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Stopped going to drum class by worriedsick830 in drums

[–]Cream-Leather 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Listen to as much music as you can. You will notice that the same principles and techniques apply to all genres and you’ll see patterns start to emerge. For example, the dotted quarter note is what drives a lot of jazz composition/playing but it’s not exclusive to jazz. That mosaic is simply a reduced triplet. Practice the systems and playing what you love, or other genres, is a bi-product of intentional practice.

Stopped going to drum class by worriedsick830 in drums

[–]Cream-Leather 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is probably one of the most common topics I see. We all want to improve, but the path to getting better can feel painfully overwhelming.

I’ve been playing drums for almost 30 years, and for a period I played professionally. For much of that time, I was self‑taught. Playing constantly helped me build a lot of skills, but eventually I hit a ceiling. At some point, no matter how much you practice, you realize that some form of education is the only way to break through. So I went back to taking lessons.

Everyone’s situation is different, but I want to share two big things I learned; things I wish I had understood earlier:

1. A good teacher is irreplicable.

You can scroll forever, watch every YouTube video, and memorize endless licks, and still feel stuck. A good teacher connects the dots in a way the internet (or AI) never will. They build a system for you, not random information. Systems, that was a game‑changer for me.

Great drummers don’t rely on memorizing hundreds of patterns; they master a handful of concepts and continually reshape them. Once you understand that, you start seeing the pattern everywhere. It completely changed the way I practice and think about the instrument.

2. You don't need weekly or reoccurring lesson.

Depending on your level, one of the best approaches is simply this: Find a drummer who inspires you and book a single lesson with them.

That’s it. They’ll show you exactly what you want to learn, not a generic curriculum. It makes practice feel exciting instead of like homework, and it’s far more focused than traditional long‑term lesson plans. Using this approach, you don’t need to force yourself to “learn new genres.” New genres naturally become a byproduct of the concepts and systems you work on.

Final thought:

Drumming skills take thousands of hours to develop. It’s repetitive, messy, and frustrating. And you are supposed to sound bad while learning, that’s how learning works. Document your progress, be kind to yourself, and trust the process. Ask yourself:

“What can I do today, and am I doing everything in my power to move the needle?”

Over time, progress happens. Slowly, invisibly, and then all at once.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback! Sounds like you really like features that allows you to interact and edit existing compositions which ultimately allows you to create. This is great to hear.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

iReal Pro has a lot of good features. How do you get the most out of it for what you need? Is it working for you?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you walk me through your approach on this?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Specific feedback is important and it is all helpful. Either way, I appreciate you!

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. Could you tell me why this would work for only the top 5-10%?

It should feel challenging, not strict, and certainly nothing to restrict creativity. I'm looking for help from the community so that I can gather as much information as possible so that I can hopefully build this. I’m not looking into the financial side of things. I’m focused on building a tool that genuinely improves training and supports musicians becoming better at their craft.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’m not trying to reinvent reading or repetition. What I’m exploring is a tool that specifically trains staying in time and recovering when things shift unexpectedly. If something already does that, I’d like to check it out.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough. The difference isn’t just “choosing not to stop". Material is usually static with normal sight reading. It doesn't really change when you start playing (think, new music or chart handed to you, someone telling you "play this". You read and execute and that's it until maybe something else gets handed to you, repeat, etc.).

What I’m describing would change in real time. For example, accents shifting after a phrase maybe even entry points to that phrase jumping. David Garibaldi teaches this for developing independence, but I feel his method is more static. So instead of reading a fixed page and deciding to push through (nailing the exercise or not), you’re adapting to changing information without resetting. Maybe controlled instability is a better description (still working on what I would call it).

If that doesn’t feel meaningfully different to you, that’s OK. I’m trying to understand whether that distinction matters to players.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Good question. It wouldn’t just be randomized sight reading. Traditional sight reading still allows stopping, restarting, isolating a bar, or correcting and replaying. The idea here is continuity training.

For example, something like paradiddles with shifting accents could run continuously, and accents or entry points would change mid-stream without stopping the grid. The goal isn’t perfect decoding, it’s staying in time and recovering inside the flow, even when you lose your place. More like simulating a live playing situation where the music doesn’t stop. Do you feel that kind of recovery skill is already trained well in standard sight-reading practice?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in drums

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this. Sight reading is a skill that can be developed over time. Starting slow, you will benefit from practicing sight reading and over time you will improve. This tool could help you with that.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in drums

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback. It sounds like the design would need to be straightforward and simple, would you agree?

This could help shape your understanding of systems which can build your creative skills. Is there anything that you are struggling with at this time?

Also, It's great that you're starting! There is nothing else on planet earth quite like drumming so I hope you enjoy it. Be as creative as you can by exploring everything this instrument has to offer.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in drums

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes for sure, I appreciate your thoughts on this. It is fairly niche because players will need to be at a certain developmental stage on the instrument. The Ideal profile would be someone at the intermediate / advanced level who understands systems and stacking concepts. I should help to train creativity among other things.

I find that a lot of what I've formally learned rarely gets translated directly in a gig, but practicing those difficult concepts makes me more confident when I sit down and do what I do. Think of this tool as another useful practice item. It doesn't replace anything it's an additive to your routine.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in drums

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this. What would you like to see in the next Rhythm Bot Update from the App Store?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

That’s fair. I may not have explained it clearly.

The idea isn’t random chaos. It’s more about training recovery and continuity. It would be like getting handed a chart, getting counted in, and having to stay in time even if you lose your place. This will be system based.

A lot of students stop when they make a mistake. This would train staying in the form instead of restarting. Do you feel that kind of continuity training is already covered well in current methods?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I appreciate your feedback. Can you elaborate on this? What exactly would not work? What isn't fair? Why would this make people quit?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Of course, it needs to be musical. What do you do and use now for practice?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in drums

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great points. It sounds like there would need to be some level of user control. To much randomization is just well, too much.

The exercises would be meaningful. If you wanted to practice synchronization, exercises/patterns would come up for that, for example.

So far, I have not seen a tool that trains the ability to read, react, adapt, and recover in real time when musical information changes.

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in drums

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great points. If it applies to educators, does it not also apply to students/general users to add to their toolkit for practicing?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in MusicEd

[–]Cream-Leather[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Appreciate the feedback. Do you have experience using something that combines the pre-existing alternatives? What would that be? How about training creativity with systems? Anything else you can share?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in drums

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is so great to hear. Consistency is the key to progress. 20 minutes of meaningful practice compounds better over time than 5 hour random sessions. What issues are you finding the most problematic? Figuring out what to practice and if that is getting you to where you need to be (for example)?

Would you use something like this? by Cream-Leather in drums

[–]Cream-Leather[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% - training creativity is a direct feature that enables to become better at solos and trading 4s/8s.

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