If you’ve ever faced a serious injury that kept you from playing the drums or doing something else you love, I encourage you to look into the story of martial artist Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. After a judo accident left him with a mangled right knee, he refused to give up. Instead of throwing in the towel, he focused on developing three unique kicks with his non-dominant left side and ended up becoming one of the best kickers in the western kickboxing scene of his time. He dedicated himself to mastering those three kicks.
My kung fu teacher once went back to China to visit friends and family. When he returned to the USA, he had a black eye. We asked him, “What happened?” He told us that he was sparring with a friend who was a boxer. No matter what our teacher did, the boxer would hit him with a left jab that he had perfected the timing on.
The takeaway from these stories is twofold. First, don’t ever give up; there’s always a workaround or solution—unless you don’t want there to be one. There is always something you can do musically, especially in the percussion world. Even if you can’t hit the drum with your hand, maybe there’s a stick part. If you can’t do that, perhaps there’s a Shekere part or a shaker part. Maybe there’s a bell part. If you can’t or don’t want to do that, maybe there’s a song you can sing.
I’ve seen people play congas using their arms or even set up sticks to play the drums, proving that where there’s a will, there’s a way. I have been at events where people didn’t have a drum and played the wall until it cracked, and the spirit still came through. I’ve been to a rumba where only a plastic replacement head was played, and it was so great I wanted to sit in!
It’s more about manifesting the internal not external.
The second takeaway is to simplify your approach. By honing in on just basic hand drumming techniques and rudiments, you can work towards perfection and truly excel in your craft, whether it’s martial arts, yoga, dance, or drumming. It’s not about the number of moves, rhythms, or solo chains and phrases you can play, nor is it about speed or volume—unless that’s your focus, of course; if so, go for it!
To me, what is most important is the feel of what you do, the spirit you put into it, and what your unique voice has to say. With the right timing and placement of a kick or jab, you don’t have to be the fastest puncher; it’s about timing. The same goes for drumming—it’s about where you place your phrases and the feel, the emotions you evoke.
What I’m getting at is that instead of dwelling on what you can’t do, concentrate on what you *can* do. Practice makes perfect, and time in equals time out. I’m not saying don’t study; we all need to keep learning. Just be careful not to overwhelm yourself or get distracted with too much information or trying to do too much at once. Instead, focus on one or two things at a time and dive deep to really understand and master them. Sometimes, less really is more.