I used to sound like a drum machine (and not in a good way).
I used to think being a "good drummer" meant playing everything I knew, all the time.
Ghost notes flying everywhere. Sixteenth note fills packed into every available space. If I could play it, why wouldn't I?
My bandmates were... polite about it. You know that kind of polite where they say "sounds good" but their face says something else entirely.
Then I had a revelation during a recording session. The engineer stopped the take and said, "Can you just play the groove? Nothing else. Just the groove."
I was offended. Just the groove? That's it? Where's the artistry? The technical prowess? The... everything I'd been working on for years?
But I played just the groove. And when we listened back, something clicked.
It sounded... better. Way better.
The bass player nodded along. The guitar parts had space to breathe. The song actually felt like music instead of a technical demonstration.
That's when I realized I'd been approaching drumming completely backwards.
Great drummers aren't great because they play everything they know. They're great because they know what NOT to play.
Think about your favorite drummers. John Bonham wasn't throwing in every chop he had. Steve Gadd wasn't showing off his linear vocabulary in every groove. They were serving the music.
The secret isn't learning more patterns. It's learning to use fewer patterns with more intention.
When you stop trying to impress people with your technical knowledge and start making musical choices, something magical happens:
✓ Your timing gets rock solid (because you're not scrambling between complex patterns)
✓ Your bandmates start complimenting your playing
✓ You actually enjoy playing more because you're making music, not just executing exercises
The foundation of this approach?
Master the fundamental rhythms first. Get them so deep in your bones that you can use them melodically, not mechanically.
Most drummers skip this step. They want to learn the fancy stuff without building the foundation.
But the drummers who sound the most confident? They've done the work on the fundamentals.
Your bandmates don't care about your fastest chops.
They care about how you make the music feel.
Trust the process. Serve the music. Your confidence will follow.
I keep getting messages asking about Drum Hub spots, but we're currently sold out. If you want to dive deeper into techniques like this and transform your entire approach to practice, join the waitlist to get first dibs when new spots open up: www.dimitrifantinidrums.com/apply?community=Commun…
Dimitri Fantini
I used to sound like a drum machine (and not in a good way).
I used to think being a "good drummer" meant playing everything I knew, all the time.
Ghost notes flying everywhere. Sixteenth note fills packed into every available space. If I could play it, why wouldn't I?
My bandmates were... polite about it. You know that kind of polite where they say "sounds good" but their face says something else entirely.
Then I had a revelation during a recording session. The engineer stopped the take and said, "Can you just play the groove? Nothing else. Just the groove."
I was offended. Just the groove? That's it? Where's the artistry? The technical prowess? The... everything I'd been working on for years?
But I played just the groove. And when we listened back, something clicked.
It sounded... better. Way better.
The bass player nodded along. The guitar parts had space to breathe. The song actually felt like music instead of a technical demonstration.
That's when I realized I'd been approaching drumming completely backwards.
Great drummers aren't great because they play everything they know. They're great because they know what NOT to play.
Think about your favorite drummers. John Bonham wasn't throwing in every chop he had. Steve Gadd wasn't showing off his linear vocabulary in every groove. They were serving the music.
The secret isn't learning more patterns. It's learning to use fewer patterns with more intention.
When you stop trying to impress people with your technical knowledge and start making musical choices, something magical happens:
✓ Your timing gets rock solid (because you're not scrambling between complex patterns)
✓ Your bandmates start complimenting your playing
✓ You actually enjoy playing more because you're making music, not just executing exercises
The foundation of this approach?
Master the fundamental rhythms first. Get them so deep in your bones that you can use them melodically, not mechanically.
Most drummers skip this step. They want to learn the fancy stuff without building the foundation.
But the drummers who sound the most confident? They've done the work on the fundamentals.
Your bandmates don't care about your fastest chops.
They care about how you make the music feel.
Trust the process. Serve the music. Your confidence will follow.
I keep getting messages asking about Drum Hub spots, but we're currently sold out. If you want to dive deeper into techniques like this and transform your entire approach to practice, join the waitlist to get first dibs when new spots open up: www.dimitrifantinidrums.com/apply?community=Commun…
4 months ago | [YT] | 30