Jun 23, 2010
What Makes Someone “Gifted”
I’ve been on and off the drums over the last 8 years, ever since buying my first, and only, kit. Don’t let the “eight years” mislead you. As pilots log their “hours in the cockpit”, if I were to do the same for “hours on the throne” it’d probably total up to somewhere between 6-12 months (and my lack of proficiency on this instrument proves it).
A while back I picked up a copy of John Riley’s excellent drum technique DVD “The Master Drummer”. John is an authority on modern drumming, esp jazz drumming, and has a number of devotees. His speaking style is a little on the stiff side, but the quality of what he was to say on drumming is without peer.
In the DVD he pauses for a moment to reflect on the idea of “The Gift”. i.e. why do some people seem “gifted” when it comes to playing the drums (or any craft really) and others not?
I found his response to this question really powerful. It applies not just to drumming, but everything.
