The Practical Pro Musician

Are you reluctant to make a change to your "online identity" and embrace your dreams of being a professional drummer? Are you afraid of what your non-musician friends will think when you go "all in" on this music thing? If so, today's episode is for you! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Let's talk about the myth of the "starving artist"... Now, it's certainly not a myth for everyone- there are plenty of starving artists out there- but if you're a drummer who hasn't "hit it big", you certainly shouldn't count yourself as beholden to a life of poverty.The book I'm sharing with you today- Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins (Amazon Link) - talks exactly about this idea.Did you know that the great Michelangelo was extremely wealthy? Well I didn't, until I read this book. Jeff shows example after example of artists who didn't buy into the "starving artist" mentality and how any artist can find new ways of generating income that can result in us as musicians not only surviving on music, but thriving. Based on what I learned in this book, I've been able to move beyond surviving- and I believe you can too! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In part 3 of our series on my favorite books, I'm sharing an old standby. In fact, I think this is the only book on my list of four that I've talked about previously on the podcast.I'm talking about The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone (Amazon Link)Now, this is certainly more of a "business" book than a music book. BUT, if you want to achieve WILD success in anything, including music/drumming, this book certainly will speak to you. The basic concept of the book is this: any goal or level of success will typically require 10 times the effort that you originally think it will. So, if you want to achieve something (like becoming a pro drummer), why not start out putting in 10x the effort than you think the goal requires? If you want guaranteed success at something, pick a goal, and then put in 10 times the work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In part 2 of our series on my recommended books for drummers, let's talk about what your job is as an artist (you do know you're an artist right?). We're going to take a look at The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (Amazon Link).If you've ever struggled to "stick with it" in your drumming, or if you've ever felt like a MAJORITY of the music you create isn't very good (that's certainly how I feel)- this book is for you. The War of Art reveals the secrets that EVERY great artist eventually learns. My favorite takeaway from this book is something I employ every day- your job as an artist (read: as a DRUMMER) is to simply create art (music). An artist is an artist because he or she creates art... It's not necessarily all good art- in fact MOST art created by even the best artists of our generation is not very good. But great artists understand the value in showing up every day and creating something. It's in this discipline that your creative genius (which everyone has) is given the pathway to emerge. Se

In part 1 of a special series of episodes about my favorite books from a drumming perspective, I'm going to talk about Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon (Amazon Link).I started with this book because I truly believe EVERY musician should have this book. It's really small (about the size of a CD) and can be read in less than a couple of hours. And it's worth reading about once a month. Steal Like an Artist walks through the process of understanding that any great artist's job is to steal from other artists (ethically) and combine other influences and pioneers to create a unique voice. This book WILL get your creative juices flowing in new ways and inspire you to not only be a great drummer, but a great artist on the drums! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sometimes life gets in the way and we might go loooong periods of time without practicing, performing or doing anything even related to the drums. So how can we take advantage of these breaks (whether we've planned them or not) and come back refreshed and energized for our drumming? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today, I'm going to share the 3 or 4 sentences that I've said to countless musicians, producers, band leaders, music directors- and practically everyone that I've worked with (and want to work with again). I truly believe that saying something at least like what I'm sharing with you today can be a key to your ongoing success as a drummer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I used to get really frustrated when I would attend a drum clinic or watch an instructional drum video that turned out to just be more of a performance. But I've found an approach that allows me to almost always find something I can use in these situations, and I'd like to share that with you today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do you only learn new things on the drums from people who are technically "better" than you? Or can we learn new things on the drums from others- regardless of their skill level? Today we're going to talk about a quote from Charles Schwab and what it has to do with where we learn new things on the drums... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you're fairly solid at drumming with a click track, today's episode is for you!For those of us that were drummers in the marching band, drum corps or other "precision-focused" disciplines of drumming, it can be hard to play accurately (especially with a click track) without sounding mechanical. So in this video, I thought I'd share my own experience with intentionally changing how I think about playing patterns on the drums.Check out the video for this episode at http://danielhadaway.com/201 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I get questions fairly often on Instagram about the specifics of my recording setup. So today, I'm going to walk you through every piece of gear that I use to track drums, along with some insight on why I chose these particular pieces of gear. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For some reason, toms always have seemed like an intimidating topic when it comes to tuning. But today, I'm going to share 3 tips with you for tuning toms that will hopefully simplify the process quite a bit and, as a result, make it seem like not such scary thing after all! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I recently noticed that sometimes, even when I've played the drums accurately (meaning everything is "lining up" like it should)- that something is missing from the track. Even though I've played the parts well, and it's every bit as accurate as any other track I've played on- why is it that THIS track lacks feel? Did I suddenly lose my groove?Well those are questions I used to ask myself, until I discovered what the culprit was, and how to fix it... And what's great about this concept is that it works on tracks even AFTER I've recorded them (and no- it doesn't involve chopping up and editing my playing!). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today is the day! Doors are open for your 2018 Drumming Intensive! Whether you want to get specific insight to your situation and unique challenges to becoming a pro drummer, or you want to come to Nashville and get some real-world experience in the studio... This drumming intensive is an opportunity that may be life-changing!Check out details at DrumIntensive.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

William writes in: How do I set myself up to become a professional drummer straight out of high school?" I'm looking at a few different jobs I can start once I get out of high school, and, I'm lost as to how I can set myself up to where I only have to be at a "normal" job for a few years. I don't want to go down a path to where I put so much time and money into a job I have to work at it for a long time to make it pay itself off (except for music). How do I see a clear path to becoming a professional drummer right now so I know exactly what buttons to push once I graduate? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Roderick writes in: My biggest question about becoming a pro drummer is... How exactly do I get on a pro tour? Right now I am in 4 bands in my hometown but i'm not making much money from them. Should I leave them to join a pro tour? I really don't want to, but I want to get paid. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Andrew writes in with a great question: What are some good practice tips to help me transition from marching percussion to being that smooth Gospel drummer? I have chops- I'm just trying loosen up more on these odd time signatures like 7/8 , 9/8. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recently I've been getting lots of requests to do remote recording sessions for artists... So I thought I'd walk you through my process for recording in my home studio- and collaborating with artists via the internet. PLUS, I share some tactics I use to not only make my job easier and more convenient, but also to make more money!Check it out! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tino writes in with what is probably the most common question I get here on Drummer Daily:What is the best way of getting discovered?I'll walk you through 3 steps EVERY musician should go through in anticipation of getting "discovered". See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Longtime friend of the show, Will writes in:When did you start focusing on gigs as steady income and not just playing opportunities?Thankfully I've been through this process a couple of times, (each in different ways) so I'll share how I made those choices, and some considerations/questions you can ask yourself to help determine when the right time to "make the leap" is for you... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.