What Kind Of Drummer Do You Want To Be?

He took a glimpse into the mirror: Wide eyes, small lips. 12 wrinkles on his forehead. He had done it many times before. Simply looking into the mirror. See what’s there. And ask one single question: What kind of drummer do you want to be?

Look Into Your Own Mirror

Have you ever asked yourself this question:

What kind of drummer do you want to be?

I mean: Seriously.

Does it ring a bell?

You know, nobody can be the best each and every time.

Sometimes, you simply have to compromise.

Make the best out of what you have.

And yes, sometimes fail.

Big time.

I won’t lie to you.

This really hurts.

Not achieving something you want can infest your brain.

Your heart.

And every muscle.

You feel like you’re not able to go on any step further.

But deep inside, you know:

You have to.

And you will.

But why is it important to know which kind of drummer you want to be?

I mean, you could really wait and see what happens.

Yes, I totally agree with you. On the other hand, I’m a big fan of taking full responsibility.

I do believe we can make more impact on our lives than we’re aware of.

Also in terms of making music.

That’s why I think it’s utterly important to have a personal answer to this question:

What Kind Of Drummer Do You Really Want To Be?

A map is handy for making a journey.

You might prefer Google Maps, just like me.

Or go for the more old school paper one.

Whatever your choice is, it shows you the way.

Thanks to your map, you know where you want to go.

It shows you

• literally the way,
• maybe some shortcuts and
• the time it might take you to get where you want to go.

And the destination, you’ll likely reach thanks to this information.

Without your trustworthy map, you might not reach the place you want to go.

The same goes for learning to play the drum set:

If you don’t know where you want to go, you’re likely not to arrive.

Don’t get me wrong:

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with just learning to play the drum kit without any goals or whatsoever.

You don’t have to be ambitious or anything you don’t want to be.

Yes, that’s perfectly fine.

But this blog is for drum beginners who strive to be the best musician they can be.

So we keep on learning on purpose AND with great fun as well as passion.

The Drummer You Can Be – Start Being Her Or Him Today!

I don’t care about your age.

Your look, weight, or the land you were born.

Nobody should. (I mean, seriously!)

I’m also not interested in how long you’ve been playing the drums.

Or whether you’ve learned another music instrument back in your childhood.

Thing is:

This doesn’t make a difference to whom you can be from this moment on.

You choose what drummer you want to be.

The past doesn’t define you.

Instead, you define what’s going on from now on.

Yes, some experience from the past suck.

We don’t need to talk about those.

Everybody has some heavy stuff to carry.

However, mental crap mustn’t bring you down.

You’ve got to establish a helpful mindset for your musical journey.

That’s a biggie.

And this starts with the right questions.

So ask yourself the following things now.

I’d write it down, so you can always take a look at your goals and action steps later in your journey.

1 What do you want in terms of drumming?

In the first step, you decide on a precise goal you want to achieve.

This could be learning a certain drum beat or technique.

2 Which steps do you need to take for achieving this certain want? That’s the work you need to do.

Now you brainstorm the work you have to put in to learn this certain groove or technique.

3 What do you have to stop in favor of achieving your want and get the work done properly?

This last step is about finding out on the actions you have to quit doing in favor of reaching your goals.

This could mean watching less TV to have more drum set practice time available.

Or it’s about time to finally enroll into drum lessons and leave your self learn ambitions behind.

To be something, you have to become something

People want to be something, but they do not want to become something.

Sometime ago, I heard this saying. It did resonate big time.

Because I totally agree:

Don’t we all want to be something without putting the work into it?

Like achieving a goal instantly?

Yes, why not. But:

I think it’s about appreciation for the way.

It’s critical as well.

Not only the goal.

To be something, we really have to become it first.

Want to be an awesome drummer? Get ready for the journey to become this version of yourself.

Loving the journey towards your goal is as important as finally reaching it.

In addition, maybe it’s even more rewarding.

I had a video call one day before writing this drumming guide and that was one thing we were talking about.

Alex at some point noticed:

Hey Manu, you’re really on your way, aren’t you?

And yes, he was right: I am.

I can’t say it’s better or worse than being focused only on the goal.

Yes, I like to stroll a little.

And sometimes, I get distracted by shiny object syndrome a lot.

In terms of making music or playing the drums, that’s totally fine with me.

And way beyond!

I guess that’s my way of doing things:

Know where to go, but also have a lot of fun – and maybe too much of a party sometimes – on the way.

Does this help you find an answer on knowing which kind of drummer you want to be?

Yes, definitely!

Thing is:

Knowing where you want to go, your goals become so much clearer to you.

You won’t lose your way even if shiny objects are popping up.

(And they will, trust me.)

This means you will reach your goal someday.

The journey could take a little longer, sure.

But you’re enjoying the road to becoming the best drummer you want to be.

So for me, that’s a clear win-win situation.

What do you think about it?

And what kind of drummer do you want to be?

For me, I go with the best I can be.

What about you?

Cheers,