Photo by Saad Ahmad on Unsplash
Malcolm X was an influential figure in the civil rights movement who believed in expressing his ideas in a direct and simple manner. He would utter the phrase "make it plain" when a speaker before him would start rambling and losing their audience's interest. He felt the more straightforward the message, the more people could understand and appreciate it. This concept of keeping things simple yet impactful is useful in speeches but also matters when playing a musical instrument. I find myself wanting to scream this when I see or hear musicians overplaying.
It's common for drummers to want to impress people with complex rhythms and drum fills to showcase their technical skills, but more often than not, less is more. One valuable lesson to be learned from 'making it plain' can be more of an emphasis on the beauty and power of simplicity. As in speaking, the primary goal in drumming should be to connect with your audience, not simply show off your abilities. Rather than focusing on playing as many notes as possible or complicated patterns, the most important thing is effectively communicating your message or emotions through your music.
Picture a college professor using complex sentences and obscure words to convey a point; "In the pursuit of achieving percussive excellence upon the grand stages of Broadway, an aspirant must cultivate not only a profound technical proficiency across a diverse array of rhythmic patterns but also an intuitive grasp of the symbiotic relationship between percussive elements and the theatrical narrative, thereby facilitating an auditory experience that both complements and enhances the visual spectacle and resonates with the audience on a visceral level." While they might sound intelligent, not everyone will be able to comprehend what they're trying to convey.
On the other hand, if they were to express the same concept in simple terms, more people may understand it. The message would become more impactful because it would be accessible to all; "If you want to succeed as a drummer on Broadway, you must know how to play various styles of music and understand how your playing contributes to the show's narrative. It's about conveying emotion to the audience through your drumming, collaborating closely with the members of the orchestra, as well as the performers on stage to make the show come alive."
This concept is directly applicable to drumming. You may be able to play the most intricate solo in the world, but if your audience can't feel it, then what is the point?
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