Let’s be honest. We all face those times when we’re frustrated by a lack of progress, we feel like we’re practicing the same things over and over, and we’re not sure where the light at the end of the tunnel is - if there even is one. We lose sight of our goals, and maybe we’re doubting our decision to even get into the drums in the first place.

This is a real challenge, and I bet every one of us has been there at some point. Good thing is, there are some simple solutions to the mental traps that halt our progress and stall our motivation. Let’s dig in.What was your biggest hobby as a kid?

Think hard… Were you into sports, music, riding your bike, building forts in the backyard, playing video games, designing your dream mansion, collecting rocks, trapping bugs….?

What got you excited about it? What made you want to rush to it each day after school? Here’s my guess why:

Because it was fun, there was no pressure, and you were a...

Sit down and listen to this record, and you’ll feel yourself becoming a better musician by the minute. I believe that every drummer should listen to John Mayer’s Where the Light is live in LA record. Whether or not you’re a Mayer fan, you truly can’t deny the world-class musicianship on every track.

The record features two world-class drummers, Steve Jordan and J.J. Johnson, and a whole host of fantastic musicians including bass players Pino Palladino and David LaBruyere. Check out the credits here on the Wikipedia page.

Grab a pair of headphones and get ready to listen along with me, because I’ll be including a bunch of Spotify links to all the tracks I’m talking about. Without further ado, here are the 5 biggest things every drummer can learn from this record.

#1: Undeniable groove is created by simple, musical consistency free of clutter.

If you’re unfamiliar with John Mayer or this particular album, the...

A little over a year ago, I added an email topic idea to my list. It was called “get outside your own head and get inspired!” - all about hanging out with other musicians and receiving new ideas and inspiration from them.

I had that idea after I met up with two of the best musicians I know over coffee one morning. I was in the midst of working on a bunch of Non Glamorous Drummer content at that time, and I was feeling a bit musically bored. I needed some direction and some goals to set for the year, but I didn’t really know where to start or what to focus on.

At that coffee hang, the three of us nerded out on music and our favorite records, and we literally just sat there talking about music for an hour. I didn’t receive any particular enlightenment at all, but something about just being around the energy of other musicians helped to revitalize my motivation. I went home excited to practice, excited to record some new ideas, and excited to add new...