How The Haters Helped Me Play Drums Faster

[@devolta]

Haters aside, watching a teacher learn is invaluable. Thank you Nate.

[@replicantpedals6085]

This, is why I'm here. I've started putting up videos daily to challenge me (and I have to spend hours finding music for this) as the first thing I realised watching what I geekily say "the pareto channel" 😉 I tried to let loose and I've been trying to reign in my timing since lol. I've been playing on and off over a decade, with no kit in a paddock for half of that (I was being one with the cow, my spirit animal. Why am I on such a tangent?) But really what I noticed is not having a teacher to hold me accountable to my shit, then I was (in my mind) already great so then, yeah. Done. Ticked that off. Lol so trying to pick up sticks 5yrs later I made two promises- I was allowing myself to hit more drums, but I had to train to metronome or practice specific tracks. And playing tracks could be fun but I need to be aware of what I'm doing before it happens - sure, there's instinct but professional instinct is just years of practice paying off. Ahem, I mean focused practice. Thanks to this channel I finally actually know what the flying feck that is.

[@MikeMike-jj8nd]

i really, really like the way you construct your videos..the flow is seamless. it's like, going to my favorite restaurant where the servers know when to serve the next part of my meal.

[@8020drummer]

Thanks buddy!

[@Merrillizer]

No shit, right? You can tell he's working hard and that he's alllll about it, which is great to see. PASSION.

[@juanemmanuelsalinas2001]

@@8020drummer nate you never change you drum heads and you drums still sound amazing 🥁💯

[@PeterVred]

I love your theme music.

[@gabrielcruz3997]

@@8020drummer good job on taking something good out of those comments. But it wasn't them blindly hating for the heck of it, they just communicated feedback in an unnecessarily rude way. I'm just saying I wouldn't classify them as "haters"

[@drummermandan01]

Dude, I was more listening than watching and I can say this, you sound much more like the drummers you aspire to be when you play at an aggressive dynamic. And all philosophies, drumming technique doctrines, and educational insight aside, at some level to get better at the sound you want to achieve you need to practice that sound. Through your videos I sometimes feel like you treat yourself like a Doctoral student who constantly has to remind himself about how to format a paper. And although that makes for good content, it is a little frustrating to watch because you are 100% good enough to achieve the sound you want to achieve, even if, maybe, not at the level of those who are masters of that sound quite yet. Sure, foundations and such are essential, but if you wait to long to attempt to build the structure you intended on that foundation, it will start to crack and you have to build it all over again. Glad you had the breakthrough! I’m enjoying your journey, your educational content, and wish you nothing but the best.

[@paulymetricdrums]

This video resonated with me in a serious way. I struggled for years to improve my speed, and it's only over the last five years that I finally cracked the code and began to meaningfully develop it. I made myself sick over it, shed literally blood, sweat and tears about it, and have wasted years of my life being mentally and technically frozen because of a toxic pride that prevented me from doing the very thing you did at the time of this video... You changed your mind when the facts changed. "Listening to the haters" in a way that drags you down isn't useful, but you didn't do that - you used it as a tool to show yourself important truths that you were too close to see on your own, and that requires a mental and emotional fortitude that is very rare. Thank you for this video, and thank you for being a validating voice in the never-ending struggle for creative progress. There's seven billion people on Earth, but I felt like I was the only one enduring this painful man-vs-self trial when it was at the peak of its intensity. This video makes it clear that I'm not alone. You've done a very good thing, Nate. Thank you.

[@MacMic333]

This is great.First like Gadd, you are humble, nobody needs an ego-first type.

[@jamesgoetz6100]

Years ago, Derek Roddy said something similar. He was getting bombarded with technique questions from all of these drummers seeking answers to speed and endurance in the metal drumming world. He was like, sometimes, you just need to join a band, jam and rehearse and throw yourself at songs beyond your ability - you can't always practice slow, because the biomechanics (down to a neurological level) are different. You just have to go for it and deal with the slop while your body figures out how to 'do it'. Separate from this advice, one approach (out of many), don't tip the scales of challenge too far away from fun. In other words, to keep from getting burnt out/discouraged, have 70-95% (depending on how well you emotionally manage struggle) of your parts/setlist be high-confident parts, so the majority of the performance is fun and you can smash it on a bad day. If you're like me, I need to keep it at 95% smashable, because the 5% of botched challenging parts can really really bum me out. The opposite would be those with "short memories" - the botches are quickly forgotten and they can move on with the tasks without psyching themselves out. But.... if you can change your thoughts of it, like you're talking about in the above video.... keep trying the hard shit and 'just go for it!'. Anyway, you have this desire to want to tackle the hard stuff (admirable trait) but it's coupled with a trait of being too self-critical..... so, the majority of your vids just seem too self critical. Nobody wants to get on YT to get bummed out by somebody who is too self-critical. We are looking to get motivated by somebody brightening the room. Another observation- it seems the majority of your videos that pop up into my feed focus on your desire to improve the smaller complex notes in between the big simple notes. In other words, the real notes are the big ones - the punctual crashes. But you tend to focus on the notes in between the crashes - the chops. But I'd say the majority of what sells a performance is how those big notes are hit... after all, those are the notes that punctuate the parts that the rest of band plays. The big notes should *never* be compromised. They have to look and sound confident... and it's worth letting up on the in-between notes so that you can achieve just that. Smack a crash like it owes you money, and smile or mean mug while doing it (like Eric Moore), then that's what the crowd will see and feel and remember. Perfect example - the way Mike Mangini opened his Dream Theater audition song (13:00 mark of "Drummer Auditions Part 1"). I'll never remember what he played during that song, but I'll remember how he played it.

[@jgd9123]

WOW Nate! What a lesson for us all. Mentally, spiritually, and physically. GREAT GREAT leadership and technically superior drumming

[@meekoloco]

Nate, while I can appreciate the quest and the work it takes to gain more hand speed, I wish the community could see what we really need is good grooving, musical drummers.

[@ryanm.4892]

Please don't ever take down these videos, I'm gonna want to come back once I'm at the skill stage to make all your advice useful. For now I watch because it has an entertainment factor and I'm gazing into what's in the future for me (hopefully).

[@greggoso600]

Oh man, you should ALWAYS listen to haters, avoiding them will only increase your fear of them while confronting and understanding who is actually criticizing you will only make you stronger

[@2002drumsonly]

Your style and teaching techniques are inspiring and amazing. There are some people in this world you can give a bar of gold to, and all they can do is complain how heavy it is. You are sharing your golden nuggets of wisdom and passion but some fail to appreciate your unique personality and incredible skills as a drummer and instructor.

[@PLDrums1]

THREE FOUR INTENSIFIES

[@thomascannariato186]

Dude. You can see you're really jazzed up on this breakthrough. Congrats and thanks for bringing us along with you.

[@jamesrivas6394]

The drummers you mention are all about drum solo's,I know that You Tube has a lot of these guys wailing away on their kits. To me, this always reminds me of over playing for the sake of showing off. You play quite well and I know you are trying to make a point. You can't stop the haters,I've learned that they're usually the lamest players.

[@mpelevic]

James Rivas That was what I wanted to say, but you’ve said it better! :)

[@highvibee]

James Rivas l sign under this comment.

[@PhilosophyLines]

I've left constructive criticism and am not a 'hater', I would love to see Nate make rapid progress and I think he would have much more chance of that addressing feel and energy rather than 'chops' and speed, which he seems to return to even just after literally reading out advice that said it's feel and energy which is holding him back.

[@joelmaharry3926]

Exactly! Speed erases style.

[@8020drummer]

Stephan Söderberg when are you making ocean’s fourteen?

[@chipgracey169]

Nate, you're fortunate to have such good "haters". I used to recoil at crass and jarring criticism, but I kind of appreciate it when it comes, now, as it causes me to reevaluate my thinking and motivations. It reminds me that I don't have to take myself too seriously and I can laugh at myself, too. We're all idiots and geniuses in sundry phases. It's hard for me to cut loose enough to do something like music. Fortunately, drums are simple enough that my constipation is not compounded by technical overwhelming. I think all those people were encouraging you to just loosen up, get out of your head, and be able to live in the moment and enjoy it. For me, it's such a long journey. Many little cotter pins need to be removed before the big parts open up. I love watching your videos, by the way. I like your style. I think everyone here appreciates your work, however they might express it.

[@sebuteo]

I haven't finished watching this is yet. But I love it. It's great that you have the humility and the balls to see and to take something constructive out of something potentially hurtful. Good on you, man!

[@jonathanharrington7950]

Just a thought Dude, Sometimes lack of space on the gig for us Drummers means our backs are up against the wall & our elbows cannot travel backwards if they so needed to. A must when playing drums is to know you have Free Movement not just in front, off to the sides but also behind you and your Drum Throne. If you run this video to 10mins 30secs you will see you can barely squeeze a score sheet in between you and the wall behind you which when watching you play makes your body and its movements look very restricted thus unnatural, OK you get to keep a nice straight back but ultimately your playing suffers forcing your movements to adopt an unnatural Doggy Paddling Approach. Your practice room is bigger than the area you have chosen to set up in, there is just you know one else so try allowing the natural flow of movement by moving away from the wall behind you, it will increase your level of relaxation before you even begin to play and your movements when playing will finally Breathe, Look & Feel Natural. Getting back to "BACKS" we have to learn to sit up straight. Just a thought Dude. Kind Regards.

[@yahhteebockity]

Definitely agree re: elbow space - its no fun cracking your funnybone on some unyeilding object behind you at a gig!

[@mhp2766]

Keep coming back because I like the way you play and how you view the instrument Nate. Haters always project their own frustrations on others, shouldn't discourage from producing good content the way you do.

[@caffeineadvocate]

Delicious brain food.. Thank you for continuing to think critically about the drums for our betterment. :)

[@stighalskov]

Nate, you're a genius. A great online mentor!

[@Ronnybengt]

I luv your approach....tought me tons

[@cjansenATL]

I've heard Gadd, Tony and Buddy had some history in tap dancing. Have you thought of working on how you physically relate to rhythm away from the drums and see if that provides some new insight?

[@mpelevic]

the_ultimate_chris Absolutely! Musicians that can’t move elegantly while dancing always have poor rhythmical aspect of playing. I have seen very competent and educated musicians lack body control, and it does translate to playing.

[@cjansenATL]

@@mpelevic I was also thinking of how jazz brush playing at times echos the feel, the motion of soft shoe...

[@toddtempleton9321]

The guy doesnt move his head at all. His neck is stiff and his shoulders are back in perfect posture position. The chops sound like they are being played on a keyboard

[@MarkQuick0411]

What helps me is Working Out in the gym or exercising more often cause it makes me not only healthy but it gets my endurance on drums more consistent

[@macuss87]

The more I hear the channel theme the more and more I dig it. I'd love to here the rest of that piece if there is a rest of it.

[@ricosalomar]

Hate all you want. I took Nate's coaching course and it was inspiring.

[@PhilosophyLines]

Constructive criticism is not 'hating'. I think Nate could improve rapidly by working on the right things, i.e. feel, energy, and intensity on simple grooves imitating his idols, not complex patterns and 'speed'. Seems like that was what several were getting at, but he's interpreted it to mean a novel approach to playing fast...this is compatible with his offering useful educational content, e.g. his videos on limitation of practice pads.

[@Drumsholic]

Man you're amazing. All that stuff you explain is really helping all us that have too many questions with a huge of subjects in drumming and you do it without we ask all that. I personally thank you. I like to see a theme to how important is to support the drummers subscribed to eachother to get grow their fame. No one is too good if no one knows about him. Keep up the perfect work you do here!!

[@mydrumming]

Nice video 👍. Nice clean playing too. Really like how you break it all down. Will be giving that exercise a go.

[@SufficientReason6595]

I used to power lift and your analogy of stretch-doing maximal lifts in short ranges-is spot on. Speed: I did the 90 Day Challenge in Morello’s Master Studies II, 3-4 hours a day (more like 4-6) from June 10 - Sept 12. “If you do as I say, practicing three to four hours every day, in three months you’ll improve your sound, play more relaxed, and double your speed.” -Morello, Intro, Master Studies II. I worked like a man on a mission, first 30 days covering the first 34 pages of exercises is MS II; then switched to Master Studies I and practiced 4-6 hours a day the first 40 pages. The last 10 days were grueling, like the last few miles in a Marathon, or the last set of Heavy Squats in 5x5, lol. I have Chaffee’s Patterns series and had worked from them for a few years; they’ve been excellent for me, challenging my brain 🧠 as well as fiber... I was going to move directly from Master Studies back to Patterns when I ran across a pro like you who suggested getting a “reading book” like Kim Plainfield’s Advanced Concepts and working that along side Patterns. Got it, doing it, but alongside Alan Dawson’s Drummer’s Complete Vocabulary. The speed is definitely coming on, but not at the expense of balance and control. Practicing at various Stick heights, as Chaffee instructs, varying dynamics, playing slowly, practicing using exaggerated motion (as described by Plainfield)...everything helps! And your advice, or challenge, to move from over focusing on the pad, to working at the kit...this is huge. I started using Rod Morganstein’s Drum Set Musician, and it’s a beast. I never had formal training beyond three years of private lessons as a kid working through the Gene Krupa book, and about 9 months with a funk drummer in FL... This much I believe...it takes on average 10,000 hours of dedication to become expert level in any field...(per Gladwell, Cambridge Study of Expert Performance...). Thank you for your excellent insights!

[@danielondrums7646]

There's two kinds of drummers: the ones that take "you play like a machine!" as a compliment and those that find it deeply insulting. That is a huge difference that leads to a lot of tension and self doubt in drummers, just remember that

[@kobe1902]

I wanna see you beat the absolute shit out of the drum set. Wouldn't mind a punk/pop punk drumming lesson from you.

[@ericmsandoval]

Dude, the deceased comment literally had me dying 😂😂😂

[@Coloch777]

Great for you that use the haters comments and turn it into fuel to get better, you’re playing is awesome man!

[@adamfrost8417]

That comment about looking like, "your kit enslaves you" made me laugh. It's a pretty good description. With that said, one of the reasons I enjoy your channel is that you deliver the information in a relaxed, demur manner. The content stands on its own merit, w/o the need for gimmicks.

[@digatelier]

Inspirational the way you are always trying. Great channel!

[@cooperw839]

I still struggle with keeping relaxed and keeping a stable core, and I think some of my issues might be similar to yours. Two things that have helped me a bit: First, when you're moving quickly between your rack tom and snare, keeping your elbows tucked by your sides means you can only get into position to play the rack tom by pushing forward with your shoulders. Then pulling back to play the snare. That generates force which is transfering into your torso, bouncing you around the faster you go, and so you tense up to try offset that (check out 9:52 in slow mo to see this). Instead, try flare your elbows out (i.e raised up a bit) so you can get into position by rotating the elbow, and you should be able to keep a stable core, and not have any shoulder motion. To feel the difference between these two ways of moving your wrist across the transverse plane, first try punching out forward, and then rapidly drawing back. Then try raising your elbow up and making wind-screen wiping motion. In both cases your wrist is moving forwards and back, but you'll probably find the latter much easier to do quickly, while keeping your core entirely relaxed and centered. Anyway- second thing: when you're moving quickly between the floor tom and snare, it helps to alternate between French and German grips. So on the snare you'd have French left hand, German right hand, and then on the floor tom you'd have German left hand and French right. With this alternation you can move between the drums just by wrist rotation, and minimize any shoulder motion. Thanks again for your awesome videos man.

[@leecrow3k1]

I've been working on my speed for two weeks now. This video has helped a lot and you have given me some ideals on how to improve. Thanks so much for this lesson.

[@papabearjohnson505]

Nate! Been watching you for years now... I have to say you have the best concepts I've seen as an instructor. You as a drummer have also improved a bunch and it's super inspiring. I do have to say one thing has been prevalent throughout the years... (This is more of an observation than criticism) That thing that's prevalent in your playing is your flow. It's kind of stiff yet even. Sonically everything is pretty balanced yet slightly unsure. Physically it looks like you're a bit tense and your body is in one place. I think this stems from the type of drummer you are. You're a finessing conceptualizer (for lack of a better phrase lol) To summarize... you have a lot of ideas and you execute them fine, but they may not be that dynamic or full sounding. When they come out, they're at a level that could be stagnant and you do it with the least amount of movement possible Maybe this is due to the fact that you're not a power drummer. I find that power drummers (like the drummers from the excerpts of this video) physically have a flow to them where their limbs move from drum to drum swiftly and they position their body in a way that their motions can flow without being tense. Sonically, they get a big sound out of the drums while being very clean and precise. Maybe this could also be your set up? I wonder if there's a more efficient set up that could help you get around the kit looser, quicker, and with more power and control. I kinda wrote a lot lol. But I just wanted to say this and see if you were aware, cared and/or are working on any of this. At the end of the day, I dig what you do. I'm a fan. Would like to hang one of these days

[@d74g0n]

Everything I ever hear I say 'maybe this guy is right' and I tells ya; when they ain't you figure it out 10 mins later. But when they are; you see it and absorb it instantly.

[@jphifer2848]

Really useful & well explained & demonstrated, Nate. Many, many thanks.

[@innesbarrett1805]

2:20 if you can play it slowly you can play it quickly I N T E R E S T I N G

[@microtonalmilio5233]

Amazing!

[@scooterkingist]

I always loved your playing! You always seem so in control and effortless. Sure the haters might have lit a fire under you, but I think you had it all along

[@BrandochGarage]

I remember a video with Martin Miller playing guitar, and he said that for some fast licks, the only way to really get the correct is to try playing them quickly. so yeah it really depends, and it clearly depends on where an individual is in their own progression as a player.

[@TJZ2345]

This reminds me of an interview I read with the drummers of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. They're music has relatively simple rhythms in terms of rudiments and coordination. But lots of weird time signatures and blazing fast clean strings of singles. In the interview the main guy talked about how at the beginning of tours sets were tough and he would take things a little simpler, but as you play everyday several hours for a couple weeks, the chops just redevelop. In other words: speed chops can come and go in your career, depending on how much you're using them, In that way its like actual sprinting.

[@JeremiahBmayer]

Those gents are great

[@rhythmantic]

Hey Nate, i dig your approach to drumming, you play close to the surfaces with economy of stroke and with that using linear patterns.

[@twanner_]

I’ve always been curious why you’ve been focusing more on the Eric Moore’s when I feel like you’re more of an Ash Soan. Your older videos based on the playing styles of Nate Smith, Nate Wood, Guiliana, etc. feel more like home base for you. On the other hand, it’s awesome how well rounded you inspire to be. Either way, always been a fan of your playing and teachings man ✌️

[@ericmsandoval]

I wasn’t familiar with Ash Soan so I looked him up, assuming his style of playing would be matched to Nate’s..which, it wasn’t...at all. Ash hits his drums like they owe him money and with much more energy. So, genuinely curious as to where you see similarities..?

[@twanner_]

Eric Sandoval relax buddy, never said they sounded exactly alike.

[@ericmsandoval]

I am relaxed. I was genuinely wondering.

[@PhilosophyLines]

@@twanner_ Eric sounded relaxed, the fact is Nate just doesn't sound remotely like Ash to his or my ears. Ash is a heavy hitting groove oriented session/pop guy.

[@twanner_]

Philosophy Lines alright, it’s time for us to take a back seat and relax... I just meant Ash type playing is more in his wheelhouse. Not the chopped out, speed oriented stuff like Eric Moore. His older videos that deal with groove and pocket playing seemed more his bread and butter. Now that we are all relaxed... have a nice night

[@kezman74]

I've never hated, but I've definitely commented once that for a while there your videos had become more like life vlogs (yawn), and less like lessons or concepts as well as the vlog content (yay) on the drums. You've totally blown me away with this and your last video though. Props man, really great content, I'm also subscribed to your course and totally recommend it to everyone who wants to get better quicker. I'm just not very good at them yet ;) Maybe I should slow myself down, or speed myself up ;)

[@8020drummer]

As I tried to allude to in the lesson, I'm trying to split the atom and give the hard-core folks enough meat and potatoes, while also making sure an audience who isn't going to immediately practice the licks doesn't fall asleep. Glad you dug this one

[@willfarrow7516]

I always enjoy listening to you and watching you. One thing... you need a NICE kit. I mean...THIS is the venue to showcase YOU as well. I think you have enough followers to justify a studio and kit upgrade. Brand new heads sounding YUM :-) Happy New Year Nathan!

[@Jimbo386000]

I think what the haters were saying, but in a nice way cause I really do like the way you play, you’re a good drummer, is you play more like a classically trained drummer, and that may impact how you play set. What I mean by that is classical drummers feels the rhythm in their hands and arms and that’s it really, but kit players are forced to feel the time in their entire body, which it doesn’t look like you’re doing here. Playing kit is very much a full body experience, but it looks like for you that experience is all in your limbs, which is good, but that’s step one in learning how to be a natural at the drum kit. This coming from a nobody who plays only occasionally, so I could be wrong, but when I learned this while I was taking drum lessons at University of Kentucky a few years ago, that was when I truly starting becoming one with the kit.

[@ARGBlackCloud]

Love the exercise at 8:20 , really interesting and highly usable !!

[@HenkJanDrums]

Good Luck. Your lesson about ...they need to hear were the 1 is was very helpfull.

[@jeff-9608]

Are you playing for them, or are you playing for you? That's your style and that's how you like to play, so keep doing it. Never compromise your own unique style for haters.

[@PhilosophyLines]

He wants to improve and get (as close as he can) to Eric's level, and that of his other heroes. Working on feel, attitude, energy is the 80% to the 20% of 'speed' etc.

[@lionelkalt8390]

Really love this vid! It not only shows you how to play fast but also how to deal with critique. Even if its from people who dont know s*** about music mabye it can give you a hint on what you could improve

[@MichaelSoucy]

Great insight! Obvious improvement on the day 4 video. There's something about having some aggression to release upon the drums. When I started to think about my favorite drummers they all had this trait in spades. Including the ones you mentioned.

[@hotdammusic]

Yes!

[@reecemcnaughten4160]

another thing that may help clarify.. start practicing like you are actually wanting to play. Your playing style is more like your practice style. when i was studying, i had no time to practice practicing. i had to practice playing because i had to play real gigs each week. the going slow thing is really great for intensive training and technique but if thats all your practicing you will have missed the entire point. you practice to unlock your feeling. so if i had any advice: maybe stop practicing practicing and start playing to get that "practiced sound" out of your playing, when you have a conversation with someone youve never met/ you have some general starting techniques.. like Hi , my name is : Nate whats your name/ and so on, but at some point you have to start engaging with them without looking at your "how to impress someone" booklet; cheat codes. even if you rehearse the booklet it will never feel in flow state as someone truely improvising it, those guys you study, dont transcribe their solos. they practice pretty basic techniques, but they let there creative free side dictate where there hands go/ the difference is, there hands and feet and minds is trained to not get stuck at "hello my name is" start just playing youve got a life time worth of practicing under your belt. now you need to play

[@bopworksdrumsticks7209]

I look forward to every one of these, keep it up!

[@ericbruneau]

You are my favorite smart drummer. Love your sound. Very great, thanks

[@HackSawSees]

Sometimes your style makes me a little crazy, Nate, but damned if I don't check back once in a while and and you teach me a thing or two. Good on ya, mate. Nice call out to the "it takes a few days" thing. For certain skills (mostly the ones where thinking is too slow), your body literally needs to add more myelin (nerve sheathing) to the pathways which are used to do the thing. It takes a few days. Cheers!

[@MrAngryTwinkie]

Nate, here's a quick 3 step process to help you shortcut aspects when acquiring a new skill or facet of a skill. *Isolate* the skill you are seeking to improve . *Integrate* the skill. *Improvise* using the skill. You touch upon all three in the video (aside from listening to some of the haters) but as you continue to develop whatever nuance you are pursuing, I believe this approach will help you get from point A to B more quickly than you would otherwise. Love the videos!

[@madjack4691]

Yeeeeaaah ! You put your balls on the table !! Great exercices !! 👍👍

[@dtegg91]

The "you play like you're deceased" killed me

[@maykonsteven9376]

I believe that this is your style! In fact, Eric and the others put much energy on the drums, because they are stage musicians. Here in Brazil, theres a great diference about Jazz/Samba drummers of little gigs or theaters and Pop or heavy metal Drummers of great stages and festivals. The jazz/Samba masters play very soft, because their style demands it, and it's beatiful to hear and see! Theres so much control over the dynamics on it (I think they are constantly playing in Piano, Mezzo Piano and Mezzo Forte). On the other side, musicians that usually plays in great spaces whit big crowds, tends to play much more agressive, even if sometimes they ends up playing in a little gig, they dont't seem to have the control over the lower dynamics to play as soft as jazz/samba masters plays. The jazz musicians don't use in ear phones or any kind of protection while they're performing, and this make them play soft all the time. The big stage drummers, usually have In ear phones and protectors with filters that atenuate the drum sound. I'am not Critisizing this tecnology, but, think about it: We tend to play louder when using a ear protection! When we are hearing a music using headphones, for example, and try to speak, in fact, we end up screaming, don't we? The point is: In Brazil, the Jazz/Samba Drummers are more respected here in my country because of their softness while playing, this, for sure, don't make the american drummers like Eric, Tony Royster or Aaron Spears less good drummers for the brazilians, but the preference here, is for the soft drummers. In North america, it seems that the people like the more agressive way of playing (Probably because of the rock influence?) But this, for sure, don't make the brazilian drummers like Kiko Freitas, Edu Ribeiro, Cuca Teixeira and Guilherme Santana, less good drummers for the americans. It's the same thing when we talk about Singers. There's the Belting singers, who use a lot of volume and pressure while performing, and there's also the soft voice singers. Bruce Dickinson and Johny Cash, for example! Their style of sing is extremely different, but, this don't make one or another better or worst. So, don't be engaged with the haters! A lot of they, lives in a bubble. And particulary, I find it very difficulty to play this fills and chops in a smooth way, using the correct grip, right singles and double strokes precise stickings like I've see you playing. It demands a lot of control and precision. I beliave in the musical Feeling and energy, but, this come with time, and are a abstract thing to work. We all have different Temperaments (there are the Introverts and de Extroverts), this dictates the way that we expresses ourselves playing something.

[@joshpuranen4695]

Yeah bud! Your also hitting the drums harder on day 3. Thanks for the content, this channel is a gem in the KZbin drum community.

[@mpelevic]

Also, you won’t be able to relax at this new dynamic level. You will have to rise a little those toms and snare. You will lose that shoulder tension that is going on right now. Try it, record your posture and watch. I think I know what I’m talking about.

[@mikepietrusko5775]

Gotta give it to you, being self aware and putting it out there for the world to see. My issue with playing harder or faster came out of doing gigs backing singer songwriters, piano jazz gigs, and gigs where the musicians are told to "play softer" for years. I would joke with my friends, I had "jazz hands" 😂.. all fingers. I gotta gig 2012-13 playing halftime shows at 76ers games here in Philly backing up a singer, we did about a dozen gigs over two years, It was kind of a Carrie Underwood vibe. Part of the issue for me was poor monitoring, but playing in the Wells Fargo Center in front of a sold out crowd, it felt like shit, like I couldn't play. It made me take lessons with Daniel Glass in NY to get some of the Freddie Gruber technique and re-examine my technique. It was out of necessity, for a gig I had to learn to hit harder correctly. Maybe hit up Daniel, it definitely helped me out.. Great Channel and keep up the great work!

[@magohipnosis]

It is amazing what little changes can make. More volume same energy? grab the stick from further back. Need more weight? Use thicker heavier sticks and apply more speed to each hit

[@seanmyers1920]

Dude great job keep showing that it's about wrists great job no matter what the haters say

[@mattdrewdrums]

I believe your style is more attuned to learning from drummers like Chris Dave, Nate Smith, or JP Bouvet. But, it's also great to add that ability to chop at great speeds like Eric Moore does. For that, I say your problem DEFINITELY looks like form. Great speed like that, especially moving around the drums, requires a lot of force to bounce off of. You need to play with more force. You don't need to sacrifice dynamics either like a metal drummer would, just play your accents with enough force to propel you around the drums. Playing loud when playing fast isn't really a preference, it's required. The difficult part isn't applying force, it's ensuring that force is consistent and controlled.

[@alpacarama21]

I like your attitude Nate, sometimes we can learn stuff from the strangest places!

[@samuelfarina7738]

man, you are awesome! keep going!!

[@blueandredgames2366]

You're a great cerebral drummer. The reason why I watch all your videos is because I don't approach music the way you do AT ALL, and it's super interesting to get a different perspective. I play punk/rock and I've developed my speed just by playing with weighted sticks and raising my cymbal height so that I have more arm movement built in my muscle memory. Maybe try playing some Motorhead with stick weights? Anyway, love your videos. Keep it up!

[@MsKeith78]

One of my favorite drummers Billy Ward stated once....Drumming is not a track & Field event. Love your work bro .. your philosophy and delivery are a welcome change ... and to the wave of warp factor 9 playing I'm seeing....set phasers to.......

[@alexanderalan1951]

This is your best video.

[@milesbould1148]

Hey brother, for what it’s worth from what I can see your a great player and your on an immense journey of learning and better still we are all getting to learn with you (for those who are listening). Ultimately as far as I can see you want to serve the music .. ignore those haters keep on keeping on brother .. sent with respect from a fellow student of the THE GAME 🙏🏻🤪 and lover of MUSIC!

[@Nivenization]

Thank you.

[@floriantuchacek4034]

great content as always°°° keep up the good vibe! i absolutely love your coaching course!

[@zpizaman]

I figured out I am my own worst hater sometimes, thinking about what I did years ago(30years ago) was not that good, and then someone shows me a video of that past and I am pleasantly pleased that it was not as bad as I thought all along since then.

[@BeTheDrum]

Hey Nate, great thoughts as usual. But I don’t know about listening too much to those haters. We don’t know who they are, how well they play and their motives to make negative comments about your playing. Your playing has a lot of personality. There are few people on KZbin that sound like you. I get concerned that by pursuing speed in the style of Moore et al, you’ll sound unrecognizable, like the G****chops guys who blast pointless 32nds that sound like a tommy gun. It’s hard to imagine how that skill can more helpful than focusing on your own sound/style, which is what we see from the greats like Vinnie, Porcaro, Elvin, etc. Your energy Nate, whatever it is, is how your personality expresses on the drums, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Shout out to @Leo Comerford who always gives insightful comments on my channel and I’m happy you picked his advice in this video.

[@mrmisfit635]

Yeah, exactly. Nate sounds like Nate.

[@ejsinner1520]

BE THE DRUM Nope, bad advice. Hope he doesn't listen to you.

[@eugenemartone7023]

BE THE DRUM nah, unless he’s only going to play mellow songs, being able to play at different energy-levels is an important skill for any musician. Often the fastest parts are also the most energetic, so it makes sense. That said, most people on YT are going to be into rock or hip-hop, genres where high energy is (arguably) more important than chops, so be sceptical. But, being able to play more or less energetic is an important skill in any genre, and if the energy-level is what makes “your sound”, you’re in trouble.

[@mrmisfit635]

@@ejsinner1520 i guess 23 and counting agree, so...

[@ejsinner1520]

Roger Singh Don't care about 23 and counting. Fact is Be The Drum told another drummer NOT to increase his skills. Basically; "Hey man, don't increase your skills and ability because it might change your sound and style and I like you the way you are. So please don't educate and better yourself." That was my take on their comment and I don't like debilitating advice.

[@snarplaya]

I like your style on the drums man. Don’t change because loud and fast = impressive to the average 16yo drummer. I’m more impressed by advanced concepts and clear execution in how you speak on the drums. As far as having low energy I can see that, but tbh imo drumming is a very meditative instrument. I play my best when I’m calm and relaxed and in that meditative state. I’ve been experimenting with myself during practice and I find my flow is substantially improved when I smoke weed, lol. Otherwise I can get in my head too much and stutter around ideas I’ve been working on. Drumming personality is a lot like people. You can be Travis Barker crazy energy loudness galore, still impressive, or like Perrin Moss. Stoned out of your mind and deep in the feels with minimal notes, but still equally impressive to the educated ear. As long as you’re being musical you can play at whatever dynamic and tempo you want. Your logic reminds me of a coked-out high energy personality getting upset at you because your not on the same level energy wise. Then there is the introverted energy vs. extroverted energy. Meaning your bodies emotions might not always express the same internal mind feeling. I think the goal is to be able to utilize both extremes musically, but do it in your own way. Arthur Hnatek, Mark Guiliana, and Richard Spaven are great examples of that. Don’t conform to immature ideals. You got to remind yourself of the demographics here in KZbin land, lol. Bunch of kids...

[@susanmaggiora4800]

snarplaya Thank you. You’ve said exactly what I wanted to say, but done so intelligently & succinctly. 2 things I’m not usually known for 🙂

[@snarplaya]

Susan Maggiora Thanks! Glad someone’s on the same wavelength! Cheers! 😀

[@TMinosGordy]

you're great. great vids, great instruction, great drumming.

[@scotthendricks6652]

I happen to enjoy your drumming. As individuals we are going to play different. That's what make music so great. If every person sounded the same music would be terrible. Great videos. Great drumming. Keep up the good work

[@jeffahearn]

You're the SHELDON of drumming. You know your stuff. Thank you

[@raydoupe118]

Hey Nate I think your vids are great . For me I like to learn the new styles like jd beck / Eric Harland/Marcus Gilmore ect. And your one of the few who has a different kind of approach to your teaching/vids . keep it up your good.

[@tojafato]

Thanks👍🥁

[@simontressin2406]

I feel I know what you going through. I just want to tell you that there is a psychological aspect in playing music. It’s mostly about discovering the blind spot in your state of mind. You play good time and so on but maybe for it’s enough of that and time to play drums like discovering something like extasy and wild expressiveness and may be even another percussive or musical influence. I switched to Percussion 10 years ago and now i play the drumset again and it is so rewarding to get back to it now. The biggest factor and inspiration was Misirli Ahmet. Make sure to check him out. He showed me that it is REALLY about you inner state... the emotional and the mind stuff - it’s about your past and how your reception is of yourself and the outer word is today. The philosophical concept of Constructivism can be very helpful. Drumming can be like Trance or so. You can experience a paradime shift if you trust it. And it is actually easy: sit down and improvise and just don’t stop for an hour or more (also together with friends playing accompaniment ) and solo the shit out of your soul... things will change. Doing that in a more beautiful and giving environment helps a lot. For example nature - your just make your room more nice, put paintings or so... Respect for your work and videos! You show a lot of your vulnerability I feel, but you really try to be tough and go trough all steps which you think are necessary to grow... Wish you lot of success with your journey bro.

[@aurelio1204]

You're great, keep it up!

[@footnotedrummer]

I'm super glad that you used these negative comments that people had as motivation instead of dwelling on haters. Haters are gonna be haters. I will say this though... and it's likely because you're somewhat uncomfortable in front of a camera... but you do play quite stiff in these videos. If you're playing for yourself and/or are merely a studio musician... playing this way is perfectly fine. I also suffer from this a bit. However... adding some stank to your visual appearance does wonders for an audience (your KZbin fans). I've seen a lot of drummers with far fewer chops than you have garner accolades for their playing, when really... it's just someone that has been razzle dazzled by the showmanship. As you add that comfort level into your practice or lessons... you'll feel the dynamics just happen.

[@jarrahdrum]

Amazing drumming

[@ndykman_pdx]

This was a very inspiring video. It's hard to find truth in a sea of harsh criticism (and plain trolling). Harder still to incorporate it. I often find myself emotionally disconnected from my playing, or if I'm emotionally in it, it's just being self critical. But, my playing is always better when I'm connected and find ways to express energy, tension, release, joy, concern and so on. I feel that sometimes the format of your videos and chosen topics really doesn't allow that aspect of your playing to come through well.

[@El_Bicho_Feo]

I get to pull out all the stops and do full-on loud drumming maybe 5x per year or less. Mostly I play low-volume jazz gigs in small spaces with horns, vibes & stand-up bass. I ALWAYS have to watch my volume, as well as the ‘density’ of my playing. As much as I love the drumming of Eric Moore, Tony Royster, Dennis Chambers, Chris Coleman et al., their style of drumming is not really relevant for the tasks at hand. Your style, on the other hand, is extremely relevant for the musical demands of the sorts of gigs I play. I know it’s tough not to let the testosterone get the better of you, but definitely do not buy into the criticisms of ‘the haters.’ That said, this is a really valuable lesson... thanks for putting it all out there.

[@northernlighter]

I assume a common critique is a need to simply relax and have fun... to reach that point where muscle memory kicks in and the body and mind are freed to explore.

[@monkeybutt123123]

You are really smart Nate. But probably too smart to get the full point of "you play like you are deceased". You have great speed, great control, great touch, great chops, great time, great ears, great drive for learning/developing. But I think it`s pretty ironic that you get feedback saying you lack energy and the right "attitude/vibe", and you try to solve it with coming up with even more exercises for control and speed around the kit. Ofcourse this is just my opinion, but I think you should do some exercises that gets you out of your head/body. Even like a little hippie-ish. I can tell from looking at you play, that you stop yourself from fully getting in to the adrenalized mode of playing. This is probably unconscious, but very much present. I don`t know how to fix that, as I too struggle with it, but the solution will not come from more "thought out" exercises like these.

[@raymondbaylis9016]

Hi buddy I can't understand people I think you do a marvellous job regards ray

[@sonickitchen]

I'm an older bloke nearing the end of a good drumming life. I've always dug old school players like Levon Helm and Charlie Watts. Sometimes I get approached by younger cats asking what the secret is. How come I play like this? How come I play that with such feel? How come my grooves are so musical? I tell them to just get old and lazy, use ears more than muscles and stop showing off or trying to be a competitive athlete rather than a musician. Oh, and let your wrists and drums do the hard work It's not not a physical thing, it's an attitude to making music and if music doesn't come first and foremost, then why do it?

[@Crisdapari]

I love your channel because the whole philosophic/existential stuff XD A lot of musicians forgot to be autocratic, usually they drown on their own ego but you don't, even after years of studying you keep listening! :) I agree playing fast and bad just make you yield bad habits, furthermore your body never learn to understand movements. To me starting from slow to fast it's the way but staying too much time slow doesn't improve speed (nothing mind blowing I think). Speed to me makes all these like a sport and win a WFD contest it's not a big deal to me. BUT a guy like Johnny Rabb was very inspirational in this regard, making 4L-4R rudiments and playing the same both hands like Jo Jo Mayer was inspirational as well. Even using a bit heavier drumsticks (just while practising) worked for me I think. Speed is necessary, need practice and technique but like independence is easier to measure improvements than groove, and groove is the holy grail to play great even at 10km/h.

[@VitorLuisbadreligion]

Hey man! I liked this one particularly. I think you are confusing speed with attitude, or style of playing. And that was what all the haters were referring to. All the drummers you show on your lessons are very exuberant on their playing, they play with their wrists, arms, shoulders, head, even with their faces, they are very extrovert. But then you are the opposite of it, you play only with your wrists, nothing else in your body movies. There is nothing wrong with any of them, is just personal style, and how each of us feel the drumming and also the genre that you play. I'm trying to get more chilled playing, because I'm very intense and it makes me not being in control when I play.

[@PhilosophyLines]

Exactly, the comments were about energy and feel, he's somehow taken that as 'speed'. The difference between Eric and Nate would be just as apparent on a basic groove with no speed.

[@lukesnyder01]

Not to pile on even more with unsolicited internet advice, buuuuut... A lot of this improves if you just hit way harder. Like, five times the force you're currently using. Grab some heavy stick, like 2Bs, and double your stick height. One thing that will help with that is to get some proper hearing protection. Your drums should be loud enough to cause hearing damage. I know that when I'm not using proper hearing protection, I wind up playing with way less force because I'm almost afraid to hit the drums. Hang out with a few hard hitting death metal guys who play 250bpm plus on hands and feet, and you'll see that there's no real substitute for the athleticism.

[@jonescrusher1]

Hitting hard is but one way to play. I don't think hearing damage is a prerequisite to good tone.

[@lukesnyder01]

@@jonescrusher1 It's not a prerequisite, I recommended hearing protection. But yeah, hitting hard is one way to play. Specifically, it's the style that he's working on emulating. Definitely not the only approach though.

[@jonescrusher1]

@@lukesnyder01 Your drums should be loud enough to cause hearing damage

[@lukesnyder01]

jonescrusher1 Correct. You should also wear ear protection so you don’t get hearing damage. I mean, if you want to sound like Eric Moore, a lot of that has to do with the physicality of the style of playing. Look at his stick height on his rimshot backbeats. If I play backbeats with that kind of force, it’s easily over 120 dBs. Those sound pressure levels can cause hearing damage. The point is that if you don’t wear good ear protection, you’ll have a tendency to hold back and not lay into the kit. If you want to sound like the guys who really lay into the kit and hit hard, you need to play like them. The physicality is a crucial part of the feel.

[@danielreily2701]

On the odd time I post something here the haters attack on mass. You really put yourself out there so yes you will be criticized by many, just goes with the territory. Well Napoleon Dynamite I want to say your playing style is yours and when you can tell who is playing drums on a recording that is high praise. Your tuning is "funky" and so is your style, unique .Peace

[@CVGuitar]

Great video dude !!

[@mcsequoia5107]

Obviously, it's too soon to really assess the results. But, I noticed you've drumming has a bit more oomph. I can play 3 stroke rolls around the kit in different permutations fast & clean b'cuz I practice that a lot. One thing I noticed in your 3 stoke roll sweeps between snare & floor tom is there's no accents. Try playing that as Accent L r l on snare & then Accent R l r on the floor tom from slow to fast. I think you'll find an efficiency of motion & energy (flow) develops. This was my 1st taste of the elusive flow. Then I started building off of that with other single stroke rudiments between other drums. Cheers, mate!

[@mellowtron214]

I guess I was one of those “haters” pointing out the lack of dynamics, volume/stick height, and intensity in 80/20s attempt at learning some Eric Moore chops. The difference between these two drummers playing the same fills and beats were entirely a matter of intensity. Speed aside, if you play this like cafe band level of volume and impact and intensity, you’ll never sound anything like Moore. Even if you hit the same drums and cymbals in the same order. Or at the same speed. The dynamics were non existent in that attempt at learning the Moore solo, and it was extremely obvious.

[@doozle5132]

... I don't get how you''re a hater if you're taking the time to help the guy improve his drumming by giving constructive crit.

[@davefiano4172]

Glad I watched long enough for the Keynes quote, I love that guy. Refreshing video, we all need to flip the script on ourselves to improve on anything and overcome hard wired tendencies. Very hard to do (don’t get me started on golf). Having said that, I can’t think of an instance where a band member ever said “can you play faster?” LOL.