MEMBERS SESSIONS

Drumdrill is about building a community of like minded drummers. The mission could never be completed if only one person was running the sessions and everyone else came along.
There are enough content driven platforms out there to scratch that itch (some extremely good ones too). Here, it’s different, all members can setup their own practice sessions and invite others to join and participate. This is an exciting way to work on what can too often feel like the grueling side of drumming. It allows us to be more pro-active, to commit and do the work. It makes us more accountable.
The Member Sessions are what make this place special and like no other.

What They Are

Fundamentally, they are a get together to get some work done.
There is no suggested format regarding how long or what you should be practicing.
It’s really up to you.
Whether you want to practice for 2hrs or only have 15min to spare before a soundcheck: It’s all good! It all contributes to keeping you engaged with your playing, it keeps you thinking and it keeps your hands active. Regularity is more beneficial than a one-time behemoth workout, we all know that.

Drumdrill is a bit like having a gym buddy or going to any work out yoga style or sport class: you don’t always need ‘an instructor’ to get some work done!.

 

Why They Are Really Great

Leading sessions is awesome!

Putting yourself out there and braving running a session (…yes, it can nerve racking) has some direct benefits:
• Committing to your improvement by scheduling your practice and (re)building a routine.
• Sometimes all you need is to feel accountable to someone else to get you going. It’s encouraging to have the group supporting you.
• Even if no one can join you, you’ve still showed up. It will be that much more time dedicated to your hands today than if you had not organised a session.
• You contribute and directly take part in the life of Drumdrill. Surely that’s a nice, warm & fuzzy feeling ????

BUT 

To me, and I can only talk about my own experience, the Big Benefits behind the Member Session can be more subtle and slow growing.
Having put myself in this position – of creating and leading Drumdrill, has shed some transformative light on aspects of my playing and what being a musician means.

When I run a session:
• I concentrate on different things than the exercise right in front of me.
• I feel more pressure
• My focus is challenged with more thoughts, distractions and inevitably (fear of) judgement.

Facing all of these, more or less consciously has:
• Boosted my confidence.
• Sharpened my mindset.
• Questioned my attitude, my learning methods, why I work on certain things in a certain way.
• It massively helped me improve my listening skills (not the opiniated kind of one ????)
• Helped me ask better questions as to why and how to refine my hands and stick relationship and therefore my playing.

Let me say it again. Leading sessions is awesome!

Leadership is the skill that drummers, uncompromisingly, must have. This is what we do on stage and these sessions are such a great way to develop it.
There is nothing to prove when running them, no performance, all the fears you may have are all 100% self-inflicted. The group is just eager to support your efforts not judge them.
It really doesn’t matter if no one turns up or if you don’t have much of a plan or only 20min ahead of you. It’s putting yourself (repeatedly) in that position that will count. Do it. Waiting to feel somehow ‘ready’ won’t work. Do it. Now

Note: I invite you to give me a shout and have a chat about it all at any point.
A great way to test the waters is to put yourself forward when I pass the ball for one exercise during my Drumdrill Live sessions. It’s something we could even plan and decide on a specific exercise first if you’d like.

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