| I have been playing drums for a really long time. I had small toy drum kits from a very early age but I did not get a real one until I was about 15. My mom told me I had to learn piano before learning the drums. I remember being 6 years old and calling the local music store and asking them how old you had to be to start piano lessons and they said 7. It’s such a distinct memory. I ended up taking piano lessons for many years and finally got my drum kit when I was in high school. I have been playing drums for over 30 years now. I am well aware that I am nowhere near the greatest drummer. The art of actual drumming is not my strongest talent. That’s sounds. Sounds just make sense to me. I feel like I can see them. I have always been able to make drums sound like I want… except for 1. The 16” floor tom is my nemesis. I have spent the better part of 30 years struggling with tuning it how I want to hear it. Maybe one out of every ten times I get it how I want. Snare, kick, rack toms, I get them where I want quickly. If the floor tom is 14” I have no problem with it. It’s just the 16” that kills me. It is soooo frustrating that one of the things I am really good at still has a little detail that eludes me. I read websites for tips. I watch YouTube videos. I try different drum head combinations. I try a drum tuner (we usually do this by ear). No matter what I do I’m still stuck with a lower rate of success. Over the last 12 months or so I will say I have tried a new trick that has been helping but, I still think I’m at a 60% success rate. That’s better, but still not up to my standards. I guess you are all wondering where I am going with this. I kind of am too. I know I have a point floating around in the back of my head, I just need to coax it out. |
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| Computers can be tricky like that damn 16” floor tom. You are always going to wrestle with them no matter how much experience you have. The key is to keep at it, you will never get a 100% success rate but you will improve. Read some basic articles on Apple/tech websites. Watch some videos on youtube. Even if you don’t fully understand what you are reading today you are learning in very small steps. You might hear or see something tomorrow that you read about a month ago and it will click, your brain can piece it all together. If you just give up and say… I’m not good with computers, you are defeating yourself already and stopping any progress you could make. Now, time to head into the brewery and tune that floor tom. I’m going to get it. |
