Percussion Deconstruction™

I'm a reformed perfectionist.  There.  I've said it.  And being a perfectionist almost destroyed any sort of creativity I had. My neurological make up is predisposed to looking for the little things that aren't quite right and then magnifying them out of proportion. That's not an easy thing to get over. I know that in the past, it has kept me from moving forward, kept me from playing or releasing certain music, writing or publishing certain things, and in general, held me in a state of suspension. In the back of my mind was always the idea that, “If I do this, it will be better.” Even after I finished something, I just couldn't leave it alone. I had to keep tinkering with it under the misguided assumption that it could always be better .  I remember when getting ready to send off my final draft of a magazine article, that I would edit it one more time, just in case I could improve it. Trust me, this tendency is no fun . I have a lot of what is most likely gr...

In any sort of art form, it's important to find your own voice. If you look at your heroes, chances are you admire them for the unique qualities they have, not for their ability to copy others.  When I was first starting out on this journey, I often tried to be whatever was needed, molding myself to each project, changing like a musical chameleon. This was fine when I was younger, but it ultimately left me feeling like something was missing. I had no real identity. Over the subsequent years, I worked hard to find and establish my own voice. It didn't just happen by itself, but was the result of various conscious choices I made. And even at this point of my career, I haven't stopped. I'm not standing still. I keep refining what I do, working to expand my own vision of what I imagine my music as. As a result of this, people know who I am. They know what I do. And when they hire me, they know what they will get.  I am hired to bring my own unique voice to the pr...

Some of the best advice I've heard for young musicians is,  “ Always play with people who are better than you . ”  This makes a lot of sense, because as young musicians/artists, we need mentoring, we need guidance, and we need to work with people who's experience and talent will help pull us up, help challenge us. When I was younger, around 17-20, I regularly played with older, more experienced musicians. I often subbed for a big band that was comprised of mostly high school band directors from the area. It was a challenge, because they knew the charts inside and out. They played all the old big band arrangements authentically, so there was no room for me to slack. I had to be on my game. I had to go back and listen to the original recordings so I could play the correct style/feel. But it was a great experience because the band was so on all the time.  Another group I regularly played with was a Dixieland Quartet, led by a pianist who was in his late 60s. It was...

Most artists have heard it at least once in their lifetime, either about their own work, or someone else's, the non-artist declaring, “I could do that!” I've heard that from so many people about various artistic disciplines. If only it were that simple! First, let's start off with a video: ↵ Use original player I Could Do That | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios By The Art Assignment YouTube 720p 360p ← Replay X i I personally feel this video gives a good rebuttal to the afore mentioned statement of, “I could do that.” In fact, this does a good job of covering all art forms. But things actually go much deeper than the video talks about. I'm a big lover of modern art, say from the last 100 or so years. And whenever I travel, I try to go to the local art museums. I was in New York City last month and went to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). It was exciting for me, because I was able to see some of my favorite works in pers...

A recent trip to NYC reinforced just how important it is to experience art in person. I love to go to art museums when I travel, so on this trip we made our way to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art).  It's one thing to see a work of art in a book or on a monitor, but it's a completely different thing when you can see something in person. A photo of a work of art is flat and gives you no perspective as to the size of it. I have found that many painting I thought were large turned out to be small in person (or the other way around). A photo of a painting is at best an approximation of the actual work. It can't show you the true richness of the colors, the subtle differences in shades, the layers of paint, the brush/palette knife strokes, or a hundred other things.  You have to experience them in person. A photo is nice, but… And experience is the right word. It's more than just seeing the painting. It's being in the actual presence of the work, being in the same...

Our artistic careers are a series of choices that we make: go to this school, learn this style, take that gig, turn this other gig down, go for the money, go for the art, etc. Lots of choices that form a path we take. And it's easy to look at someone else's choices and say they “sold out,” or they made a wrong choice. But we don't live their life, we don't know their circumstances. If you have a family of young kids, you may take any and all gig offers so that you can put food on the table. If you are single, or just have a spouse, you may have the luxury of choosing what gigs to take. Or maybe you just love playing and take all the gigs because it's an adventure. Or you might decide to only take gigs within a certain style. The thing is, the choices are always yours and no one else's.     I know that I can look at other artists and think, “I wouldn't have made that choice.” But that doesn't need to be a criticism on their choice, because I'...

It's happened to all of us, things are going along fine, you are successfully doing your music/art, and then suddenly things stop. You have no ideas, you have no inspiration, you have no energy to go on. The Artist's nightmare: hitting a brick wall… You feel like you've hit a brick wall. All your hard work and momentum stops. Try as you might, you can't get going again. Things are at a standstill.  What do you do? Don't panic. Realize this is normal and happens to everyone at sometime. Refrain from getting angry or frustrated. This only deepens the block. Introduce a disruption/distraction to what you are doing: go to the beach/park/forest, or go to the cinema/concert/museum. This can help reset your brain and creativity. Take a nap. Another way to reset. Take a walk and leave your phone at home. Get out of your workspace and get some fresh air and exercise. This can help clear your head and reset your brain. Realize that most blocks are imaginary...