What will set you apart from other drummers

If you love this craft you will work hard to pay respects.
Becoming well rounded and educated is very important. So is finding your own voice and expressing yourself.

[@Mrbeat-88]

Thank you Matt. You will be studied by drummers for generations to come. Fav quote: "The source of your greatness is other drummers' brains. It's all of us".

[@ShawarmaBaby]

Matt apart from becoming one of the greatest drummers, he achieved singularity with every drummer in the universe

[@sr60030]

I call it "the feedback loop" You receive then you bend and las you return it to the environment with your own take

[@ryanlandseadel1946]

At one point this video reminded me of the path towards competency I once heard. Step 1 - unconsciously incompetent Step 2 - consciously incompetent Step 3 - consciously competent Step 4 - unconsciously competent

[@drummusician]

Brilliant! That’s the perfect way to describe the path🙏

[@eddiem484]

​@drummusician yeah Matt, huge fan, anyway I think Dom Famularo described this in his book. Take care bro

[@michabula5763]

I'm currently floating between step 2 and 3, but to be honest I'd rather be Matt Garstka.

[@LeYoIdBeHe]

I'm on step 2 right now. Kill me

[@DastardlyInfallible]

My favorite part of all this was seeing Elizabeth help him get his thoughts out. Nothing in this world like a partner who supports you.

[@Garage-1881]

Yeah man so happy to see him have a partner that knows him and not a weight that adds tension to his life.

[@josephcrawley4281]

100% ❤

[@fat_mason]

"Keepin' time, motha' fucka'." Hell yeah, man.

[@zacmilne9423]

The fact we get his advice for free….. sometimes life does hand you favors

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

1:36 "What makes a great drummer?" "Keepin' time mother f@$!er" This needs to be a t-shirt lol

[@woody4269]

🤣it'd b a goodun.G'day Stephen. Left a comment on your channel a month ago or so. Saying I don't play to learn songs. I thought about that, and my brain was like...well that's stupid. So started learning songs about 2 weeks ago. It's way different than what i thought. And harder. Anyway, later gator. ✌️🍻

[@t3hgir]

Matt dispensing KNAWLEDGE for free, much love

[@FieroGTXX]

I know right! no special lighting, mics, or production..... Just straight knowledge bombs. Really is a privilege

[@egrytznr8893]

I'm not even a drummer and I feel like I learned a lot from this video.

[@Garage-1881]

Thats awesome. When someone can have a take away from a foreign practice and then take that learned knowledge and adapt that to other practices, it really speaks on the persons creative ability but also how universally transferable that information is and how it can then be further adapted to other practices. Brilliance on both ends and expansion of worlds begins to happen.

[@sethdanielw]

Same here

[@KONAMAN100]

Agreed. That was super interesting.

[@calebbernstein5163]

How lucky we are to have access to top level consulting for free

[@FieroGTXX]

I know right! no special lighting, mics, or production..... Just straight knowledge bombs. Really is a privilege.

[@Santiagoperroud_music]

i translated a clinic that u did in Argentina Years ago , u are still my favorite inspiration

[@prithivnatarajan]

I like that he’s getting into learning patterns and how we should try to attain the balance in “feel” vs technique

[@yarpyarp85]

The ending where u said “if u wanna be some one special and u feel like music is your destiny and it’s in your soul then u need to figure out expressing that’s and if u really respect the craft your gonna do the academic stuff to” this really hit home. I love u and your playing but this lesson is very meaningful for me thank u

[@pauldavis7021]

dancing is a great description... I always do my best when I think about playing that way.

[@RAUFFUS_0]

matt's pants looks like something ghost rider would wear

[@jangobango2847]

That Porter video reeeeally got to you 😂

[@kirjian]

Source?

[@user-hq8in7wz5o]

Matt.... your drumming is literally nutrition for my being to go beyond doubt. To Push the doubt out the way. Push it to the brink and beyond. Thanks dude

[@bankerjumper]

It's always a good day when my favorite drummer drops a fresh video! Love the message in this one, Matt. I definitely went through a period of time where going from mostly a snare drummer (drum corps and orchestral) to more drum set playing had me putting too much rudimental chops and rudiments around the set and coming off somewhat robotic with little groove. The timing was all there, but the feel wasn't. It took a lot of listening to tons of genres and discovering my flow and style while applying what I learned from my lengthy time in academic environments. A lot of my growth came from messing up playing odd/weird stuff and finding the sparks that come from that. People often say things like "I wish I could play drums like that" and my answer is usually along the lines of "practice, practice, practice, and to continue to be hungry to grow as a musician".

[@UgE]

This is absolutely brilliant. I hope as many musicians as possible, of any instrument or genre will watch this! Thank you Matt. 🖤

[@thatdrummeroz654]

Before I found mastering time, I felt a lot of elements in music had some major beneficial lessons and teachers who helped provide insight into concepts of theory subconsciously. I feel Mastering Time and having seen you perform a series of times, I've learned what it means to bring consciousness in a level that's more present to the nature of drumming. Being a Bozzio fan and having seen some great drummers, it takes a lot to be as present as you are as a drummer. Its like becoming hyper attentive with a cause. All I can say is thanks for being willing to teach us practitioners the avenues of being a great drummer. Straight up, you're a freaking wizard. I'd rather shoot for authenticity than call this craft a hobby.

[@csabaferth1639]

The video could also be titled as "building blocks of becoming a great person". Loved it! Thank you Matt!

[@prodigydrummer]

Hey Matt, I got to see you perform live in Charlotte a couple months ago. One thing I can attest to is that your rhythms are every bit as accurate in person as you are on the recordings, which shows your maturity as a musician in the way you interpret timing and phrases. Definitely one of the top performances I’ve ever seen. Animals as Leaders got a lot of love that night, hope you guys return at some point.

[@byronalfaro5550]

I felt the dancing metaphor so much. I’m not a dancer but as a Latino it’s a huge part of my culture and how you explained it made so much sense, I’ve had those same thoughts but never knew how to put into words. You hit the nail on the head. thank you so much for this lesson.

[@davidadams1800]

Great video. Tons of insight for all instruments/musicians in general.

[@Garage-1881]

Matt speaks the truths that drummers at his league rarely state. Listen up you young dudes 🖤⚡️🖤

[@SubParHobbyistDrums]

Thanks for these videos so much. It's so inspiring to see how active you are in the drumming community. You always democratize your skills and spread your passion to the masses. Keep em comin!

[@bugman3164]

"You've got to learn the rules to break the rules." -- my drum instructor used to say.

[@drummusician]

Neo learns all the forms of combat just to unlearn them when sparring Morpheus!

[@Cody_Jay]

Thanks again matt, as a natural currently breaking the barriers and such, I am so grateful you put thoughts like this to words and video. It is a huge help.

[@jpeezy6]

Matt talks drumming, I listen. It’s that simple.

[@CDrumaholic]

I feel like teaching someone else to play, read, and write music is a learning experience in it self. Like how to count back in black out loud. Those “wait a minute” moments.

[@IsraelIsLikeWater]

Thanks for sharing! This is good stuff

[@anthonyk0420]

Seriously thank you for this Matt , I love how genuine you are as a person as a drummer and how you can break something down for everyone to understand and learn something that definitely resonates and inspires everyone around you ! Thank you for the hard work and thank you for the content it’s definitely appreciated and inspiring

[@HerbalistGuybrush]

In my future transcriptions i will include commands like "play with zest". Thx for the lesson!

[@oCoy636]

Bro, I’ve been following you forever. It’s crazy seeing your transformation.

[@sammue6349]

GREAT GREAT analogy!!!!! Thank you Matt!!! Love your drumming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@andrewvasseur3166]

Love this. SO helpful and informative.

[@muditbbaunthiyal]

Super really great to see you saying..about this 🙌 thanks for inspiring new drummers...❤

[@nekow1785]

Thanks for this man, it’s inspiring. Listening to this before I practice

[@vaughanxaviermusic]

Great video Matt. Your wisdom and insight is super helpful for a young aspiring progressional drummer like myself. Thank you.

[@chrisparsons1766]

This is based asf. So many people struggle with leaning to hard on one or the other. All great musicians do both of these because people with passion AND knowledge know the best ways to express themselves. People who are “too creative” waste a lot of time noodling cause they really don’t know what they’re doing, and people who are too academic can never really put what they know to use. This is a solid video

[@joeldrummer23]

Deep lesson ! Thanks

[@Lightman1964]

An articulation that is rare and values all who have come before us

[@sheldogmeyeron4463]

Him clearing his throat at 0:40 sounds like the beginning to Lippincott

[@basicelements1688]

wel i am 59 years old i no wil never get to that level ...i am a natural monkey bit ringo star can play it but every night diverd ..ha.ha.ha😊 but keep learning its a inspiration wanting to master the fav drums of a fav song...and guy like you matt are a great inspiration for grand pa and your right if you want to be a pro you hit a wal when your mostly play by ear like me...got some lessons two years music notation and your lessons are good and inspirational to bad the spotify list is not on the tube seen your tube list....man man vinnie colauita love it how he bilds of a simple pattern and take it to a other places one from me...the music dictates what and how you play and learn al styles the basix at least ..African..reggae soul Latin Cuban Brazilian rock jazz pop metal polka wals blue grass country blues ect ect greetings from the land of cheese holland

[@CHABIEPORTNOY]

His evolution to john petrucci is almost complete

[@jonashellborg8320]

Interesting stuff, Matt! I have thought in a similar way. Some stuff i’ve done feels more rigid, structured, and it has been helpful. Like slow motion checking if my hands flam or not. Other stuff I’ve done is more like osmosis, “breathing music”, just jamming free form for a day. That stuff definitely also helps. To me it feels like I need both kinds.

[@Garage-1881]

Thank you Matt 🖤⚡️🖤

[@DRUMSandBUBS]

Iv always battled with this in my own head. I'm a self taught no academics beast but I'm pushing myself to learn. I'm focused on feel now. I still have so much to learn

[@drummusician]

Keep expanding your horizons and growin brother! It can be rough on the ego at first but eventually you see the benefits and want to keep expanding!

[@bensinger6637]

I like the relaxed nature of this video

[@oscarguedezdrums]

Gracias brother 🙌🏻

[@shwinger51187]

Great stuff! I just told a student the other day that playing drums is like "sit dancing."😂

[@bradfordeffingleigh96669]

This is a value to any musician

[@lantermandrums]

I think to a lot of young drummer, you are just as prolific and important as Vinnie or Gary Novak were to you in your learning process. I will attest to monkey-seeing & monkey-doing a lot of your stuff; watching you play and studying your parts has not only taught me a lot but inadvertently gave me a lot more ability to play the drums. It has been really awesome to follow you and watch you mature as an artist all these years. Thank you for being a wise, approachable, and disciplined influence. Also props to your girlfriend for chiming in when your head is really diving for how to describe what you want to say, I feel that really heavy hahaha

[@Santiagoperroud_music]

yes thank you matt

[@AdrenLnFueledScholar]

This was amazing to watch! Thank you! Where did you get those pants by the way!? What brand are they??

[@MoonmanSpacejam]

Matt looking more and more like a pro wrestler lol

[@mauriceharrie4536]

Hey guys! This would be my roadmap for all starting drummers. - technique technique, sooooo important -independence -timing, count load - Repertoire/ band - intentional playing /freeplay I wish the best ❤

[@JakeDavisDrums]

I love these more educational videos

[@danwoywitka]

Woahhh! Double Natural! 😊

[@TheMooky]

Pottery barn sofa? I have that thing and love it. I’m already on my way to bring a good drummer

[@asherbank]

Jamey Haddad taught me drums/percussion while I was studying chemistry at Oberlin College. His teaching style was heavily based on feel and he had a whole language of onomatopoeias. Cool dude all around, taught at Berklee too as you probably know.

[@drummusician]

I had the pleasure of learning from him at Kosa. He gave me some tough love but pushed me to study harder!

[@Codycreek]

My favorite part of the vid - getting stuff put inside you 😂😂😂

[@NoremakSeggob]

I really skipped over the acedemics and the dry practice and tried going straight for the emotion and creativity. I think that I had this belief that I intellectualize everything else; I want music and art to be the one thing in my life to be left pure and untainted. But I think I've gone as far as I can intuitively. I can come up with some interesting stuff for a recording, but my timing is sloppy and I'm inconsistent as hell. I've reinforced bad habits since the start. I've taken a couple years off of drumming, and I realize that I need to go back to the basics and start right. It is really frustrating to feel like I am still a beginner in some ways after 15 years, but I deserve to grow. Thanks for the inspiration, and the thought provoking insights. It really is a holistic process: everything you ingest, think, and play contributes to who you will be as a musician. I can't play right now, but I can think the right thoughts and ingest the right inspiration and knowledge. The laziness needs to expire, as well as this belief that the heart and mind can't go together in art and music.

[@WhiteNoiseStudio86]

Bro we all wanna know where you get your outfits! I need those pants! 😂 killer lessons as always man!

[@akunz24]

Be careful waving those guns around😮

[@ctdrums6176]

i was doing what your doing in 99 and none of the band members agreed with it, it was a constant battle that i wish i never stopped, i regreat it now fkn guitar players and singers are the worst, rock it bra

[@Ennello]

Ooh ooh, sir, I think I know one! Rhythm

[@misfit2022]

I skipped nearly everything because after I bought a kit I had people knocking on my door asking if I wanted to join a band so I said give me a few weeks to work out how to make a noise then six weeks later I was in a band with no skills whatsoever 😁 I felt like Paul Simonon although there was no Mick Jones helping me to play better but all good fun.

[@emwhaibee]

Metal Matt, MMMMMMEEEEEETTTTTTAAAAAALLLLLL MMMMMMAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT 🤲

[@matthewmalphrus2906]

Hell yeah

[@arjunmenon5]

Sensei !!! You are amazing!!_/\_

[@jarrod.ives92]

Matt’s the goat. period

[@jonadamsdrums6649]

good info my man...pass the knowledge

[@brandonkain9231]

The dance is your own feel

[@vantonsen]

great lesson. I was teached by a music teacher in my early ages, but then moved on with bands and stuff, and didn't really focus on the theory after that. Do you have any suggestions on literature an "experienced" drummer should pick up to improve? I really don't want to go back to drumming lessons again in my 30's xD

[@marcopolo4468]

Matt thanks so much for this valuable insight, do you have a clinic schedule lined up or anything?

[@Garage-1881]

THIS!!!

[@McAppleJuice]

Gonna need some water for that osmosis brother 😂 or we talking passive diffusion? 🤔 just messing, great stuff!

[@derek5168]

The right balance between academics and playing with heart is about body language and feeling and understanding emotions on any given peice of music and with rhythms from different cultures having some understanding of the culture of the music academics keep on talking about dynamics what dynamics mean is emotions being played whether a ballad played quietly or a hard rock song where you hit harder the way a singer is singing with any given emotion is the signal of how to play a particular song _/peice of music like an instrumental peice with no singing

[@revb14n]

Osmosis is feel, academic is steel.

[@sabotagefate69]

Matts awesome. And in the spirit of the types of videos that matt usually puts out, hes wearing the silliest pants ive ever seen. Even when serious he finds a way to make me giggle.

[@cristhiancavanzo7250]

Hi Matt, thanks for sharing those thoughts with us, are you teaching online lessons?

[@christopherjobe2260]

Step 1: Put your some alarm back on your wall after you’re done burning dinner.

[@jleffel6969]

Playing a horn or a stringed instrument will set you apart from other drummers. Mainly since they're different instruments

[@8milestreet]

Animals as Lifters

[@Bubblepoot]

Shoes in the house matt?!? No no 😅

[@glyde1436]

I’m definitely a play with my heart drummer that still needs to work on keeping time. At 36 years old… playing since I could walk 😞

[@benfrank8649]

The journey is never complete. I think all of us no matter what level we’re at have to view ourselves as beginners. We can all develop and grow and learn

[@glyde1436]

@@benfrank8649 absolutely. The better you get, the more you realize how much there is to learn.

[@efafe4972]

osmosis for theory does work if you hear it and try it for long enough

[@DaveFromVh1]

..did Chris Porter inspire this?

[@theelement6255]

Clearly.

[@jangobango2847]

hes seeething 😂

[@xenprovence6126]

Dude, it looks like someone took your smoke detector.

[@federico.9737]

building blocks to become a great drummer: be like me

[@offroaders123]

Was the beginning part 'action'? hehe

[@benjim0n901]

those pants are dangerous

[@grigorelaurentiu4476]

Kublai khan approved

[@Ribsletics]

lol... Thanks for the lesson. Next time, maybe do a powerpoint presentation. Hard to read your notes. XD Love ya man.

[@KONAMAN100]

Yeah, needs more presentation practice

[@seeminglybadguy]

Almost as good as Michael Scott's "Somehow I Manage"

[@flanger001]

Jason Momoa teaching me how to do prog over here

[@sabotagefate69]

And without creepily molesting his sister on camera to boot!

[@kumquat2728]

put 1.25 speed, you'll thank me (and will forget that the video is in 1.25 lol)

[@MW_1535]

The last thing I need is another random KZbinr trying to give me lessons on how to be a great drummer. How much time could he actually be putting in while also keeping up with those rugged good looks and ripped physique? I mean, show me a clip of this dude playing like guys from Polyphia, Tesseract, or Animals As Leaders... then I'll sit down and take notes. Honestly, I wouldn't even trust this dude in my garage band. He'd probably get up in the middle of a song to drive and get iced coffee.

[@drumswest]

HAHAHAHAHA! This guy, Matt Garstka, is THE DRUMMER for Animals As Leaders. Now watch the video again you knuckleheads.

[@MW_1535]

@@drumswest Riiiiiiiiiiight. Next thing you're going to tell me is that he wears tie dye head to toe while playing.

[@petarpavasovic6333]

underrated comment 😂

[@arguy2021]

Man looks like he's going through his John Petrucci phase. Lol

[@bakedandsteaked]

natty

[@VopiscusGuitar]

Matt, we can't read the whiteboard, dude---write it bigger next time!