Its great to feel grateful!

I feel incredibly fortunate and grateful to have discovered hand drumming in this lifetime. It has been a constant presence in my life, a source of sanity amidst the ebb and flow of people, relationships, and situations. It has kept me healthy and youthful. When I am feeling a bit off I can always hop on the drum and almost always feel better after playing.

While others have come and gone, drumming has always been a steadfast friend and companion, whether I’m surrounded by others or alone. It is something that can and does remain a constant at least in my life.

Through drumming, I’ve learned the importance of enjoying the journey rather than fixating on the destination. It’s no longer about the mindset of “I’ll enjoy myself when I become a great drummer.” I’ve come to realize that, for me, joy, peace, or whatever you want to call it exists in the present moment, right where I am. Finding acceptance in the moment all the way through the journey is the key.

It’s vital to embrace your true self—who you are—rather than trying to emulate or become obsessed with someone else. We might never be as great, as fast or as good as someone else and that is perfectly OK. There is still a place for us. We can still have fun. The drummers table has a seat for anyone who plays and studies drumming.

The most helpful thing we can do is to drop our egos throughout the learning process, even when we teach or share with others; we can’t be overly invested in the outcome. If we let go of students having to get it and just give what we can this is enough. The rest is on them. And we can not punish ourselves if we ourselves can not learn something easily or get a part.

I greatly admire my teachers, friends, and the amazing drummers out there—both young and old—and draw inspiration from them all and still learn from them on a daily basis. I love to watch and study the masters and all the great players.

I also equally focus on my own growth and the discovery and refinement of my unique voice. You don’t have to sound like everyone else! You will indeed develop your own sound and your own unique way you play over time, and this is a beautiful thing.

And you don’t have to worship the master. Everyone is still a person, an equal human being subject to all of the things that happen in daily life just like you or me. I used to think the teacher needed to be perfect or flawless but just like the rest of us, they are not!

Interestingly, my journey began with martial arts, where I learned the value of trying to master a form and understanding structure before moving beyond it. If you don’t learn to block a strike coming at you, it hurts! So you learn. I never got great at it, but it gave me an understanding how things work.

You need a strong foundation and rudiments to grow; starting without any structure can be fun, especially at first, but it also becomes very limiting, and you can easily get stuck. And out egos can easily trick us into thinking we are “already there”.

Once you have a grasp of the form, you can work towards letting go of it, at least as a goal, and observe the process from a different perspective. One where it is not so much about control but letting things happen smoothly.

For me, this lifetime is about acceptance. It’s perfectly acceptable to remain a beginner, to keep learning always with an open mind, to share what I learn, and to continually explore.

Drumming like anything else in life will always have challenges, blocks in our path and hurdles to jump over. Everyone encounters these as well. Accept the challenges, work through or flow around them.The main thing is to stay open.

When I stay open, the information flows in, and the drum itself teaches me. At least, that is what it feels like at this point.