The map is not the territory...

...and this is not a pipe.

Sometimes I worry that with the things we cover here— and the way we cover them— I give the impression that those are the most important things about learning the drums and being a musician. Actually, we just talk about the things we can talk about; that doesn't necessarily mean that they are the most important things. There is often little to say about the things that are actually important.

Like, playing with people is just the true arena for learning music, and being a musician. That's where everything happens. If you're not doing it, there's not much to say about it except, “start doing it now, even if you suck at it. Especially if you suck at it.” And listening: there's nothing to say that's going to replace, or assist in, actually parking it in front of the stereo with some records on a regular basis. To be a musician you have to do those two things a lot, and there's no way to talk, study, or practice your way around them.