Honesty is Key

"Honesty is the best policy" is something we've all heard at some point, and it's true, but it is especially true when it comes to improving on the drums. I say this because in order to grow, we must make an honest assessment of where we are right now. We can't get any better if we believe we're already as good as we're going to get. At first, being totally honest with ourselves about our current abilities can be uncomfortable, but it gets easier with repetition, just like anything else. Sure, it can be a bit of a bummer to realize just how far you are from a goal, but this shouldn't discourage you. It should motivate you! Only once we analyze our drumming can we identify our weaknesses and work on them. The first step to improving is knowing what we need to work on.

If you're having trouble identifying which aspects of your playing need work, then I've got a solid suggestion. Video record your practice using a cell phone. While we can hear some mistakes in our drumming while we play, we won't usually catch all of them because we are focused on playing. By recording our practice, we are able to focus solely on analyzing our playing from an outside perspective.

We all want to be better drummers, so let's remember to take a good long look in the mirror and be honest with ourselves. Then we can start making improvements!