reading between the signs

Stop!
It's the word no drummer likes to hear.

If my parents had pounded their feet on the floor everytime I was practicing downstairs I might not be still playing today. I was given the space and time to play. And, eventually the sound became easier on mom and dad's ears.
But, knowing when to stop playing really is essential to becoming a better drummer - or musician for that matter.

Here's what professional drummer and percussionist Carl Albrecht has to say in his article "Space, the Final Frontier" Or "Why Do Drummers Overplay?" in the Nov/Dec 2004 issue of Worship Musician.

"The importance of dynamics, colouring and leaving space in music cannot be overstated. Quite often I (Carl) hear drummers and other musicians trying to play everything they know in one song. They are so absorbed in their own thing they forget to hear music as a collective sound of everyone present."

"Play music, not just drums."

Visit his website: www.carlalbrecht.com

Stick with it. -- EAG