"I Wish I Would Have..."

Hindsight is always 20/20. Knowing what I know now, I would have done things different. Of course, the trap is that if I had done things different, I might not be the person I am now. Oh, what a tangled web! However, here are some of my top thoughts about what I wish I would have done back when I was a young drummer.

- I wish I would have enjoyed the time I spent with my fellow musicians more.

- I wish I would have obsessed less about all the minute things that would go wrong during a service.

- I wish I would have been more open to other types of music earlier that were not my taste.

- I wish I would have taken the time to see more live music and meet more of those musicians.

- I wish I would have paid more attention to the formal side of training for drums.

- I wish I would have taught my students to enjoy their instruments more.

- I wish I would have practiced better when I had all the time in the world, rather than fiddling around with my favorite beats.

- I wish I would have invested more time in people who wanted to learn about the drums from me.

Maybe you could add about a hundred things yourself. The beautiful thing about such lists is that people who are on the other side of time can avoid the pitfalls of my past. The beautiful thing for me is that my past does not have to dictate my future. I can learn and grow from here.

I pray you would do the same.

Hope this helps.

Blessings,
F.S.

Drum DVD & CD Recommendations

Here are some of my favorites over the years. Some might be out of print, but be on the lookout:

No Order Implied - DVD/VHS

- Dave Weckl's "Back To Basics" and "The Next Step"

- Jeff Porcaro's "Spotlight?"

- The Buddy Rich Memorial Concert, volumes 1 & 2

- Steve Smith's "History Of The U.S. Beat"

- Drummers Collective 25th Anniversary Video

- Steve Gadd's "In Studio" and "Up Close"

- Gavin Harrison's "Rhythmic Illusions"

CD's

- Dave Weckl's "Masterplan" and "Live and Very Plugged In"

- Vinnie Colaiuta on: John Patitucci's "Sketchbook," Eric Marienthal's "Crossroads," Steve Tavaglione's "Blue Tav," Alan Holdsworth's "Secrets," Richard Bona's "Reverance," Mike Stern's "These Times," and his own self titled solo project.

- David Garibaldi, with Tower Of Power: "Back to Oakland," "The Best of Tower Of Power" and "Oakland Zone"

- Steve Gadd on all kinds of stuff!! Must listen to "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover."

- Alvaro Lopez, with Torre Fuerte on "Altisimo Senor" and "Mi Fortaleza"

- Steve Smith with Vital Information on "Vitalive" and "All Around The World."

- Bill Stewart with John Scofield on "Enroute"

- Dennis Chambers with John Scofield on "Pick Hits Live" and with Steely Dan on "Alive In America."

- Virtually Any Steely Dan album, but the classic is "Aja" and "Royal Scam."

- Antonio Sanchez with Pat Metheny, any album!

- Steve Holmes with Altered on their self titled debut and Graphic.

- Jeff Porcaro with Los Lobotomy's "Live" and with Toto, "Greatest Hits."

I attribute much of my playing style to the recommendations I have listed. There may be more, but these are pretty much what I have "lived on" for quite a long time now.

Hope this helps.

Blessings,
Frank