Friday, December 01, 2006

Go to your local CD store and...

...buy an album that you have never heard of before, in a genre of music you never listen to. Huh? Yeah, you heard me right - get out of your comfort zone!

I think this is a good way to broaden your horizons. All too often I see people listening to one style of music, never branching out. While this may not seem like a terrible thing, for a musician, it can be the kiss of death.

Let me give you an example. Let's say you are the drummer for a rock band with a serious funky edge. Well, there may be a point where you find yourself getting a little stale. Maybe you didn't even notice yourself, but had another band member point it out to you. Well, listening to another drummer who plays a very different style could be just the thing you need to get out of your funk (pun intended).

Go buy a salsa CD - you might be pleasantly surprised at it. Or maybe go buy a smooth jazz album - you might be able to cop a sweet lick off their drummer, something you never would have heard had you not diversified your musical tastes.

Now you might not like the CD, you might think it is total garbage. But one thing is for sure - you will certainly gain something from it, even if you learn something NOT to do.

Try it out - you never know, you might find yourself going in a different direction musically than you ever could have imagined!

Tom

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