No, practice does NOT make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect!
Advice
The Future of Progressive Rock
The American musical audience, through no fault of their own, continues to be “dumbed down” by record companies who primarily seek profit and often substitute quality for popularity and financial gain. For them, it’s about dollars and cents. I’m not condoning their “often lack of integrity in artistry”, but I understand it; there’s investors, shareholders for public record companies, and the realities of business and the need to stay profitable. But let me be clear, the American musical audience is not dumb, it’s just that they are continually fed lots of commercial garbage! The American music audience, as has always been the case, is not exposed to the variety of sophisticated music that exists out there, such as progressive rock. Today, with the advent of social media, the exposure dilemma is changing; and for the better! Is it any wonder that many of history’s greatest progressive rock bands come from Europe! It’s going to take the artists, and independent labels with higher goals and artistic integrity, to continue to find ways to reach and build their audience and in so doing keep the progressive rock genre alive and kicking; and maybe one day, out there in the mainstream of American music.
Working with a Metronome
Every drummer on the planet should learn how to play with a metronome. Frankly, every musician on the planet should learn to play with a metronome! If and when you end up in a recording studio, you will most certainly have to record with one! The skill required to play good time and mastering tempo control begin with practicing with a metronome! Practice with different tempos, different grooves, different time signatures. You will not, as some suggest, turn into a clock with no emotion or humanness; quite the contrary, you will “find your groove” within the beats of a metronome. I use a drum machine as a metronome. I have found that the drum machine offers more flexibility in terms of programming in various time signatures, but if you have a DAW, even better! The options within a DAW are limitless and easy to program.
Expanding Your Listening
One of the most important things you can do on the path to artistic development is to listen! Listen to as much music as you can, and in a variety of styles. My first class on my first day at Berklee College Of Music was called “Listening Analysis”! Each week in class we would listen and analyze a piece of music; I mean, tear it apart! Every note, every nuance was analyzed. It’s amazing what you find in a piece of music when you dial into the whole of it. Somewhere down the road, you will find that all of that listening analysis has been extremely helpful!
Drummers in the Recording Studio
Generally, if you can play well, you should record well; right? Unfortunately, not always! Somehow, as soon as you put a microphone in front of a drum and you lay down a track, you may find what you thought was great may not be so great! Generally, I have found that the best way to record well is to simplify! In the recording studio, less is more!