My Job Is To Ensure Independence

"Four-way independence? That sounds hard. There's no way I could do that!"

"Drummers are crazy! They have all that stuff going on at the same time!"

"How does anyone do four things at once?"

Many people seem to be mystified by the idea of drummers and percussionists "doing several things at once." It's the conversation topic du jour at most of my gigs, is quizzically referenced by students and their parents at my teaching studio, and casually, the topic frequently follows that age-old question: "So, what do you do for a living?"

Unveiling the Mysterious

I wish I could say that drumming limb-independence is some form of über-cool and secretive alchemy, born from an under-ground society that produces rock stars and drumming alien freaks.

Nope. Nothing of the kind.

All forms of human muscle coordination are a function of "muscle memory." This explains how a person can breathe, blink their eyes, support themselves in a chair, and swallow food at the same time--even though most scientists studying the brain will assert the mind can focus on only one task at a time.

Multitasking seems to be a myth. When juggling several functions at once, while at work for example, we're usually doing nothing more than rapidly shifting our focus from one item to the next.

Scientists almost universally tell us that, if we want to accomplish an item on our to-do list well, we should plan to focus on that job exclusively while performing it.

A Pattern of Behavior

So how can a drummer--or anyone--accomplish more than one precision muscle movement at a time when, according to the above paragraph, we're limited to one mental focal point?

Actually, when performing on four, five, even six (or more!) instruments at once on the kit, a drummer is singularly minded! We're focusing on one well-rehearsed pattern, and are tapping into muscle memory. Some patterns require us to hit instruments on the kit simultaneously, other times linearly (shop-speak for hits in succession).

For this reason, long-time students of drumming and percussion will often compare drumming to dancing, or even martial arts.

The patterns we practice are the choreography, or form, of what we're executing on the drum set, or when performing a multi-percussion composition.

Repeat After Me

Contrary to what you may believe, you can be taught to play the drum set. You do have the needed coordination to enjoy a musical journey down the path of percussion.

Kat, my wife, describes herself as "gravitationally challenged, and certainly not very coordinated."

I fully, and honestly, disagree.

Well, at least with the "not very coordinated" part (Ha!).

Here's why...

One afternoon, we were discussing something drumming related. I asked if she'd like to sit down behind my drum kit, and I'd teach her a couple beats. Of course, she gave me an interesting look. But she playfully grabbed some drumsticks, sat down, and put her feet on the bass drum and hi-hat pedals.

After explaining the concept of patterns, and that she'd either hit the drums and cymbals together, or separately; in no time at all, she was able to play a few different beats, with subtle variations.

With each victory, her expression glowed more. This is why I have a passion to teach!

The choice to begin drumming really does come down to desire, a commitment and a willingness to practice.

Practice, defined in the simplest of terms, is really nothing more than repeating patterns in a focused manner until the desired results are obtained.

Please, if you've ever thought about playing drum set, and decided against trying because you've deemed yourself "challenged in the ways of coordination," please, please cut yourself some slack.

Message your drumming interest and concerns to me via my Facebook page, and let's discuss them. I will not push you into signing up for lessons. I will be happy to help resolve concerns you may have regarding "independence inabilities."

Identifying and removing obstacles in a student's or prospective student's path to learning is a commitment I take very seriously. Please, don't let possible misconceptions about your abilities stop you from giving the drum set, or any other percussion instrument a shot.

Ultimately, if percussion lessons at my studio are in your future, I'd be patient with you every step of the way...

Even if you think you'd be drumming with two left feet!

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Interested in drumming/percussion lessons? Or, just curious about my studio? Please contact me via my studio's Facebook page. You'll find much to explore--including all of my past blog posts. Hit the "Like" button to let me know you've visited. Thanks--I appreciate you!

My studio can also be followed on Twitter: @JimKubeDrums.