Point of View

Little Drummer Boy

For me, drumming has always been on the list of “one hundred things to do before you die,” and over the past year I have been trying to check that off my list. Sure, I can play along with any given song, but I always wanted to learn the theory and technique that makes a good drummer great. Illusions of public performance notwithstanding, I have read books on drumming, flipped through drumming magazines and watched in great depth video and training tapes from some of the best drummers alive in the hopes of self improvement. Neil Peart has long been one of my all time favorite drummers for his sense of style, technique, and skill. He becomes one with his instrument and makes it look so easy; for lack of a better word. I’m not trying to be the next Neil Peart as that would be impossible and a sacrilege, but rather someone who simply enjoys playing on a spiritual level and to gain a sense of accomplishment.
I met with a drum instructor a few weeks ago and after a short interview decided he would fit the bill to mold my meager skills into a capable drummer. His name is Arik, and yes, that is how it’s spelled. Now, let me take a moment to “add” it to the dictionary and make gone the little squiggly red lines under his name. His resume’ is impressive, having been in the Marine Corps, played on the Marine Corp Band, and is now enrolled as a student at ASU with a BA in musical theory.  To see him in public you would never guess he was a Marine. He looks similar to the cartoon character in “Bevis and Butthead,” the hippie guitar playing beat-nick, but as far as I know he is not a “tree-hugger.”  Arik seemed as excited as I was in taking me on as a student. I’m not his typical student of such tender years and wonder what is on the young minds of those that pass me in the halls of his studio.
The studio is located in an old music store on the north-west side of Phoenix. A short ride up the freeway is all it takes from my house. The store is crammed with shelves of LP format records with titles from BB King to Journey, to Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. You stumble over old guitars and drum kits as you walk past the little waiting area, which is where I receive most of the “stares” from the younger students. The walls are covered in posters and musical paraphernalia from past and present. Near the entrance is a cork board with business cards and wanted ads for local musical hopefuls. I’m a long way off from applying for one of those gigs, if ever, but it was a nice little side fantasy while waiting for Arik to finish with his 2:30 student. I poked around the store listening to the sounds of a practice pad being hit in paradiddle fashion while making small talk with the store clerk. I found the drum section; a little out of the way corner of the shop with volumes of training books piled on top of each other. I began flipping through them when the store clerk announced, “Doctor Arik will see you now.”  I managed a small wry smile and went into the studio. Inside the studio sat two drum kits in their most basic form one for student and the other for instructor. We discussed my goals and what I hopped to accomplish and put together a training outline and started right in. He first had me demonstrate my current abilities and I blasted out my best solo effort trying to maintain whatever technique I knew to be correct. He smiled and we started with proper stick control and a brief lecture of stick grip; matched grip or traditional grip. I opted to learn traditional grip which is the natural grip used mostly in marching bands where the drum is worn on a sling and hangs over the left hip. I have no intention of joining the marching band, but this grip is useful for many drumming techniques and I thought I should learn as much as possible.
After a very quick thirty minute session, Arik set me up with some training material for home practice and we set my next lesson. I guess I am on my way to checking off that little box on my long list of things I want to do before I die and if writing doesn’t pan out for me, perhaps my career as a musician will. Hmm, the fantasy continues.