The simple truth about natural talent

Natural talent isn’t the big difference maker that so many people believe it to be. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the actual benefits are minimal. It may create a one or two percent difference in the long run, but that’s it.

Unfortunately, the false idea that some people are simply “gifted” has become mainstream. We are constantly exposed to people enjoying their 15 minutes of fame on TV and in online videos. Rarely do we get to see the years or decades of effort it took to achieve that success. A wise person once told me… “most overnight successes are 10-20 years in the making”.

Fortunately books like Outliers, The Talent Code, and Bounce are destroying the myth of natural talent. The science behind success is becoming clearer than ever before. Deep focused practice is the key to becoming world class at anything.

Why the myth of natural talent is destructive

When we accept the mainstream definition of “natural talent” – our perspective on reality becomes warped. Suddenly our first attempt at trying something new is measured against the imagined ability of a “gifted” person. That, or we compare ourselves to other people around us – falsely assuming that the sum of their life experience should line up exactly with ours in that moment.

This leads us to make unfair assessments of our talent, or more accurately – our perceived lack-of-talent. We decide early on that not only are we not at a natural advantage, but perhaps we are actually at a disadvantage. This is what makes this myth so very destructive. It draws unfair comparisons that can cause us to give up or cut back from giving something our best effort.

Every seasoned professional started somewhere

The simple truth is that every expert was once a beginner. Every professional was once an amateur. Everyone that has ever accomplished anything significant had to work incredibly hard to get there. There are no exceptions.

It’s easy to hear this and just gloss over it thinking, “yeah, but this thing is REALLY hard for me”. This is the myth of natural talent echoing in our minds. Some part of us still likes to believe that the “gifted” person had an easier path. The fact is, people become talented specifically because they worked through difficult situations – over and over again.

It’s all about deep practice and daily progress

Achieving mastery in any particular area of life is a result of deep focused practice and consistency. The science of success has revealed that struggling through something that is incredibly difficult is a necessary part of the journey. It is in these moments that we make leaps and bounds in our progress.

The Talent Code includes many examples of students using this kind of “deep practice” to rapidly improve their abilities. In fact, the book opens with the story of a clarinet student that accomplished a months worth of practice in just six minutes of pure focus. The book had this to say about her “natural talent”… “she lacked a good ear, her sense of rhythm was average, and her motivation was subpar.”

With this in mind, I encourage you to reject the myth of natural talent. Decide what it is that you want to accomplish and then be committed to doing what it takes to achieve that result. Embrace the many challenges that are certain to come, because they are opportunities for rapid growth.

Create momentum that can’t be ignored

It’s easier to quadruple your drumming skill than it is to increase it by 50%. I realize that may sound crazy, but it’s absolutely true. The reason isn’t found in some complex mathematical formula. Instead it’s based on our need for momentum and motivation.

Do you remember what it was like when you learned your very first drum beat? Do you remember the feeling of achievement when you realized you could actually play the drums? Did that feeling of accomplishment motivate you to want to learn more?

The fact is, we are heavily motivated by seeing real results. Not just any results. We need irrefutable evidence of progress that our brains simply cannot ignore. That is the secret to creating the momentum needed to boost our drumming progress.

Change the way you perceive progress

It’s not unusual to feel like we aren’t getting anywhere. I can’t count how many times it has felt like I haven’t done anything significant for several months – in drumming or any other major area of life. Then I look through my written goals and am absolutely amazed. My mood instantly changes as I review the many things I’ve accomplished. All of a sudden, I’m full of energy and ready to take on something new!

This is why it’s critical to keep track of our drumming progress. Specifically, I recommend keeping a practice journal to track your daily accomplishments. This simple act will have an immediate impact in how you perceive your practice sessions.

Establish a unique progress ritual

Tap into your natural human desire for ritual. In other words, turn the act of “journaling” into your own unique experience. For some this means using a special pen with uniquely colored ink – like brown or purple. For others, it means using several colored highlighters to make certain entries really stand out.

You might also consider getting a high quality leather notebook to further enhance the experience. The point is to have fun tracking your progress, so it’s something that you look forward to doing after every practice. When it’s fun, it’s easy to maintain.

Make it both detailed and personal

Be very specific about what you’ve accomplished. Not only does this make it easier to review progress in the future, but it also affects the way we think while practicing. Knowing that we are going to write a detailed journal entry forces us to be clear about what we are practicing.

In addition to adding raw detail, make entries personal. Consider describing how you felt after learning something new, or listing what you are excited about accomplishing next. Take some time to really enjoy every step of the journey.

Celebrate your drumming progress

There is a fine line between focusing on the future and getting stuck in the past. It’s up to you to find the balance for yourself. Personally, I like to review the last day or two of my journal just for reference, and then focus on the future. It’s only every few months that I’ll take the time to browse much older entries to see how far I’ve come.

As described earlier, nothing beats the feeling of being pleasantly surprised by just how much has been accomplished. It’s very important to celebrate this progress and then use it as fuel for future goals – and it is the key to maintaining a steady source of momentum and motivation as a drummer.

The natural allure of perfectionism

Perfection is a very attractive distraction because it gives us the illusion of progress. Worse still, it presents itself as being a very positive goal. I mean, who doesn’t want to play something perfectly on the drums? It sounds like a great goal to have, right?

The two phases of drumming practice

Everything we learn on the drums goes through two distinct phases of development. Understanding these steps is very important if we want to rapidly improve our drumming.

First up is the initial learning phase. Here we struggle to play the basic technique or pattern for the very first time. Making it through this difficult stage involves deep focused practice. This results in incredible progress over a very short period of time.

The second phase is all about building experience. This is where we become more familiar with the pattern as we begin to play it more consistently. We slowly develop muscle memory and become so familiar with the technique or pattern that it becomes almost second nature to play. Over time, this gets us closer and closer to perfecting the pattern.

The diminishing returns of perfectionism

Depending on what we are setting out to play – the initial learning phase may take us from 0-75% in about an hour or two. Maybe it’s a page of new drum beats or a specific technique that we want to learn. Either way, this first phase is an extremely productive use of our time.

When it comes to building experience, this usually takes significantly longer. In some cases, we may take things from 75-95% in a day or two. We get that initial experience under our belts and we’re able to play the material consistently.

It’s the last 5% that we really have to worry about. The level of experience needed to close this gap may take weeks, months, or even years depending on what we are learning. This makes the pursuit of perfectionism a simple case of diminishing returns. In other words, we see far less progress for the amount of time and energy we are putting in.

Achieve greater results by cross-training

The key to maintaining rapid progress is finding creative ways to stay at our highest levels of engagement. Sitting behind the drums for hours and hours trying to get that final 5-10% is a complete a waste of time.

Instead, we need to find engaging ways to cross-train. For example, if you were trying to master the Double Stroke Roll rudiment – start applying it within basic beats and fills. Alternatively, if you learned some new drum beats – start playing them along to real music or start transitioning in and out of fills with them.

Is it more of a challenge to refine something while you are learning something else? Of course! That’s what makes this so effective. It pushes us to stay focused for longer periods of time. It maximizes the value of our practices while giving us the experience needed to improve over time.

It’s all about progress, not perfection

The simple message, “progress, not perfection”, has become a mantra for fitness enthusiasts, top athletes, and many other people around the world – and it applies to drumming as well. Perfection is an unattainable distraction. Consistent daily progress through deep practice is the key to becoming a better drummer.

Train your brain to unlock new creative options

Everything we play on the drums is based on the 40 drum rudiments. As Lionel Duperron likes to explain, the rudiments are the letters that make up the drumming alphabet. As we learn and apply new rudiments – we unlock entirely new ways to express ourselves on the drums.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of drummers don’t know more than four or five of these powerful patterns. As with most rewarding things in life, it takes real focus and effort to learn something entirely new. And, when we are at the drum set, the last thing we want to do is spend an hour or two meticulously learning a new rudimental sticking pattern.

Take advantage of being away from the drums

There is a reason why some people are extremely productive late at night. I suspect it’s the same reason why I am more productive when stuck on an airplane. In my experience, it’s much easier to focus on something important when there are fewer options (or distractions) available.

With this in mind, we can take advantage of the fact that we are away from the drums by practicing things we may not have the willpower to do while at the kit. And, when we return to the kit, our playing will have benefited from the focused effort we put in during this time.

Make the most of focused and unfocused time

There are three distinct stages for applying a new rudiment. First, we learn the basic sticking pattern through slow and deliberate muscle training. Second, we repeat the pattern over and over until we are able to play it unconsciously. And finally, we take what we have learned and begin to apply it around the drum set within beats and fills.

When we are away from the kit – we can master the first two stages quite easily. In fact, the flow of everyday life is quite compatible in terms of the focus and energy required. In some situations, we have absolutely nothing to do, so our mind is available to focus on the very deliberate muscle training required to first learn a new rudiment. At other times, we may have less of our attention available to us (watching TV, driving, listening to music, etc.), which is perfect for unconsciously repeating a pattern until it becomes ingrained in our brains.

We can develop the pattern by using sticks and a practice pad, by tapping our fingers on any surface, or even by tapping our feet. The important thing is that we maintain the left and right sticking, so our brain becomes so familiar with the pattern that we can play it without thinking.

So, choose a rudiment and start working on it in your spare time. You’ll see clear visible progress within a few short days. If you’re unsure where to start – I recommend the single paradiddle, double paradiddle, or one of the first few flam patterns. Give them a try!

The two main sources of drumming confidence

Confidence doesn’t just spontaneously happen – at least that’s not the way things have worked for me. Instead, I’ve found two things that seem to affect it. On the one hand, positive feedback about our playing can give us a temporary boost. This is “reactive” confidence as it’s fueled by a source outside of ourselves. Put differently, we are reacting to the positive feedback by feeling more confident, but we are not in control of the source.

The second approach is generated from within. It comes from a clear understanding and appreciation of our own musical abilities. We “proactively” boost our confidence by steadily improving our abilities over time. The advantage to this approach is that we have control over generating our own confidence by putting in the time to practice and improve.

Knowing that you deserve the outcome you want

In my early teens, I played a lot of basketball. Sometimes I would spend hours out on the driveway practicing random shots and basic drills. But for some reason, when it actually came to me taking a shot in a real playing situation, the only thing going through my head was “this is probably going to miss”. I had no confidence. I expected the miss and that’s what I got.

A year or two later I ended up going to a week long basketball camp. The theme of the entire camp was improving our confidence. One of the lead instructors announced, “by the end of the week – you will all be shooting knowing that the ball will go in”. This ideal really appealed to me, but there was a big disconnect in my mind. How was something like that going to happen? I couldn’t think of a single thing that could be done to permanently change the way I thought.

The week was extremely intense. Some of the kids were actually throwing up after some of the more extreme cardio drills, and I got sick just a few days into it. We had multiple sessions each day focusing on different aspects of the game. When it came to shooting, the strategy was actually quite simple. The instructors helped us improve our fundamentals and suggested ways to remove inconsistencies. With focused practice, our accuracy dramatically improved. We slowly started to realize that if we used the proper technique and put in the time to practice – then hitting more of our shots was inevitable. Simply put, we deserved to make shots.
 

Don’t let your confidence transform into arrogance

The unfortunate reality is that confidence can sometimes morph into arrogance. I personally believe that arrogance indicates a slow deterioration of confidence. It’s often a result of relying too heavily on past progress, and attempting to initiate positive feedback from others (a broken hybrid of proactive and reactive confidence).

Inner confidence is the solution. Knowing that you’ve put in the time to earn the result you want is powerful. The only real way to generate and maintain true confidence is with a proactive approach. At the end of the day, each of us is responsible for our own experience.

Getting the tools needed to generate confidence

It’s not always easy to find our way. When it came to playing basketball, I didn’t even realize the pieces of the puzzle that I was missing. Sure, I was putting in the time and energy, but I wasn’t practicing the right way. As they say, “you don’t know what you don’t know”. With this in mind, it’s important to seek out advice from people who have already done what we want to do. This starts with acknowledging the fact that we have a lot to learn.

As a drummer, you can hang out with other drummers, take private lessons, or use step-by-step video lessons. The exact path isn’t critical, but it’s important to embrace the idea that there is always more to learn. With this in mind, you will always know what to do when you want to improve your drumming confidence.

I didn’t want to be just another copycat drummer. So, I focused on creating original fills, learning new techniques, mastering the rudiments, and trying to come up with drum solos.

The balance between experience and creativity

Looking back now, it’s clear to me that I made a critical mistake. It’s so obvious in hindsight that I feel silly for having made it. I undervalued the experience and insights of other drummers and overvalued my “beginner’s enthusiasm”.

In a rush to express my limited creativity, I forgot to focus on the fundamentals. In an effort to be original, I didn’t benefit from the hard-learned lessons of drummers that came before me. I was unable to build on their progress because I didn’t understand or appreciate what they had learned.

The source of drumming creativity and progress

At the heart of all creativity is the exchanging of ideas. As drummers, we express our musical ideas within beats and fills. Progress is the result of adapting, changing, or otherwise improving these patterns in our own unique way.

Before we can do that, we need to build experience. We need to have some insights into what drummers are playing, why they are playing that way, and what other options are available.

Follow the footsteps of your favorite drummers

Playing the drums is an art, not a science. While there are important fundamentals to learn along the way, there is no A-Z path to drumming nirvana. That’s because we all have a slightly different idea of what we want to achieve.

While there is no map that will take us there, we can follow the footprints and clues left behind by drummers that came before us. Specifically, the drummers that closely resemble the kind of musicians we want to eventually become.

The most important thing you can do on the drums

The fastest way to get better at playing the drums is to start playing real music. More specifically, you should play along to your favorite songs using beats, fills, and other musical ideas from more experienced drummers.

The key to being a great drummer is being humble enough to admit that we have something to learn. We don’t mimic other drummers in an effort to copy them. Instead, we do it because they have something to teach us through their music. We do it because we want to understand and appreciate what they have achieved.

Expose yourself to ideas and experiences

Expressed as a formula: Progress = Ideas x Experiences. As a beginner, I was trying to be creative with my own ideas and limited drumming experience. I was essentially multiplying two very small numbers to produce a modest result. No matter how much time and energy I invested, I didn’t make much progress.

In hindsight, I now realize that the best writers, athletes, musicians, and top professionals in the world take the opposite approach. They do everything they can to be exposed to the best ideas in their field, and look for opportunities to build experience by creatively applying those ideas.

How to start improving your drumming right now

The first step to improving as a drummer is choosing to take action to get the result that you want. While this may seem obvious, this is where most people drop off. They get excited about the dream of being a better drummer, but don’t want to put in the time. So, first decide that this is something you really want to do and that you’re willing to take action. And set a deadline – it’ll give you a goal to work toward.

Then, start playing along to some of your favorite songs. Focus on understanding what other drummers are playing, why they are playing like that, and what other things they could be playing (based on other songs you’ve learned). Soon you will see patterns emerge – all while you’re steadily improving your drumming abilities.

Every day is an opportunity to create positive change

It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to wait until next year to create new drumming resolutions. There are things we can do right now to start improving our musical abilities.

It starts with setting clear goals and then establishing daily habits to support those goals. For someone wanting to lose weight, this might consist of setting a goal to lose 20 pounds and then forming a daily exercising habit to help achieve it. As drummers, we may decide to learn ten new play-along songs, and then plan to practice for 20 minutes a day to make that happen.

As with new years resolutions, these two steps are critical. We need clear goals and we need daily habits to create steady progress towards achieving them. However, these two steps alone aren’t enough, which is why most attempts to change our habits don’t work.

The single most powerful concept for creating change

It isn’t easy to change what we do on a daily basis. As suggested earlier, most people with great intentions lose focus and slowly revert back to their long established routines. Why does this happen? What is the difference between those that succeed and those that fail? Is it just luck?

I’ve been setting goals and refining habits off and on for the past 15 years. Last year I came across the single most powerful concept for creating positive change. It’s a relatively simple idea, but it has had an incredible impact in how I set and achieve goals in all areas of life.

The secret to creating real change is to focus on quickly creating visible progress that cannot be ignored. As human beings, we are heavily motivated by seeing real results. But not just any results. We need to see irrefutable evidence of progress towards achieving our goals.

The secret to creating real change is to focus on quickly creating visible progress that cannot be ignored.

Do you remember what it was like when you learned your first drum beat? Do you remember the feeling of achievement when you realized you could actually play something on the drums? Did that feeling of accomplishment motivate you to want to learn more?

Prior to that moment, you had a vague goal to “play the drums”. When you started playing your first drum beat, you saw undeniable evidence that you were making progress. This made you realize that your goal was not just a “dream”, but was actually achievable. Suddenly you wanted to learn a few more beats, some fills, and anything else that could keep the progress going.

We need to create this magical feeling with all of our goals. We need to create a clear relationship between our daily habits and real measurable progress. This will create momentum that we cannot ignore, which in turn will fuel a greater commitment to seeing things through.

Get the tools you need to achieve drumming success

It isn’t easy to create the progress needed to generate real momentum. Even when we are committed to taking action, we don’t always know where to start or what to do next. This is where a lot of people stall out – even before getting started.

The key here is to be humble enough to seek professional advice. There is always someone who has experience relating to what we want to achieve – and they often have critical advice to save us time, money, and a lot of frustration. Most important of all, they can give us the steps needed to generate real momentum towards achieving our goals.

As drummers, we can turn to private lessons, live online instructors, or step-by-step video lessons for advice. These are all solutions offered by people who really want to help – just as we are eager to pass on beneficial advice to friends or family members. When we embrace the opportunity to learn from other people’s experiences, avoid their mistakes, and benefit from their knowledge, we set ourselves up for success.

(Pssst: You can get all of this in the Drumeo members area – click here and check out the 7-day free trial)

Improve your practices with the Pomodoro Technique

When we sit down to practice the drums, much of our mental energy is wasted trying to stay focused, avoid distractions, and boost our slowly eroding motivation. That’s where the Pomodoro Technique comes in. It was originally created by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s as a time management technique, but the concept is perfect for practicing the drums.

It’s an incredibly simple concept, but don’t let its simplicity keep you from seeing its value. In its most basic form, the method consists of 1) choosing a specific task that you want to accomplish, 2) setting a 25 minute timer, 3) focusing single-mindedly on that task until the timer rings, 4) taking a 5 minute break, and 5) repeating the process.

Advantage #1: It focuses energy where it’s needed

The first benefit of this approach is that it simplifies everything. Instead of wasting limited energy on managing focus, distractions, and motivation, you are free to use your energy where it is needed. Once you have decided that you will do something for 25 minutes, there are no more decisions to be made. You just put 100% of your focus into making progress.
 

Advantage #2: It challenges us to think bigger

This approach requires us to choose something that will take at least 25 minutes to complete. It doesn’t take many Pomodoro sessions to realize that some things that used to take hours of unfocused practice time can actually be done in 10-20 minutes. This naturally pushes us to take on bigger goals to make full use of the time.
 

Advantage #3: It encourages clarity and focus

This simple format also encourages us to have a clear sense of purpose. If we’re going to focus on something for 25 minutes, we want a clear payoff at the end. The more I use this method, the more deliberate I am about picking the right things to practice (based on my own drumming goals).
 

Advantage #4: It allows us to celebrate progress

As you continue to use this technique, you will see clear and undeniable progress on a consistent basis. Taking a few moments to acknowledge and celebrate this progress will positively affect your levels of motivation and personal fulfillment. This in turn makes the process even easier to repeat in the future, and creates a healthy addiction to achieving progress.

This is easily the most important benefit for me. I want to know that my practice time was worthwhile. I want to have a clear sense of accomplishment, so I’m excited to practice again in the future. Not only does the Pomodoro Technique make my practices 3x more effective, but it makes playing the drums 3x more rewarding as well.
 

What will you do for your first Pomodoro session?

I hope you enjoyed this article and that you’re excited to make use of the Pomodoro Technique. I’d encourage you to prepare by making a quick list of 3-5 things that you want to accomplish using this approach. For example, you might want to practice a page of beats or fills, learn to play a new song, or work on a new technique.

What do you think of the Pomodoro Technique? How do you plan to use it in the future?