My life-changing practice technique | Nate Wong

Figuring out how to practice better? Drummer and Soundbrenner Instructor Nate Wong shares a valuable tip that changed his entire mentality around practicing. (This is a transcript of Nate's lesson — watch the full video here.)

Nate: So, I said to my teacher: I’ve been trying to play slow better, and I’ve been using a metronome, and I’ve been doing all these exercises — and I still sound bad playing slow. It still sounds stiff and uneven.

And my teacher was like, what kind of slow playing? What do you actually want to sound like when you play slowly?

I just wanted to get better at playing slow. I never thought about what I wanted to sound like.

This realization changed my life — I learned to use mental imagery.

Mental imagery involves taking broad ideas like “I want to get better” or “I want to improve my rhythm” and narrowing them down to specifically what they sound like and look like. You visualize that in your mind.

Playing well isn’t a singular concept; it encompasses many aspects. If you merely chase the idea of “playing well,” you end up pursuing a vague notion of “better.” However, if you create a specific mental image, you can organize your practice effectively, and your brain will naturally guide you toward achieving that goal.

When my teacher asked, “What do you actually want to sound like when you play slow?” I realized I had never considered that. I just wanted to improve my slow playing without defining what I wanted to sound like.

My answer (though yours may differ) was: when it’s jazz, I want to play like Elvin Jones; when it’s pop, I want to play like Lester Estelle.

Once I had that clear picture in my mind, I was able to get closer to that sound almost immediately during the lesson. In the following weeks and months, as I shifted my practice focus from a vague desire to improve to a specific goal of sounding like a particular drummer, I achieved my objectives much faster.

I highly recommend developing a clear mental image of what you want to achieve and practicing towards that vision. @natewong.playsgongs

Find more bite-sized lessons like this one at Soundbrenner Plus. Our lessons cover rhythm and timing, guided rhythm exercises, building a funk groove, and tips for developing your practice.

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