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A blog about Dave Gatchell.

  • Image file
    A drum
    Body

    I am having good luck working with a couple simple drum patterns lately. On their own they are simple like lego blocks. When you use them together you can build.

    RLLK or LRRK
    RRLK or LLRK
    RLK or LRK

    I am practicing them as both straight and swing. It's good to be able to do both because I think the more solid my swing is makes straight more tight. That is just a theory.

  • Image file
    A drum
    Body

    Loaning my vintage Slingerland early 1970s Buddy Rich drum kit to a music school for kids was a good move. They were just sitting around in a MN storage locker. Now they are letting kids learn the drums on them.

    They are probably a little too big for children. The kick drum is massive. But it is cool they get to use a classic drum kit before they move on to something newer.

  • Body

    I like practicing and studying things daily. I am not so into the guilt of skipping a day. My way around it is to make sure my daily practice tasks have a number like "five minutes". If I need to skip a day then I defer the task until tomorrow or some date in the future I know there is more space.

    I don't mind arriving to a day and having three "practice drums five minutes" tasks. I can get those done at random times in the day and catch up. That way I know I did the work of drum practice. It allows me to keep on practicing without the daily calendar guilt of habit trackers.

    A good system for rehearsal and study. Not a good system for things like taking medication.

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