An idea so stupid it might actually work
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay
When I decide to do something, I often become obsessed. The perfect example is when I decide to learn to play the drums and chose Bleed by Meshuggah as my first song. This is arguably one of the most difficult metal songs ever written, and thus I thought that it must be the perfect place to start for obsessed beginners like me. If you learn a song on the very edge of what is possible, any other (normal) song becomes a walk in the park, right?
I use the 15-minute method, which means 15 minutes of focused practice every single day no matter what. You are allowed to do more, but never less than 15 minutes. I have used the method since 2014 to learn many instruments, usually with a time limit of one year, which usually is enough to easily reach the first 80% skill level that makes all the difference. The time required to learn the remaining 20% increases exponentially however, just like getting your character to level 99 in Diablo 2. I am now in my third year of daily drum practice. Learning Bleed in just 365 15-minute sessions is inhuman, so we must be somewhat realistic and give it more time. I think three years is possible. We’ll see in late 2022 if my gut feeling is correct.
As you might have guessed by now, I am not in a hurry. I will soldier on like the turtle and clock my 15 minutes of practice every day, knowing perfectly well that he who keeps moving towards a target can never fail to reach it given enough time. It is physically impossible to fail with anything, as long as you keep moving. What a relief that is! It is ONLY a question of how bad you want it. I have heard countless time from other people that say that they want to learn this or that instrument, practice for some time and then they quit. Be honest to yourself. The reason you quit is that you didn’t want it bad enough. You wanted something else instead and prioritized accordingly. But you need to be honest with yourself. It really is that simple. If there’s something you want in your life, start moving towards it and never stop no matter what happens.
I have always wanted to play the drums. I remember when I was a kid and all the kids at school could choose a musical instrument to learn through the education system. I wanted to play the drums. But my parents wanted me to play the guitar instead (I suspect the rationale is practicality). Cheap, Portable and you can play just about anything anywhere on it. Sure, I’m a decent guitarist and I wouldn’t have spent thousands of hours learning the guitar if I hadn’t enjoyed it. But the ghost of the drums has always been with me. And since we bought a house, I could finally pursue that dream of mine. I have hardly touched the guitar for several years. I love playing the drums. It is so physical and rewarding, and you are guaranteed to get some sweat and proper exercise when you’re at it. Thus, it is a healthy instrument too!
Sometimes it gets a bit frustrating to only practice and play one single song every single day for several years. I suspect most people would blow a mental fuse after a month or two. But I really like the song Bleed and I have a vision in my mind where I do a livestreamed one-take of it with a smile on my face. That’s my victory condition. I learned the song on the guitar because the secret is to memorize every pattern, which is somewhat similar to memorizing the first 100 decimals of Pi. The longest patterns are measured in minutes, without a single repeat and it is 10X more frustrating than it sounds to learn them. Daily practice for almost three years and I still don’t know it all by heart. Either I’m cognitively impaired or the song is very difficult. I’m probably a bit of both.
And lately I started something extremely stupid, but also quite funny. I am now practicing the kick drums at the same time as I’m playing the guitar. I thought about the “fire together, wire together”-principle regarding the neural network in our brains. I can now easily play Bleed on the guitar, including the patterns, so why not add the kick drums while doing it? I mean, how hard can it be? And if I nail the kick drums while playing the guitar, the Hypothesis is that then, only then, can I memorize the whole song on the drums. Let’s test the hypothesis and record some videos while doing it. 😂