asking some questions to myself.

Why do some musicians practice hour after hour, only to achieve limited results, while others practice a minimum amount of time and advance rapidly?  We’ve all heard the expression, “Practice makes perfect.” But does it really?  What is the most efficient and effective way to learn your instrument and make consistent progress?

The answer lies in practice methods.  The quality of your practice is much more important than the quantity.  Some practice routines are conducive to improvement, while others can actually restrict it.  Improper practice often leads to poor results. Practicing just for the sake of practicing will not insure progress, and neither can poorly organized, occasional practice.

Here are some practice methods I have found to make your practice time much more productive, and help you progress consistently.

1. Establish a regular practice place.  Where it is located is not really important. (I have practiced in bedrooms, apartments, rehearsal halls, basements, and even a walk-in closet.) Find and area with good lighting and ventilation.  Check with everyone within earshot of your practice area. Make sure it is okay with them for you to practice, and agree on what hours of the day it will be happening.  Explain that you will be practicing drums nearby, and promise not to practice before or after agreed times.  Always keep your promise!  Ask them to call if the practicing becomes too loud.  You may be surprised how supportive friends and neighbors will be.

2. Set a regular schedule. Every teacher recommends a different practice schedule. Some require seven days a week, while others may only require two or three. I personally recommend practicing a minimum of five days a week, twice daily.  Short well-planned morning exercises combined with longer PM sessions can maximize results.  If you need to take a day off, that’s okay, but don’t skip the day just after your lesson.  Right after your lesson is when your memory retention and enthusiasm are at their peak – your best practice time!   You will find that the greatest progress will occur when you plan out an individual practice schedule and stick with it, week after week. It will become a routine-part of your life.

3. Plan practice sessions in advance. Planning is one of the most crucial elements of effective practice. An enormous amount of practice time is often wasted due to poor planning and organization. A person who boasts of practicing an hour a day may in fact be wasting up to 30 minutes sorting through materials and deciding what to work on, or playing over material that is already mastered. Know what you want to accomplish before each practice session. Simply going in to the drums thinking that you will become better just because you are practicing anything won’t do.

4. Set goals. Plan long-range as well as short-range goals. Long-range goals are self-set goals for six months or a year.  Short-range goals are for this week or today, like “I am going to master exercises 1 to 10 on page 30.” Map out beforehand realistic/obtainable long-range and short-range practice goals, and set out to achieve them.  One of the best tools for setting goals, and keeping a records of what you have learned is a weekly practice worksheet.  Write down just a few very specific techniques or new phrases at the top of a page.  Then write down your planned schedule for the week.  Every day mark the time that you spent, and note what you worked on.  Then write a quick one-line summary at the end of the week.  After a couple months, this becomes a journal of what you studied, and can help plan what new tunes and techniques to add to your goals.

5. Set up a specific practice order. If a specific practice order is followed from day-to-day, practice time will become more beneficial. The key is to make the best use of available time in order to produce the maximum results. Having a specific practice order that is regularly followed gives an organizational structure to practice and leaves less to chance. This is not to say that you may not want to vary your order from time to time, in order to give extra attention to a certain area. But planning a regular daily practice routine will be a step in the direction of more effective practice.

To learn a musical instrument you must learn to master many physical skills. Most musical skills are actually a compound skill-a physical skill built upon the foundation of other previously memorized skills.  Every step of the way you need to master techniques so that they operate automatically. You can’t turn a skill into a compound skill until the foundation skill is entirely memorized. Once learned, a skill operates automatically. No attention is required to drive it. This precisely what allows us to begin combining one skill with other memorized skills to make compound skills.  With attention free we can track and refine each new skill. We build one technique upon the next, so we must perfect each foundation skill before adding on, or the whole system becomes unstable. This requires careful observation and much repetition and review.

In my next post, I will outline a more specific practice sequence that I have found both as a player, and as a teacher that has produced the best results.