Have you ever been in this scenario? You go to the snare drum to perform a piece for your teacher. Several bars in, you make a mistake and stop. The teacher tells you not to stop under any circumstances, and you try again. You make a mistake, and almost inadvertently, you stop AGAIN. You keep stopping even though you don’t mean to.
This happens because that is how you practiced it. You played until you messed up, and then stopped. Here’s how to fix it.
When you practice an exercise or a piece, and you make a mistake, improvise a drum part until you get your bearings and can pick it back up. For instance, say you miss the inverted flam tap on bar 3. Play anything, perhaps 8th notes or flams, anything, and try to get back to the piece by bar 5. Try to get to where you only have to improvise one measure to get back on your feet. Then, when you are done, you can go back and work the measure that tripped you up by itself.
This is so important, because you will make mistakes in performances. Dave Weckl does, Buddy Rich did, everyone. The reason you don’t know about it is because they are experts at covering their mistakes by continuing to make music. Even when you are reading a piece of music, it is better to make up a measure or two than to stop.
Don’t forget to read my book! It has 10 must-learn principles that many people won’t tell you.
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