Gimme a beat!!

I love music....all kinds of music....its my passion. I don't really play an instrument, not that I haven't tried though. I played the guitar in the 7th grade and I was OK, not great, but good. I was too cool, thought if I got a good guitar, it would play itself. I was too cool to practice...So I was marginal at best, and then it just kinda fell by the wayside...

But that didn't stop my love for music. I would sign up for Columbia House and BMG music clubs, multiple times. I would use different names, get my 13 cassettes for a penny, then quit and then rejoin. It was not really the way it was supposed to be done, but it would feed my new music jones.

So after alot of soul searching, and playing various "air instruments" I thought I was best at the drums, the air drums. I was killer on the steering wheel drum. I'd drum on my steering wheel, and I would even use the little tree air freshener as a cymbal, I was hardcore. Once while shopping with my girlfriend at the time, she went in and I stayed in the car. I was listening a tape, and I was drumming along to the song(if it matters, it was More than This by Roxy Music, still a good tune, it stands up) and in front of the GF in line was a mom and daughter, in her 20's, and the daughter pointed out to the mom, look at that guy out there, he's cute. That made me and the GF smile. But to be honest, I was a little disappointed she didn't notice just how good I was, but I'll take cute anytime....ANYTIME.

Fast Forward to now a days....I'm watching the movie The Visitor. It's a good film...sad and happy at the same time, but part of the plot, and I wont give too much away, is one of the characters plays a djembe(pronounced 'JEM-bay'). That is an African hand drum. It catches my attention. I think I want to play that drum. So I do a little research and I find out that there is a dude, in the town I live, the middle of freakin' no where who teaches this drum. Someone in my town teaches djembe. What are the chances?? So I make a call, or 2 and get set up for lessons. Cool, Im pumped. $15 for 30 minutes, not too steep.


I go to my first lesson. I discover a problem. I don't own a djembe, or any kind of drum for that matter. That's not really good, but as it turns out, it's not a problem. You see, my new teacher has some for sale and will let me use one for a while. Wow, it seems the universe WANTS me to play the djembe too. My new teacher asks me if I have any experience with music. I tell him about the guitar. Good he says, so you can read music?? Yeah, sorta, I say. He then asks, any drumming experience. Sooooooooo, I think, do I tell him about my mad skills at "air drumming"? I think better and that's a good thing. So we get into things and the 1/2 hour goes by so fast. After that first lesson, its clear to me, I suck. And it's clear to my teacher I suck too. He is nice about it at least, and my fragile psyche is grateful he is gentle about it.

A few more weeks and a few more lessons, and I'm still sucking...hard. I thought, just like I thought about the guitar, this would be easy-ish. I mean, I'm a decent dancer, I have rhythm, and I'm crazy good at the "air drums" and I'm decent, no, I'm good at Rock Band drums on the Xbox, don't worry, I didn't tell my teacher that either....I'm starting to get discouraged. So I'm into this for a few weeks, a month or 2 maybe, and I try different drums, as if THAT'S the reason I'm so bad. Then, I try a new drum, its bigger, and taller, and I love it. I think I play better, but my teacher is still not too impressed, but as usual, he is very kind to me.

So, then I'm starting to think, this isn't for me, Im not good, no, I'm bad at this, and its just costing me money and money, and I'm not getting any better. I start to avoid my lesson, cancel, via answering machine, weak, I know. Then my teacher is sick, cancel, sweet! He has a death in the family, another missed lesson, and I feel ok about it. I decide that I need to consider quitting, just consider it. I like to drum. I drum at home along with music, I think I'm Ok at it. But the lessons, I'm holding my hands wrong, I'm not striking the head correctly. I'm using the wrong hands for the notes... It's alot harder than I thought it would be, and I'm not one of those guys who bail when things get hard, I'm not, but now, this time, I'm thinking about it. My hands just cant do it, I cant do it.

Today, lesson, can't get out of it. I go. We talk a little, and it's ok. I don't remember all the rhythms by name, but after he plays it, I pick up quickly. Today we try something different. I play the rhythm, and he fills in, or plays the second part, or plays the solo. In the past we would just play the same thing because it's easier, you don't get distracted by someone playing a different part. But today, for me, it's different. I play my part, and he plays his part, and it is AWESOME. For the first time, since I started lessons, I feel like I can call myself a drummer. It's great, I have fun, and it's like WOW! It's not perfect, but its like we are really, finally, playing together, and it sounds good!

Lesson over, and my teacher tells me, for the first time, good job. He says that sounded good today. I'm stoked!! I had the hugest grin on my face. I was like a little kid...I walk out of my lesson and I feel happy. Such a little thing, but it made my day, my week(check back later to see). I realized today what I need to do to get my hands to do what they are supposed to do. I need to not play with my head, not with my hands, but with my heart.