Adam Nussbaum, Thoughts and Observations

The legendary Adam Nussbaum wrote. Not only for the drummers.

Drummers are very often the victim of jokes. We all know this one, a club owner asks “how many are in the band” and he’s told, “we have four musicians and a drummer!”.

Well we know that should not be the case, but unfortunately, too often, it is.

The drummer should strive to be a good musician as a rule, not an exception. I’d like to state that what I’m writing here is nothing new, I’m just constantly reminded of these realities.

Why?

So many drummers I’ve heard are just drumming away, working on licks, not on playing musically. Music is a language. We must remember that we are obliged to serve it, and respect it. The music itself, and the people you play it with dictate the conception of how it is to be interpreted.

Why do we get the gig?

Because we make the other musicians in the group sound good and feel good. If we take a moment to think about it, most all the drummers we admire do that first. When the band sounds good you sound good. The music is our main priority, our foremost responsibility. Like the scouts say “Be prepared”.

How can one gain insight into being a better, musical drummer?

My own experience has been to put the reality of the situation first and not deal with my own personal agenda. We have to serve the music.

What do I mean?

Well, for one, most music is usually made up of melody, harmony, rhythm and form. To be able to perform appropriately, we must try to internalize what these components are in order to play and respond accordingly.

How do the instruments in a group play together?

Check out the relationship of the instruments in the rhythm section. Listen for how they function independently and together. How do they support and react to one another? the soloist? To really understand this we must listen to the music as a whole entity, not just the drums.

We have to really learn and absorb many styles, familiarize ourselves with song forms, different rhythmic feels, melodic shapes, harmonic motion, the balance of ideas in a composition… This list is endless. It is only limited by the restrictions of our imagination.

The way we play should have to do with what is going on around us. We need to have enough of a musical conception and technical ability so we can take care of what’s happening around us in the moment, without having to stop to think about it. This has to be second nature, just like walking and talking. We don’t think about that process any more, we’ve learned it. Now we just do it. It’s the same with music. We must be in the moment, in the now, to listen, feel and respond to what’s happening around us.

Listen to the greats. Practice and play with as many different people as you can. If we want to play better, we must get involved with the process of playing. Keep an open mind and an open ear.

It’s an infinite journey that never ends…Enjoy it!

Sounds so fresh, although written many years ago, nowadays and forever.