We've got a metronome and we're going to use it.

Drum lesson on Thursday was a bit of a disaster.
I don't think I'm cut out for music, you know.
I have no 'feel' for it.
Oh sure, I can bang in the right places if I'm told to but when they say 'make it up' I can't.
He put on a Green Day track and told me to play along but I couldn't.
My spontaneity triggers in the wrong places, my brain is trying to concentrate on keeping time and it all just ends up sounding rubbish.
Plus I keep missing the cymbal when I go to hit that as well as frequently finding myself hitting the bottom of the high hat by accident.

I'm very disheartened by the whole process.

Maybe I need more direction.
More structure.
We aren't following a curriculum as such and I'm beginning to think I'm the sort of person who needs one.
I'd like some basic exercises to do for starters.
And warm ups.
Things I could run through first to get me in the frame of mind.
Oh yes, so anyway. I'm probably not cut out for music.
But then you'd think I'd remember that from my refusal to practice when I used to play the piano.

We spent most of last week's lesson trying to get the set up right on the drumkit.
Lowering the seat, moving the snare and high hat.
All in an attempt to stop my back hurting.
But I think I just need to build up one big buttock on the right side to balance it out.

The 'heel up' technique is going reasonably better than I expected but I think my teacher is annoyed that I'm not much better.
I shouldn't have practised that first week before starting, obviously.
Now he expects me to speed along and be a proper drummer in no time.
When in reality he's going to realise that he shouldn't have tried to show me to use a high hat to keep a beat.
When I tried, it sounded like a dog running with cymbals on its feet.
Only with less rhythm.

Fills are still my main downfall.
I have no clue what to hit and when.
With piano lessons it's there - there is sheet music and you play it.
It's simple.
Once you learn the patterns you can put some personality into it and make it yours.
Whereas I'm just being told to improvise in the places where I think it needs it.
But I have no clue.
I keep wondering if there's a science to it.
And I keep trying to find it.
Cymbal on the 1. High hat on the '4 and'.
But I know people will say that's music by numbers and not giving it 'soul'.
But frankly I'd like to learn some basics before having to deal with the soul of music.
Basics before the complicated matters.
Maths before religion.

I never was any good at practical subjects.

[Today's picture is of Tina from Fuzzbox aka 'We've Got A Fuzzbox and We're Going To Use It']