There is No Perfect World…

There is no perfect world. I'm sorry, but someone has to tell you sooner than later. I might as well be that someone.

"Yeah, my drumming will be better when I find the perfect ride cymbal."

Bull shit. There is no perfect ride cymbal (or snare drum, or hi-hats, or Chinas, or pedal, or anything). The perfect ride cymbal is the one you have right in front of you right now. Don't play it thinking, "If only I had one with more sparkle/wobble/mojo." If you do, you are wasting everyone's time, especially your own. You are not bothering to make music, you are just waiting to make music at some future mythological date when you have the Holy Grail ride cymbal. Then you can commence to make music.

Well, the future never arrives, because when it does, it becomes the present. And the present is where you need to live. So make music with what's in front of you today, in front of you right now. Don't worry about the future, because it doesn't exist. Take care of the right now…

~ MB

Comments

  1. I've read this a couple times since it was posted. It was just what I needed to hear. As a multi-instrumentalist it is difficult to keep oneself from wanting everything and this is most true with percussion. If people would spend half the time they spend looking at gear they want experimenting with some different techniques, striking implements, or mics and micing positions, they'd get the sounds they wanted and discover plenty of others along the way. The coolest conga sound I ever got came from two chunks of styrofoam I would bang together. You never know what sounds are in all the stuff around your house til you try them out...

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