Here on the blog, we never really discuss personal issues. I stick to music and food mostly, occasionally work. No one wants to hear that stuff, its not entertaining. Today was set up in theory to be a wonderful day. I had taken most of the day off after a brief but hectic morning recording session, and was scheduled for an all afternoon drum workshop, and some running around, which cut me off from nearly all forms of communication. Sometimes, thats the greatest thing in the world. You’re not really one with nature because of it, but you’re one with something, maybe its just a time for self reflection. Sometimes it causes stress. I’d like to go on a big tour or something, not check email or answer the phone for 3 months, it might provide some inner peace, music seems to do that for me, who knows. I’ve been learning a lot recently, positive and negative. Its all been some quest. Sometimes you’re looking for something that isn’t there. You buy the book, study your parts, learn some crazy ass chord inversions and think “this is totally going to blow everyone away”, then you don’t get the gig. What can you do though? You keep practicing, because it must be somewhere, right?
The workshop was with Billy Martin, as previously mentioned. There were 4 students set up in his barn, with an extremely hot wood burning stove. It felt great to be playing strange rhythms with people I had never met before. Its still fun when he interacts on a cowbell or something, I find myself listening very hard, really just trying to get inside the mind of percussion. Even on just a bell, or single drum, you can see why he’s such a respected drummer. Its hard to explain, it just works.
The quest will continue into the weekend, I have one more workshop and a lesson. Maybe I’ll come out of it on the other side of the mountain, musical shaman, accomplished percussion master. You never know. I’ve been outside too much in this cold, I think its getting to me.