Here’s just 5 examples of things you can do if you’ve suddenly got a bunch of free time on your hands…
- PRACTICE!!!!!
This one probably goes without saying, hence why it’s number one on our list, but this is the PERFECT time to get some practice in. Sweep the dust off that copy of Stick Control or delve deeper into Syncopation For The Modern Drummer. The best part is that it doesn’t matter if it’s on your personal kit, on a practice pad with sticks or even on the table with your hands and feet, you can still learn new patterns and work on mobility exercises so that you can FLY round the kit at your next gig! You could even teach some of your family how to play drums. Speaking of teaching…
2. TEACH ONLINE
In an age where so many drummers have made a career teaching online, there’s no reason why you can’t either! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy at first, just a camera, a practice pad and a laptop with a decent internet connection is all you really need to get started. You could even do small drum lessons uploaded to Instagram or Facebook to get you started! Who knows, you might even enjoy this more than your face-to-face lessons! It’s all very well being able to say you could do that, but sometimes it takes a bit of motivation, and there’s plenty of ways to get it…
- WATCH ROCKUMENTARIES
Whenever I was struggling for motivation to get anything productive done I knew I could always rely on one person to ignite that creative fire. Dave Grohl. Specifically the 2011 Back And Forth documentary. If you’ve never seen it, Back And Forth documents the story of the Foo Fighters from the ashes of Nirvana while also giving the audience a behind the scenes of the Foo’s recording their latest record of the time. I highly recommend this for ANYONE struggling with motivation, as not only is it an interesting insight into the trials and tribulations of these rock giants, but also a phenomenal insight into how they create music. Other highly recommended doc’s include Sound City, Anvil: The Story of Anvil & Hired Gun. If you’d rather hear more personal, in depth stories from some incredible drummers and musicians then perhaps you could listen to some audio-only alternatives…
- LISTEN TO A PODCAST – NUDGE NUDGE, WINK WINK!
DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE A PODCAST?? I DON’T KNOW IF WE’VE MENTIONED IT BUT WE HAVE A PODCAST!! We have over 15 HOURS worth of conversations with some of our and YOUR most favourite drummers such as Craig Reynolds, Craig Kneale, Benny Greb, Jonny Scott, Alyn Cosker as well as some topical conversations amongst ourselves for your entertainment. These chats are a great way to get inside the minds of phenomenal drummers who share life experiences, practice tips and more within an hour, sometimes longer. You can listen to in on Spotify, or Apple Podcasts! Listening to these podcasts is another great aspect of the final activity you can do while you’re inside…
5. CHILL OUT
It doesn’t matter if you listen to music, a podcast, watch your new favourite rockumentary or teach some new students, take this as an opportunity to catch up on REST. We as musicians spend a long time working, usually from the second we get out of bed and while we’re in bed, we’re typically not there for very long. Think of this as mandatory chill time for all of us and give us all the perfect excuse to do NOTHING for a while. Chilling out is also great for getting the mind working creatively again, especially if you’ve been in a rut. It lets you shift focus, and allows those ideas to happen subconsciously. Most of the time right when you least expect it!
So there you go, a few options of things to get the creative juices flowing. Personally, I can’t wait to hear all the righteous music that’s going to be released from all this free time. However if you find yourself in short supply of the essentials…you’re old pals here are ready and waiting with all the drumming supplies you could possibly need, delivered straight to your door!
