BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF

 

Poison and Rockett Mafia drummer, Rikki Rockett has offered up some sage advice for novice musicians building their chops behind the drums. With decades of experience to bring to the table, the musician took to social media to share his top tips for young drummers.

 

 

 

 

Take Lessons

 

First and foremost, Rockett advises to approach drumming as a student early on and to learn the fundamentals from a more experienced player. This, he says, will ultimately serve as a significant time-saver, and will not, as some believe, lose a player to lose the “feel” of their playing.

 

”I did not take lessons early and had to in-learn some bad habits,” the drummer revealed. “Save yourself some time. [It] doesn’t mean you have to read every time you play. Learn the basics.”

 

Though it is often propounded – particularly in rock & roll circles – that the “looseness” and “authenticity” of the untrained approach is conducive to rock, this tip is indicative of one’s capacity to retain the distinctness of their style while being effectively prepared for any musical situation through disciplined study of the fundamentals.

 

 

Play a Team Sport

 

This entry may come as a surprise to some, as on the face of it, it seems to have very little to do with music in general. However, anyone who has attempted to navigate the complex inner-workings of a band situation can attest to the necessity of sacrifice and understanding in situations in which one is expected to work collaboratively with others.

 

“Being in a musical combo is all about realizing what our place is and there is no better training ground than a school or extra curricular team sport,” declares Rockett. “The pressure is on everyone, individually and collectively to make the sum total work.”

 

 

Play In a Cover Band

 

Another entry that may provoke bemused glances from musical types who place an over-inflated significance on the idea of “the individual” – Rikki Rockett points to the vast array of musical references of various styles that can be backlogged by musicians as an enormous creative contributor when the time does come to write/record original material. Additionally, the musical interaction between players necessary to properly execute others’ music presents an invaluable skill-building opportunity.

 

”Playing to covers in your room is ok, but having to rely on everyone in a band to make the whole combo work and having to do the homework before hand is critical,” the drummer explains. “After that, when you begin to write parts you’ll have the experience of a vast library of examples in your head to pull from.

 

 

Listen to Very Popular Songs

 

Specifically, Rockett advises that young players listen to very popular songs and listen to the parts that were chosen to make that song work.

 

“It isn’t by accident. Decisions were made because that part was the best part for the song,” he says, encouraging musicians to internalize material in a variety of styles and genres, including material in a style or genre toward which a musician may not necessarily gravitate ordinarily.

 

“Even if it isn’t your jam, understand the thinking behind it and suddenly the magic is more revealed.”

 

Don’t Stop Playing When You Make a Mistake

 

Unintentional flubs in musical performance date back to the very beginnings of music as development in human civilization. In fact, some of the most unexpected and unique musical parts ever written have been the result of what would initially have been considered a mistake.

 

But even in instances wherein the mistakes don’t produce desirable results, Rockett insists that it is the duty of drummers to “play through” the mistakes in order to keep the proverbial train on the tracks with regard to the overall ensemble performance.

 

”There is an old saying, ‘Drummers don’t make mistakes, we just change our minds a lot!’,” the drummer quipped. “Take note, forge ahead and collect yourself. Next time you probably won’t make the same mistake!”

 

Rikki Rockett has been performing recently with his newly established band, Rockett Mafia, which specializes in reimagined takes on classic material with some original tunes thrown in for good measure.

 

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Photo: Rikki Rockett – Enrique Sanchez Photography