This is the official Phil Maturano youtube page. Here you will find all the latest videos. Performance videos from live concerts, lesson videos, featured material in worldwide drumming magazines, music videos I have produced in various genres and previews from material on my official lessons site. pmlessons.philmaturano.com Enjoy the channel Phil Maturano
Hi bro! Yeah you are not alone. Until I met the right people I had no idea how all this worked. It took years to develop and a lot of patience for me haha. Thanks for writing in. Many greetings :-)
Hi Phil! Thank you for this in-depth information on the subject! Thanks for this enlightenment experience on family relationships between strokes. I teach my kid students »we're learning movements.« First we work on what I call “movement rhythm”, then we learn to “just let the rest of the notes happen”. Like: we'd start our Paradiddle with one »big« movement, like Half Notes ||:R - - - L - - -:|| - then slowly change to the »movement rhythm« like ||:RLR- LRL-:|| . Finally, let the stick just drop to perform the Double stroke at the end of the phrase (||:RLRR LRLL:||) Does that »philosophy« make sense to you? There is one question that concerns me. I often observe Traditional Grip players with - while executing - a slightly bent posture to the side, or a slightly pulled shoulder on the right. The spine would then be tilted slightly sideways? Right? Can you say something about how to avoid this causing tension, or what movements can be used to compensate for one-sided tension while playing? Thank you!
This reminds me of something I saw Bruce Becker use to explain "physics" occurring naturally in drumming. It's kinda the opposite of the stone killer or playing on pillows thing. It's a really interesting approach!
Hi Robert! Yes Bruce is great at this stuff as well:-) The pillow thing works for some people I guess. It all has its uses in our wonderful art form:-)
Thanks for your continued wisdom provided for the drumming communities worldwide. Ralph is smiling from his percussion section up above approving of all of your dedication, commitment and good work.
Phil, if you do a remake of these videos, I look forward to an excellent multi-camera shot of these techniques, that are so hard to find accurate information about!
Hi Phil, greetings from Spain!. It would be wonderful if we could see you from the sides so that we could see the movements involved in the morphing. But anyway, to me this video is gold and vital.
@@philmaturanodrums Yes I agree. I took some lessons from Chuck Flores in the 70s, and he taught me the beginnings of the Murray Spivak method of hand motions & techniques. It really helped me to at least have a foundation for future studies, but I didn't stay with Chuck long enough to get the whole picture of this technique, but I have your videos to help me continue along this path and improve what I do have now. Thanks Phil!!
Beautiful. I saw this sort of idea in the context of Murray Spivack's teaching as described in his video with Louis Bellson and also according to Chad Wackerman. It's a really nice elegant approach to learning a certain relaxed efficiency. Thank you 😁
I am glad you recognized it. I studied with Murray and he is the one that turned me on to this actually. It took me a long time to get it but it was well worth the effort. Thank you for writing in :-)
Hi Phil, i commmented a couple of months ago. I'm based in hanoi. Have you been in Da Nang the whole time or did you leave and return? Anyways, just curious, where are you playing in Da Nang? And are you doing any gigs in Hoi An? Take care.
Hi Paul! Glad you wrote in :-) How is Hanoi treating you? Would love to visit there! I leave and return to Danang because I love it here haha. Not playing in Vietnam at the moment but working on a nice gig :-) Stay in touch!
Yeah he's in there.I am a fan of Drummer Buddy Williams and as I watched a interview he mentioned Roy McCurdy so I looked him up just now, he throws down..never heard of him.but I have a 1972 album on cd by adderly so I am going to pull it out, he must be playing on it.
Thanks Phil for posting these kinds of videos. Really useful for the psychological aspects of being a musician and working with others. I feel like one of my biggest issues is self confidence. I'm a semi-professional musician and have a day job so my every waking moment is not music unfortunately. I'm certainly not the best but I feel like I'm a good player. It's still very hard not to compare myself to other players and not let it get me down sometimes. I know everyone develops differently and is on different parts of this musical journey but it's annoying to have this feeling inside. Do you have some wisdom around keeping a healthy sense of confidence in yourself and your abilities?
Alot of it is who you know. I’ve always wanted to get to do jingles or commercials. I don’t know any such opportunities and I know it will never hsppen unfortunately
In my mind "pro" means professional. And that means your primary income comes from playing drums. I never got that far. Sure I made money from gigs and such but I was never good at networking enough to get into better money situations. Over the years I noticed that chops will only get you so far. You have to be extroverted and good at socialising which I've never been good at.
@@Twobarpsi Well, I think the closure of venues has been an issue for musicians ever since. But that should never stop anyone from realizing their vision? That would mean that you would be dependent on external circumstances? But there are still too many things drummers can do to make a living: teaching kids in the hood the values of music and drumming (and educate children to become listeners of future drummer generations to come). Organizing drum circles and concerts. Making street music. Using the possibilities of the internet etc. ... Feeling responsible in that sense, to me, feels like an integral part of my personal drum learning process. And as long as I can still sit upright and hold the sticks ... :D
Hey, friend. Beautiful talk once again! You can! I believe so too. I didn't start from scratch at 40, but in my mid-40s I realized that I had considerable deficits compared to my heroes. So I made a list: who are my heroes, what can they do that I can't? What do I have to do to get close to them? Then I started at the top of my list. Wherever possible, I met my heroes in person and asked them how they got to where they are. I got the music, followed book recommendations, from drum etudes to biographies, from “how to live a happy life” to business and time management books. I'm still not, where I want to be. And since today I know, I'm on the right path, it doesn't even matter if I ever will :) For a long time, my biggest challenge was actually discipline: eliminating distractions and just doing it. The exact same thing is the biggest challenge for almost all of my students today. However, my perception is, it's usually not a lack of will, but a lack of conviction. Or, in the end, trusting your vision and Intuition. Because schools and everything have been telling you “you can't” your whole life - about almost everything. So special thanks Phil for this video and your message. To all those who are still thinking about should I / shouldn't I: get your f.... butt off! Just get started. Today. The most important thing is to just do it.
From Anonymous - I love this---- I think that, generally, people assign value to their existence, almost entirely through the lens of their achievements, ambitions and goals. It is hand in hand with the ingrained modern social concepts of ‘perpetual-growth’ and endless hard work to progress at all costs and is fuelled by obligations, guilts and imagined expectations of others. I think this ‘zero-status-gloom’ is nothing more than cold turkey for the addictions of ambition and achievement that were the corner stones of these peoples lives. It is no coincidence that many cultures have a passageway to renouncing all this. From monks to the wandering drop outs of India and even buddha sitting under the banyan tree for years. It is a searching for meaning beyond the projected fantasy of omnipotence and possession regarding the objectives and commands brainwashed into members of modern society. We simply cannot imagine who or what we are without ‘doing-stuff!’ An over inflated ego stops us from drowning but, when we see reality, it transpires we were never in water in the first place! Pre ‘agricultural-revolution’ this mind set would not have existed with the species. Only with the concept of ownership and possessions would this mentality become possible. Before that, the individuals would not have seen themselves as distinct, or with personal ambitions but instead, members of the tribe. Music bridges the gap here and also confuses perspective because we can get that connection back to a time when music was entirely sacred to society. We can see through the fragile modern veneer of ego achievement and behold the purity of expression that is almost entirely musics, and musics alone. No words, no objects or visual obstructions. Just a magic invisibleness. In its purest form, I imagine the tribal musicians would not have seen themselves with any personal ego or grandiosity. No doubt they conformed to social hierarchy but, the need to be different or superior are likely not influential traits. Only with possession does this change. Post agricultural revolution when people started to lay fallacious personal claim to land, animals and objects. This is what makes it difficult to talk about achieving goals and ambitions as a musician, because there are two entirely different forces at play. On the one side of the coin, the more spiritual and sacred, and on the other side of the coin, the more ‘capitalist’ modern perspective of achievement, dominance and ambition. There will always be an uncomfortable conflict between the sacred purity vs the desire to achieve, own and excel.
Phil, I’m definitely coming out of an extended zero period. I’ve continuously bettered myself and my abilities in my craft, recorded a fair amount, and done a few gigs here and there, but it’s small compared to the momentum I had in previous years. I’m getting after it all over again, though, and your videos have inspired me immensely. Thanks for this one!
To those seeking non-artistic fulfillment, consider adopting a pet, or volunteering at an animal shelter, or volunteer work in general. Nothing warms the heart like helping those who are less fortunate.
PS You have to be able to laugh and have a good sense of humor when life gets hard, so maybe watching some comedy will help you to overcome this hero to zero phase. This helped me when I used to get real depressed when my wife died, I watched a lot of comedy and laughed my butt off, and it felt great, like a big weight was lifted off of me and I was able to deal with life from a better place. Just my 2 cents.
Many people when they retire experience this. For example, when you no longer have a job or career going, you no longer have the external discipline of having a work schedule and goals to accomplish, and the people that you used to hang with at work may no longer be available. This alone can create a big vacuum in your life that you must fill with something, yes some fill it with TV and entertainment, but that's empty as you have no goals that satisfy with just being a spectator. Also, the ups and downs of life are normal as the universe always seeks to create a balance, so we also must seek to strike a balance in our lives. Yes to have a mountain top experience one day, and the next day you have to deal with angry aggressive people at the grocery store is a real shock to the mind/ego, but it's all part of life on the planet, at least for now. Having hobbies or practicing things like Tai' Chi Gung will help a lot to overcome this hero to zero experience. Great topic Phil as usual you hit it out of the park!
@@johnmckenna1776 Extremely well said and I agree entirely. Self discipline and motivation is a great thing which we all can benefit from but it can so easily be lost!
Ahh!….. “The great psychological human mindset “ Hi Phil, Now this discussion could run & run. Hero to zero!… Many of us have been here myself included many times. Born from a desire to achieve only to get there and wonder what next. My solution, become a perfectionist, that way your always striving to improve and your state of euphoria will be quickly replaced by your desire to become better, to achieve more, when you come down from your last gig whatever that may be, you won’t fall as far, all you’ll become is the biggest pain in your own butt!Not that bad! Take it easy on yourself is my advice, it’s great to reflect on that success but life can be a double edged sword at times, so keep looking forward, keep moving forward, OK take that rest once in a while but enjoy the ride……… This approach worked for me both in my drumming career and my photography career, there may always be someone better in your perception, life will always throw up the unexpected. Other people will always have there own opinions and you may at times feel unworthy, whether brought about by physical or phycological means. The topic is very relatable and a very important one, I for one thank you Phil for airing this subject. Regards, John (UK)
My man! Thank you for writing in and always an honor to have you on the channel. I know you can relate to this like all of us that have been around the block a few times hahaha. It's great to have your take on it and a pleasure to read. Many greetings from Vietnam!
Interesting. For me, the deepest way is to sing it. I was taught "Ta k ch Ka Ta k ch Ka". Grab a humble egg shacker and play along with fast sambas slowed to half speed.
Hi Phil , great subject and landscape.I"m also spending my holiday at the sea on peopleless beach so i feel you .Yes, i found difficult when there is no proper comunication between musicians and if other individuals understending of sound quality and volume are completely different .Sometimes i feel like this ashole who is complaining but i hate to play with doublebass when i can not hear it clearly and loud enough and that is happening every reharsal for the last year.I had to finish this "jurney to nowhere" .It was like being hungry and looking at the bread trough the closed shop window display.Anyway thanks again for the reflection on the ego subject Phil,enjoy swimming and your free time.Michal
Enjoyed the topic of this video … these are the things no one discusses. I could go on and on about my experiences dealing with egos and it’s effects it’s had on me.
Thank you bro! Yeah I am starting to notice that there are many interesting topics like this that don't get talked about. It could be because most of the drummers on RU-vid here making a lot of videos either have never actually worked as a drummer for a very long period of their lives or are simply algorithm chasers with not much to say except regurgitate paradiddles and etc. Anyway I am very happy you like it and nice to hear from you. All the best. :-)
Hi Phil. Thank you so so much for this video. There is not enough of this wisdom online.Its easy to slip into I’m the best round here, until I step outside my comfort zone, see a great player and plummet to earth! 😮
Hahaha Yeah for sure. Happens to the best of us :-) Well I am happy you like the video. It's always a bit tricky tp post vids like this. So you are appreciated 🙂
Phil, I really appreciate the true life stories you share. I've had to play with some real ding-dongs in my day, and I can share many stories where I had to work with real jerks. I guess you have to develop a thick skin and not let the ding-dongs get to you. When you get to a good level of playing, you can choose what gigs you'll do, and what you'll say no to!
People have a lot of fears lately, so maybe fear keeps someone from asking for help and taking advantage of it. Men in particular like to think they can figure it all out by themselves, but we all need help from time to time. I try to let go of pride/ego and just do what it takes to become better at drums and life in general. Beautiful beach, and the waves are so cool and refreshing!
