The Zen of Practice!

C Fingers of Fury 2014

We all know that in order to improve our skills in any given art form we will need to
practice. Sometimes you will have a strict method to follow and this makes life easier for
the student whom will just need to focus and do the required work/ instruction. Other times
however, you will have to really on experience and personal discovery in order to grow.
This rings especially true for those pushing boundaries, new heights and exploring
uncharted waters. What started out as musical practice becomes musical discovery and
then follows with personal discovery. This is why I always refer to the title of The Zen of
Practice. It is most fitting indeed.
I have been practicing music since I was a young teenager which makes for twenty eight
years now. Almost three decades of practice. Wow, time really is a slippery concept.
Some of this was unfocused, more damaging than good and landed me with a bout of
tendonitis. Other years were extremely well spent with wonderful guidance, long hours of
playing each day and tremendous breakthroughs occurred.
What I am now able to do and what my goals as a teacher have become is to bypass any
bad practice and replace it with focused, mindful and effective time spent on the
instrument and share this with students. You hear it all the time, Wow, he/she makes it
look so easy. This is nothing more than simply time spent well on something. You may
already have noticed that when you first started playing Darbuka that your hand was
clumsy, taking big swipes at the skin hoping for contact and sound. Later as you improved,
those same techniques became well refined, smaller and with less energy being exerted
thus, you guessed it, making it look easy!
Practice is a beautiful art form in itself. If students are able to learn how to enjoy it and
make it more ritualistic than hard work then the future is looking very bright for what ever
artistic endeavor it may be.
There are many different facets to the art of good practice. Lets take a look inside and
embark on an exciting musical journey.

The Zen of Practice

Knowing what to practice, how long to play for and why you are attempting to learn
something is important. As I have said before, all techniques come with a certain time
frame i.e; amount of hours it will take to master. Yes, this will also vary depending on ones
aptitude.
We need to be realistic yet aim high, less egotistical yet take pride in good technique and
understand why we play in the first place!
A great reason for playing- I wish to play so maybe one day I can join a fun band and play
live in a funky venue.
A terrible reason for playing- I wish to be the best drummer in town, the fastest in the
world and want to impress all the belly dancers at the local Hafla.
The first example will lead to happiness and can easily be fulfilled. The latter...well, you
have set yourself up for disaster. Dont confuse being the best drummer you can be with
being the best drummer in the world. Now I know these may seem like crazy examples to
use but I have seen many students over the years with all sorts of reasons for playing and
the most disillusioned, miserable and short lived musicians I see are ones that are playing
for the wrong reasons. Oh yeah, that reminds me of the most ridiculous reason of all
reasons...Im in it for the money! Ha ha haaaaa!. Love that one.
It is also highly important to know what you wish to get out of your journey. Each persons
path will be slightly different depending on desired outcomes.
Some may wish to reconnect with their ancestry, they may have been born in the West yet
have Middle Eastern roots. Others may want to join in a drum circle they saw drumming up
a storm in the local park. Some people may have a life long burning desire to play in a
band and others just love going to a drum class every Tuesday with me (Matt) and
listening to my stupid jokes and being forced to play Turkish style drills for an hour!
Once we (You) have decided why you are playing and what it is you wish to get out of it
then the true journey begins. This will make it much easier to tailer a practice session to
suit your needs and reach the desired outcomes. Its that easy. The rest as they say is just
practice.

The Zen of Practice

Lets show a few examples of what a practice regime would look like for these different
future musicians:
Goal: To join a local drumming group and play for belly dancers whilst gaining more self
confidence and meeting like-minded people.
What to practice: Easy! Your main goals will be to learn all of the basic techniques and
then maybe a few advanced ones, popular rhythms in 2, 4 and 8 beat cycles including the
names for all of them. Once you are comfortable with this you will need to learn a few
cross rhythms and be able to hold a steady rhythm for the lead drummer to solo over
(Sometimes not as easy as it sounds). From there you will learn some soloing phrases of
your own and start doing solos for the group and dancers. After you reach these goals you
could think about learning some odd time rhythms (if thats popular with the dancers you
are working with) or if they are more tribal style dancers you could learn some powerful
Egyptian trance rhythms. The road will never end and be full of exciting, mind opening
experiences and knowledge.
Weekly Routine: If you wanted to be on stage within six months (Support role) or one
year (Playing some lead solo excerpts) your weekly routine may look like thisHalf hour practice at least five days per week.
1.
Mon- 10 mins technique drills, 20 mins learning rhythms
Tue- 10 mins technique drills, 20 mins playing through different rhythms
Wed- Day off
Thur- 10 mins technique drills, 20 mins on rhythm variations
Fri- 30 mins on technique.
Sat- 10 mins technique drills, 20 mins focus on 2 beat cycles Malfuf, Khaligi.
Sun- Day off
2.
Mon- 10 mins technique drills, 20 mins rhythm variations
Tue- 10 mins technique drills, study khaligi (Variations and history of rhythm)
Wed- 10 mins technique drills, learn all popular 2 beat cycles
Thur- Study 4 beat cycles Maqsum, Baladi and Saiidi
Fri- 30 mins technique drills
Sat- Find the local clubs and bars playing live music and go see a show. (Say Hi to
everyone)
Sun- Day off

The Zen of Practice

3.
Mon- 30 mins technique drills
Tues- One hour drumming class
Wed- Learn variations on Malfuf, Fallahi and Karatchi
Thur- Learn bass (Dum) variations with Saiidi
Fri- Learn advanced techniques such as puc and finger flicks
Sat- Free jam with friends!
Sun- Day off
4.
Mon- Learn a basic drum solo
Tue- 10 mins technique, 20 mins rhythm practice
Wed- Learn variations for Cifte Telli
Thur- Half hour of solid rhythm practice
Fri- Day off
Sat- 10 mins technique, new rhythms
Sun- Read drum related articles at FoF site.
The above example is one months worth of ideas. There are endless combinations to
create which will keep things fresh, fun and exciting for you.

The Zen of Practice

Lets take a look at a different musical goal and how we might approach a practice regime.
Goal: To join a band and play Middle Eastern repertoire at a local bar/ venue.
What to practice: You will need good, clean technique and solid timing to play in a group.
Solid timing means holding steady time and not slowing down or speeding up during the
songs. This happens to the best of us and is something that needs constant focus. Once
you have some good playing chops you will need to learn repertoire. Songs are broken
down into A B and C sections or verse, bridge and chorus. You will need to learn these
sections as well as extra musical terms and forms such as Taqsim and how to drum
underneath (accompany) other players soloing during the song. The goal is to be a great
accompanist. Your role when supporting other players is to follow them and support,
shadow, uplift and inspire them so to bring out the best in their playing. Not to get in the
way, play too load, too much and distract them. Listen to some classical Indian music to
hear masters of accompaniment.
Weekly Routine: I will imagine that you already have some drumming experience but if
not just add some extra time to develop technique. This kind of goal can be reached within
one to two years at a basic level and from there the true journey begins and never ends.
Five hours practice per week.
1.
Mon- One hour focused technique
Tue- Half hour of technique with metronome, half hour rhythm variations
Wed- Half hour technique, study all popular rhythms in 2, 4 and 8 beat cycles
Thur- Day off
Fri- Half hour technique, study odd time signatures such as Laz and Kasilima
Sat- 45 mins solid technique practice (Stamina building) 15 mins free jam
Sun- Day off
2.
Mon- 45 mins solid technique practice (Stamina building) 15 mins free jam
Tue- Build repertoire. Listen to songs and work out by ear what rhythms are being used.
Wed- Half hour technique building, build repertoire
Thu- Half hour technique, half hour rhythm variations
Fri- Day off drum- Create list of popular songs being played by local musicians/ groups.
Sat- Begin writing drum charts for all songs you are learning
Sun- Day off

The Zen of Practice

3.
Mon- Half hour technique, free jam
Tue- Half hour technique, play along with recordings of songs you are learning
Wed- One hour rhythm variations
Thu- Chart all songs in repertoire and start appling to memory
Fri- Half hour technique, go check out local groups playing and make contact
Sat-Day off
Sun- Stamina building- play along with Essential darbuka Rhythms CD (One hour)
4.
Mon- Technique, stamina building
Tue- Half hour technique, half hour rhythm study (Names, variations, history etc)
Wed- 20 mins darbuka, 20 mins frame drum, 20 mins Riq (Whoops didnt I tell you? You
will need to play at least two different drums for ensemble/ group playing)
Thu- Day off
Fri- Search FoF site and other resources for new drills and exercises
Sat-Make contact and jam with other musicians (Both drum and melody)
Sun- Day off
Two quick tips to remember are:
1. Keep it fresh and change things around for each session
2. Think longevity. The goal is not to burn yourself or your enthusiasm out, but rather just
chip away over time and end up wher you wanted to be.

The Zen of Practice

The last two examples of how to set up a good practice regime have been aimed at
beginner and then beginner/ intermediate level players. In this next example we will look at
a practice strategy for intermediate players with advanced goals in mind.
Goal: To play fluent modern Turkish style technique and have good use of Turkish
ornamentation.
What to practice: Now we have taken on a very big goal that may take quite some years
to accomplish. Along the road you will have no choice but to do the big hours and you will
be faced with many challenges that will question why you are traveling here. This is why
you need a good reason. Something ego based and fickle will simply not get you to the
other side. To learn these techniques and then actually apply them and integrate them into
your playing will take time and a whole load of patience. To give you some idea, I have
been practicing some different combinations for almost five years now and am only just
starting to get it at the level I want. Other techniques perhaps even longer! It is not for the
faint hearted, it is for those that love it so much that true grit comes naturally. When these
techniques and ornamentations do arrive at the door step of your finger tips- those are the
days you will cherish. Having access to advanced techniques and being able to play them
really fluently simply gives you more of a means to express yourself.
For me personally, I will happily chip away for the next ten years at something if thats what
it takes. Enjoy the journey, it may be a long one.
Luckily for us there are many amazing Turkish drummers out there playing modern style
as well as drummers like Misirli Ahmet and Levent Yildirim whom have created their own
methods. Misirli in particular has created his own style and complete method of modern
Turkish darbuka/ dahola playing.
Here at FoF you can find many of these drills and techniques as well as other ones from
different drummers I have studied with throughout Turkey. You will be learning all of these
patterns and drills including ornamentation of rhythms in the Turkish style. Much of what
you need can be found here at FoF.
Weekly Routine: Take a deep breath, focus, be patient and kind to yourself. Listen to your
body and when it tells you it needs a break...take a break! Longevity is the key. As I have
said here before and as my teacher said to me, Yava Yava (Slowly, slowly).
Month One: Focused 1 hour (Not including any playing outside of practice)
Mon- 15 min left hand only, 15 min rolls, 30 mins rhythms
Tue- 30 mins rolls, 30 mins rhythms
Wed- One hour drills
Thu- Day off
Fri- Metronome practice with drills and rolls (Mark progression)
Sat- 20 mins technique, 40 mins solo ideas
Sun- Day off

The Zen of Practice

Month Two: Focused 1 1/4 hours (Not including any playing outside of practice)
Mon- 15 min left hand only, 15 min rolls, 30 rhythms, 15 mins drills
Tue- 30 mins rolls, 30 mins rhythms, 15 mins drills
Wed- One hour drills, 15 mins rhythms
Thu- Day off
Fri- Metronome practice of rolls and rhythms
Sat- 20 mins technique, 40 mins solo ideas, 15 rolls
Sun- Day off
Month Three: Focused 1 1/2 hours (Not including any playing outside of practice)
Mon- 30 mins rolls, 30 mins rhythms, 30 mins drills
Tue- Slow practice of drills and left hand workout (VERY slowly and accurately)
Wed- 1 1/2 hours rhythm ornamentation
Thu- Day off
Fri- Jam with backing recording or better still, another drummer!
Sat- 20 mins technique, 40 mins solo ideas, 15 rolls, 15 free jam
Sun- Day of
The Day off is very important in order to let the body catch up with its new demands.
Sometimes it is after some time out that we actually see a big improvement. Please dont
play everyday with no breaks because this will often lead to injury. Remember: Longevity.
You will also notice how I build my hours up over time. One month of an hour per day, then
moving up slightly each month. Climb your way slowly up to more hours but dont rush. I
have worked my way up to days of six or more hours practice and at other times many
hours with gigs that night. At some stage you will need to put in the bigger hours but you
MUST slowly work your way up to this. A decent shoulder or finger injury/ strain will at best
throw you off the drum for a few weeks, at worst it could be a year. Dont gamble with it.

The Zen of Practice

Now lets take a look at how you might approach a longer practice session.
These days for me my practice shifts all over the place. Some weeks I am playing for long
periods at a time and others I will simply do the minimum required to maintain what I have
so far. If I do a tour I might be required to play three shows a day in some cases so by
doing hours of practice on top of that will only cause more damage than good. It just
fluctuates depending on what is happening in my life at the time and that doesnt really
bother me at all anymore. Its called life.
If you are intending on doing an intensive and playing for longer hours here are some
ideas on how to arrange the time and be more productive.
Some of you may remember in previous July Darbuka Challenges I have spoken about
an intense and focused one hour being worth more than five or more hours of unfocused
time. Now we are going to do three of them per day (With two days off each week)
Mon- 1/2 hr left hand, 1/2 hr drills - break - 1/2 hr rolls, 1/2 hour rhythms - break one hour free playing/ solo ideas with Essential Darbuka Rhythms CD
Tue- One hour slow technique workout - break - 1/2 hr left hand, 1/2 hr drills - break 15 mins technique, 45 mins speed practice
Wed- 1.5 hrs technique - break - 1.5 hours rhythm variations
Thu- Day off
Fri- 30 mins technique, 1.5 hours rhythm variations - break - one hr rolls/ drills
Sat- One hour technique - break - 2 hours free jam (With other drummers if possible)
Sun- Day off

The Zen of Practice

You will notice that even when playing for three hours a day I still break it up into one hour
blocks. A couple of the days had 1 1/2 or maybe 2 hour sessions but there are breaks.
Very important.
This same practice model can be used when moving up to four, five or six hour sessions. It
is not the correct model for everyone though. Many players will benefit more from simply
playing with other musicians and creating music all of the time. Everyone is different and
needs to work out what is right for their own musical journey.
For more information on techniques, drills, rolls mentioned in this article, simply take a look
at the 3 Month Courses found on the FoF site. Everything you will need is there. When
practicing long hours you will need many combinations, patterns and techniques in order
to keep things interesting and fun. Just like going to the gym!
Practice should be fun, exciting and rewarding. When things become stuck, mundane,
stale and boring it means you need to take a small break (Dont be scared, you will not
forget how to play) and learn some fresh ideas to brighten up each session. Change each
week around a little, spend time with a metronome one week and then dont touch it for the
next two. Jam with other musicians both at the same ability and also higher. Read articles,
watch videos, find a teacher if you can (You can also find a great teacher via Skype!) and
listen to your body- shoulders, arms, fingers, wrists, neck, hips, back will all be working
overtime. Go for a walk or run to keep loose and be sure to stretch. Yes, you are becoming
a musical athlete and a well conditioned body will react better than a tired, out of shape
one. Also be on the look out for party killers like self imposed pressures, harsh inner critics,
and procrastination dressed up in the form of buying lots and lots of drums but not being
able to play any of them.
You have chosen a drum with endless possibilities that will open doors into exciting new
worlds you never new existed. Have fun with it and I will see you out there.
Matt Stonehouse
Fingers of Fury May 2014.