I make a living between two worlds. Challenging. Two worlds that seem intertwined with each other but in reality sometimes very different from each other. There is "The World of Drums" and there is "The World of Making Music". Both an art & a business.

In the "World Of Drums" the main focus is the drumming. I am a drummer and I LOVE this world! Drum clinics, drum shops, drum circles, drum seminars, drum equipment, drum doctors, drum magazines, drum websites, drum conventions, etc. They are all informative, educational, and at times excitingly addictive! One can gather lots of knowledge that could be very beneficial for your drumming craft. One can definitely have lots of fun in this world of drums.

However, the main thing to be careful in this world is what the great Steve Gadd mentioned in an interview once, he said "...when you are playing drums, remember, there IS life past the cymbals." It is easy to be consumed by drumming & forget, WHY are we playing drums? What is the PURPOSE of my drumming? Each of us may have different valid answers for these questions, each of your answers might vary, however, only some of the answers to these questions might help you get successfully into the other world, "The World of Making Music".

The Webster's Dictionary meaning of the word "music" reads "The art of expressing or causing an emotion by melodious, and harmonious combinations of notes, the laws of this composition is the art of music". Now, I can make music with my drums alone, when I'm playing them by myself. But when there are one or more musicians participating with me in the art of making music, the rules of the worlds change. The art is to create "music" together. This is where you LISTEN to what the others are playing, when you give up space to other instruments, this is where the drums become a secondary priority and the number one priority is what is BEST for the MUSIC. "The World Of Making Music". I LOVE making music so I always ask myself, What does the music need? What can I play to contribute to making the music sound its best? Whether you're playing in a session, a live concert, a soundtrack, whatever the situation may be, it is necessary to think about the music needs first and you and your drumset second. It requires you to be a listener, a giver of ideas, a problem solver, a people pleaser with an open mind to others musical ideas. An unselfish position to be! The music might require LOTS of intricate drumming or perhaps very little, or none at all! The choices are left up to you and sometimes they are not. But it is all about the music.

When I think back to ALL the different variety of gigs I've done through the years with artists ranging from Santana, Steve Winwood, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Joe Sample, Robbie Robertson, Christina Aguilera to composers of movie soundtracks, jingles, TV shows, music videos, etc. the things that all these artists were mainly looking for was a drummer that could provide the right feel, and the right grooves for their music. They were looking to hire a drummer who would be consistent in tempos, a good listener, a good time keeper, easy to communicate and get along with, a creative drummer who could help them create the best music possible. It was not particularly because I played drum solos, it was not because I played double pedal, it was not because I knew lots of licks, it was not because I owned a cool set, it was not even because I read music and had diplomas, these were all pluses and much needed at times but not THE most important requirements.

Two worlds. You can enjoy both, participate in both, make a good living in both. Very related to each other, but not quite the same.

05/01