Fundamentals Week Ten

Here we are at week ten...jazz. Two more weeks to go. I've barely looked at this week's assignment. I can't wait for this class to be over.

Which isn't to say that the entire experience hasn't been valueable. Certainly it has. One thing I've learned is that there is a delicate balance between challenging and demoralizing. Not challenging enough = boring and you quit. Too challenging = you feel incompetant and quit.

And this is perhaps why CJ has been such a wonderful experience...it takes some effort and there's always tweaking improvements to be made (and the potential to fall down on your face at any moment)...but it isn't TOO hard. It is possible to accomplish what you set out to do and feel like it's presentable.

Martin Atkins tweeted something or other recently about the drive that people have to be excellent musicians. Like a drummer wanting to be "as good as X." What he said essentially was...forget it. You will never be as good as X...and in the meantime life is passing you buy. Get out of fucking bed and be the best you that you already are and get something done. Otherwise...you will be demoralized and spend your lifetime noodling in your basement never getting to where you want to be.

Certainly this doesn't mean giving up trying to get better or working your craft...but there is some degree of...you only can work with what you have. Making significant improvement will be slow. So either give up or make what you have work. Not a bad philosophy for life in general in point of fact.

What I could give two shits about:
-jazz
-latin/afrocuban music
-crazy fast double bass metal
-crazy complicated progressive music (Applicable quote from last night's rehearsal "Rush were fascists." -RS)

What I care about:
-looking like I know what I'm doing
-feeling like I know what I'm doing
-playing some good old fashioned pop, punk, rock with other humans
-pushing myself a LITTLE bit, but not so far that it really hurts physically or emotionally
-learning more songs

Near the start of playing the drums I said that my drum heros were Dave Hower, Gina Schock, and Tre Cool. I've mastered some of those beats now...and I still say that's who I like to listen to. I've learned to appreciate Bonham...but Pert, Moon, or the billion others out there I'm supposed to like. Meh.

I'm guess I'm lucky because my goals probably line up well with my abilities and potential for improvement. Maybe I'm settling. But how is it settling to like what you like and not be interested in what you aren't interested in.

So probably some time soon I should really try to stop feeling bad about not being good at things that I don't give two shits about.