Drumming 

as 
Philosophy 
JAKE SHIELDS 
 
INTRODUCTION 

Drumming as 
Philosophy 
     
In every individual's attempt to stand out in our bright 
shiny modern world, what is it that enables the winners to 
differentiate themselves from the losers? I would like to start 
by saying that there is nothing wrong with being a loser, in 
fact, I would say the majority of people on the planet are 
losers (sorry). The human experience can be simplified into a 
process of being born as a loser, and striving to escape from 
our loser-hood sometime during this life time (hopefully 
while we are young enough to enjoy it). Many people wish to 
elevate themselves to a greater position in life, but what does 
being a winner mean to you? In this book, I hope to lay out 
for you a step by step guide to mastering all aspects of the 
will; the thing is, this has been done before (many times). 
This time, I hope to shed light on the art of will mastery by 
creating a giant metaphor between philosophy, and 
drumming. 
Drumming as a life study can guide a human being on a 
powerful journey inward. Through trial and error, practice 
and repetition, a drummer slowly learns to master and polish 
the basics of the craft. In this book, I hope to emphasize the 
foundational practices of drumming, particularly those used 
by drummers who play groove driven music. Outside of 
especially more progressive and technical styles of music, 
the drummer's part is usually repetitious and fairly simple; 
we can refer to this as “just playing the beat”. Considering 
the art of “just playing the beat”, and using it as a metaphor 
to create a philosophical explanation of life, you have a lot to 
work with.  
Why not trumpet as philosophy, or guitar as philosophy? 
Drumming is a more basic structural element of 
musicianship. Drumming by itself isn't a song, as where 
guitar by itself could be a song. However, to have a fully 
complete song (by modern radio standards at least), you need 
to have drums, but you do not need guitar. Drumming is the 
structural backbone of modern music, whereas a melodic 
instrument such as guitar or trumpet is more individuated, 
more specific, and less general. Drumming is humble; you 
are not the song, but you are an important aspect of the 
song's foundation, and for that reason (along with the fact 
that I play drums) I have chosen to use drumming for the 
metaphor of self mastery. 
In this book I have come up with a series of metaphors 
relating the practice and lifestyle of drumming to select 
elements of philosophy and spirituality. Some of these 
elements include: metaphysics, asceticism, god, mindfulness, 
religion, martial arts, wisdom, and transcendence. Through 
my varied studies in philosophy, esotericism, and religion, I 
have found that matters of the self are best taught through 
symbolism, and visualization. Though I don't find the 
esoteric concept of initiation to be especially useful in my 
religious life as a Christian, I do find that it works well in 
this system of “Drumming as Philosophy”.In theory, 
Initiation, liberation, enlightenment, and or gnosis, are all 
very similar concepts, which revolve around the idea that 
there is a higher state of consciousness, which we can learn 
to access through specific practices (many of which are 
considered ascetic) which are related to various traditions.  
By operating within a tradition over a long period of time, 
one strengthens their will, and continuously aligns with their 
true “self” (as according to Carl Jung). For the purpose of 
this book, your tradition will be drumming. Hopefully by 
learning to understand the most intricate elements of 
drumming as a practice, hobby, method of training, mindset, 
and lifestyle, you will be able to compare this to other 
practices in your life. You have just picked up the drum 
sticks for the first time (born into the world), now you want 
to become the next Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, or Brian 
Blade (enlightened/initiated mind/spirit). By practicing daily 
in your temple (playing the drums), your spirit (ability to 
play) will grow stronger. Let us begin your journey toward 
liberation with an introduction to the art of drumming. 
 
2 
 
CHAPTER 2 

On Drumming 
     
For the purpose of this book, when I say drumming, I 
am referring to playing of the modern drum kit. General 
drumming covers a wide range of percussion instruments and 
traditions, spanning all over the world, and all throughout 
time. The first drums ever created and played were used as a 
means of communication. In order to send messages to 
members of your tribe over long distances, primitive man 
created the first drums so that they could make loud 
recognizable sounds.  
Different messages could be communicated using 
different rhythms, and this variation in patterns eventually 
evolved into musical expression (through an instrument that 
would become the rhythmical foundations for all other 
musical instruments). Drums were commonly used in 
marches, ceremonies, rituals, parties, and war. Drumming 
has always been associated with dance, as it is a natural 
response for one's feet and body to start moving to the loud 
rhythmic pulses of the drums. This is also the reason why 
drummers are utilized at war to keep the soldiers marching in 
sync. 
Drumming, in these various contexts, can be seen as the 
adhesive which holds everything together, or better yet, as 
the broth of the soup, which contains the various substances 
of any given recipe. The rhythms produced by the drums 
function as the catalyst for dancing, which is the vessel for 
the energy of the ceremony, and the ceremony channels the 
collective energy of the dancers, drummers, and everyone 
else involved into a flowing stream dedicated toward the 
ultimate purpose of the ritual.  
The pounding of the drums as the soldiers march toward 
battle symbolizes the collective energy of the group. The 
tribal rhythms, which are executed precisely by the well 
studied and practiced drummers of the drum line, put the 
warriors in a trance, which elevates their mental states in a 
manner that can only be reached by the warrior who marches 
into battle, and faces the possibility of death. 
Traditionally, the music of the church was always 
a-cappella, or singing accompanied by organ. Drumming has 
not been associated with the religious traditions of the west, 
namely Christianity, though it has been a staple in other 
traditions such as shamanism, hinduism, buddhism, and 
various brands of new age spirituality. This doesn't mean that 
drumming is anti-christian, but its energy is a bit too 
destructive for the house of God (at least this was the case 
traditionally). In church the organ plays, and the choir sings; 
the drummers are found on the battlefield. What else can be 
said about this chain of thought going deeper? Drumming 
can be understood to be trance inducing, and hypnotic in 
nature. Any song that you listen to with a beat, has the 
potential to put you into a trance. Disco music, rock music, 
RnB music, Hip-hop, and various electronic styles of music, 
which of course includes trance music itself, has the potential 
to put you into a trance. 
Once you are in a trance, you become highly 
suggestive, and are likely to absorb the content of whatever 
lyrics are being recited over the beat of the song. 
Theoretically, the drummer sets the trap, pulling the audience 
in to pay attention to the guitar player's harmonies, and the 
vocalist’s lyrics and melodies. So basically a trance is 
exactly what you thought it was, and yes, drumming does 
indeed have the ability to put you into a trance. Does this 
mean that all music with drums has the potential to be 
harmful, and manipulative, and that people would be better 
off listening to classical music, and gregorian chants? It all 
depends on the content of what is being said lyrically over 
the drums. Are you open to this kind of thinking? If you 
listen to top 40 radio hits, hip-hop, and other explicit modern 
forms of music, you might want to reconsider what messages 
you are passively receiving into your unconscious mind 
while you are under the trance of “phat” beats. 
Now that i've got that small bit of preaching out of the 
way, I will setup the foundations for the metaphor of 
drumming, which will serve as the axiom for this entire 
book. As I have just pointed out, the world is in a 
questionable state. I've shown that drumming is the hypnotic 
net which pulls people into the message of their favorite 
music, and I've also pointed out that today's top flavors of 
music are pushing toxic messages. The state of the modern 
human being is bleak. We have become weak, spoiled, 
selfish, and in many ways sedated. The same drum beats that 
drive the message of laziness, gluttony, narcissism, and 
nihilism can be the same drum beats, which drive forward 
the message of the next generation of great heroes. 
Drumming is a powerful tool, and as the drummer, you must 
become a powerful figure. You are the man behind the 
curtain, the cogs within the machine. You must become a 
competent drummer, so that the message of the music driven 
by your beat can overpower and conquer the message of the 
music which corrupts, lies, and torments. In order to begin 
your initiation into the ancient tradition of drumming, I shall 
first show you sacrifice, patience, and discipline, through 
drumming as asceticism. 
 
5 
 
CHAPTER 3 

Drumming as 
Asceticism 
     
Ascetic practice centers around the discipline of 
withdrawing yourself from worldly pleasures, and 
materialistic indulgences. Meditation, which is the practice 
of clearing the mind, is the central practice of asceticism. To 
fast, meditate, pray, practice asanas, and to maintain sobriety 
are all things that can be considered ascetic practices. So how 
then could drumming be seen as an ascetic practice? While 
it's not required that you live a disciplined life to be a good 
drummer, it certainly doesn't hurt. In fact, it's the art of 
discipline which separates the average drummer from the 
Neil Peart, or John Bonham.  
Sobriety isn't completely necessary to be a skilled 
drummer, though it is necessary that you make some sort of a 
sacrifice in order to grow as a musician. As with all things, 
the more energy that you put in, the more of a reward you are 
going to get out. Basically, the more you sacrifice, the more 
you are able to dedicate to your craft. You simply cannot 
have it all. It is likely that you won't have time to be the most 
popular, and have the time to practice as well. If you fail to 
sacrifice some of your social life, you will not be able to play 
on a competitive level. The drummer who seeks to master his 
craft, and challenge other drummers on the path toward self 
mastery must go on a quest in order to gain inner control, and 
mental coordination. 
An important aspect of a drummer's ability to be 
musical and know his or her place in the form of a song, is 
the ability to count. It is not 100% necessary that you count, 
but it is important that you know where you are in the form 
of the song. One must be able to seamlessly transition 
between sections without getting lost in the song form. The 
best way to do this is to count each measure in your head, so 
that you can always be certain of where you are in the form. 
This might come easy to some, but others will find 
themselves battling the same struggles that one might face 
while attempting to meditate for the first time. Your mind is 
wandering, an intrusive thought pops into your head, and all 
of the sudden you aren't counting anymore. To stay glued to 
the structure of the song with your counting takes complete 
mental clarity.  
Once you have spent enough years learning to predict 
and lock in with any given song structure, you won't need to 
stress in order to maintain your place anymore, you might 
even find yourself gliding along changes without needing to 
count at all. The main aspect that drumming and asceticism 
share in common, is the element of development and 
improvement through repetition. By a continuous daily 
practice of meditation, strict diet, training, study, and work, 
the mind, body, and spirit all improve, such is the same for 
drumming. It is not only enough to drum, or to meditate, but 
to practice each activity with full attention to detail, and 
flawless execution. How exactly does one meditate 
correctly? 
This question is subject to endless speculation, but I will 
humor you with an answer. Meditation is that of pure 
emptiness of the mind. You will surely experience something 
during your meditation, but it shouldn't be anything that 
comes from you. By resting all available attention on your 
senses, you can distract your mind from it's tendency to 
wander along an endless stream of uncontrolled thoughts, 
both consciously, and subconsciously. Focus on what you 
hear (the silence of the room, possibly rain or wind from 
outside), what you see (the blacks of your eyelids if they are 
closed, maybe you are staring at a wall), what you smell 
(either incense, or hopefully pure fresh air), and lastly, what 
you feel (if you are seated in a chair, then focus on your body 
sinking into the cushion, and your feet melting into the 
floor). If you are able to keep your attention focused on this 
sizable list of empirical sensations, then your mind will be 
occupied to the point where the stream of random thoughts 
temporarily shuts down. With many years of practice, your 
mind will start to permanently shut down the stream of 
random thoughts, and you will be left a more calm, rational, 
and creative person. 
The ability to silence your mind leaves you more calm, 
because you are not stressing out over the intrusive thoughts 
from random instances of your life that pester the minds of 
most people daily, at any given moment. A quiet mind leaves 
you more rational, because you are less emotional in the 
decision making process, due to your improved ability to 
control and monitor your immediate thoughts and feelings. 
Finally, the ability to consistently keep a quiet mind makes 
you more creative, as you are able to channel your thoughts 
in a more controlled manner so that you may direct them 
more efficiently . Once you stop jumping from scenario to 
scenario in your mind, and you begin to pick and choose 
what train of thought you hop aboard, you might find that 
your thoughts begin to tell a never ending story, which could 
be manifested into a number of different avenues that may 
potentially lead you to happiness, success, and prosperity. 
So now that I've given you my take on the importance of 
meditation, how does it relate to drumming? Rhythm 
emanates from the mind of the drummer, through his body, 
into the drums, which expresses itself finally as sound into 
the physical world, this is something that I will expound 
upon more in the chapter rhythm as metaphysics. Basically, 
before a drummer is able to physically play anything, they 
must first think of what they are going to play. The 
drummer's ability to master the physical world of playing the 
drums, depends on the drummer's ability to first setup the 
rhythmic equations within the mind. A drummer who has the 
consistent mental discipline and clarity of the ascetic, who 
meditates daily, watches their diet, exercises, and gives up 
hedonistic pleasures, has an edge over other drummers, for 
the mind's ability to create, variate, and execute patterns will 
be exceptionally sharp. By strengthening the ability to focus 
one's mind on the present moment, and to eliminate and 
prevent the coming and going of intrusive thoughts, one with 
be able to both improve as a drummer, and also as an ascetic. 
Once your mind has a powerful ability to focus, it is time to 
focus it on the attainment of wisdom which, as I will outline 
in the next chapter, is equivalent to the rudiments of 
drumming. 
 
 
CHAPTER 4 

The Rudiments of 

Wisdom 
     
Rudiments are the rhythmic building blocks of drumming. 
There are 40 in rudiments total, and they consist of a series 
of patterns ranging from the most basic fundamental strokes 
of drumming, to those which are decently difficult and 
intricate. Getting started with the basics, we have 4 options 
for available strokes: the single, the double, the buzz, and the 
flam. A single is hitting the drum a single time, a double is 
hitting the drum two times with each stroke, a buzz stroke is 
allowing the stick to bounce multiple times in order to create 
a “buzz” type sound, and a flam is hitting the drum with both 
sticks almost hitting exactly at the same time (only separated 
by about a 64​th​ note of space). The single stroke is the most 
straightforward of these techniques, and doesn't need much 
explanation other than that they take much practice to 
perfect. The double stroke technique is similar to dribbling a 
basketball.  
The second note played in each stroke is the result of 
rebound, as you are only playing one stroke to execute two 
hits. This simple technique can be applied to a seemingly 
infinite amount of styles of drumming. The buzz stroke is 
primarily used in alternating fashion as to create a “buzz 
roll”, which is primarily used in orchestral drumming (makes 
for great fills in various styles of music). The flam arguably 
requires the most practice, as learning to put just the right 
amount of space between the initial accent, and the grace 
note (the softer hit that plays slightly before the accent), 
takes years of experience. These techniques mentioned thus 
far are not themselves rudiments, they are merely the 
building blocks of rudiments, which themselves are the 
building blocks of drumming. 
In terms of rudiments themselves, the single stroke roll 
utilizes singles, the double stroke roll utilizes doubles, and 
the flam itself is considered a rudiment. A common example 
of a rudiment that utilizes singles and doubles would be the 
paradiddle, which is played as right hand (r) left hand (l) 
right double (rr) left, right, left, left. So again, the paradiddle 
is played r l r r l r l l, each single hit being a single stroke, 
and every part with two consecutive rights or lefts being 
played as a double stroke. The last rudiment I will lay out for 
you is a flam accent, which is played with a flam followed by 
two single strokes. The flam accent looks something like this 
lR l r rL r l (lR meaning that “l” is the left hand grace note, 
and “R” is the right hand accent, with “lR” being a right 
handed flam.) Assuming that I haven't bored you to death, if 
you have made it this far, you now have a very basic 
understanding of the mechanics of drumming. These 
fundamental rudiments are not just something that a 
drummer works on early in his study, only to move on to 
greater things. These basic foundational rudiments are things 
that all drummers should be continuously practicing until the 
day that they die. For this reason, I have compared a 
drummer's integration of rudiments in drumming, to a 
philosopher's use of wisdom. 
At this time I should address what I mean by use of the 
term “philosopher”, and- while we are at it -I can also 
explain my use of the term “philosophy” in the title of this 
book. To be keep my explanation simple, I am using the term 
philosopher loosely. By philosopher, I mean someone who 
has become aware of the fact that they are able to strengthen 
their will, and use it to improve their day to day life. To 
strengthen the will is to make the mind more capable of 
controlling outcomes of all the various passing situations in 
one's life. To do this, one must use logic and reason. By 
consciously using logic and reason (which fall under the 
category of wisdom), a person meets the criteria for my 
definition of philosopher. Looking now at my use of the term 
philosophy, again, I have my own special definition. 
My version of the philosopher might be what some 
consider an “armchair philosopher”, so in that same regard 
you could look at my version of philosophy as “armchair 
philosophy”. This is in no way a negative thing, it just means 
that you don't have to have an opinion of Kant's “Critique of 
Pure Reason”, in order to feel like you can improve your life 
through the use of philosophy. Rudiments to the drummer 
are similar to the forms of Plato. Rudiments are the eternally 
existing truths of drumming that themselves lack innovation 
and creativity, but it is the duty of the drummer to use his 
own intelligence to animate and integrate the eternal 
rudiments into individuated creations, which can be 
understood as rhythms, or performances. 
By continuously improving on the ability to utilize the 
more flashy and intricate rudiments along with the most 
basic fundamentals, the drummer slowly works toward the 
mastery of his or her vocabulary and ability to express 
themselves on the drum set. In the same manner, it is the 
responsibility of the aspiring philosopher to learn the 
fundamentals of argument and ethics, alongside more 
complex subjects such as epistemology, and metaphysics. To 
be wise, or to have wisdom, is to make use of knowledge, 
experience, and understanding. One must gain knowledge of 
the eternal forms (rudiments) so that they can integrate them 
through experience (practice) into their life (playing). 
Through this process of gaining knowledge through 
experience (learning and practicing rudiments), one might 
some day gain initiation into understanding (being a 
masterful drummer). What does this mean in terms of 
drumming? 
I think the meaning of understanding is universal to both 
philosophy and drumming. Just as the drummer who learns 
to understand through his experience practicing rudiments, 
the philosopher might gain a similar level of understanding 
by experiencing knowledge of the world. As I mentioned in 
the beginning of this book, the most potent of knowledge 
related to supposed “initiation” is gained through practice 
within a tradition, along with ascetic practices. I have 
discussed the ascetic elements of drumming in the last 
chapter, and as I have explained here, rudiments can be seen 
as the transformative practice within the tradition of 
drumming. The accumulation of wisdom from practicing 
rudiments is to a drummer, as wisdom acquired by reading 
the bible is to a theologian. Having now exhausted this 
concept of rudiments as wisdom to my satisfaction, let's now 
move on to Soloing as Martial arts. 
 
12 
 
CHAPTER 5 

(Martial) Arts as 

Soloing 
     
The concept of this chapter is that soloing and playing 
chops (drum fills, improvised flashy patterns that temporarily 
deviate from the beat) can be compared to both art, and 
martial arts. A drum solo can be compared to art, because it 
is an expression of creativity in its purest form. Drumming 
itself is a creative venture, but when you are playing the beat, 
you are keeping the time of the song, and strictly working to 
hold together the structure. The drum fill, or drum solo is an 
opportunity for the drummer to showcase their creativity, and 
to display elements of their full capabilities around the kit. 
When considering soloing on the drums as compared to 
martial arts, it comes down to the pure primal aspect of 
rhythm.  
There is no melody to drumming, for this reason 
drummers might find themselves subject to judgment from 
other musicians from time to time. The advanced drummer 
doesn't worry themselves with these unnecessary negative 
comparisons. The practice of drumming is simply different 
than that of a melodic instrument, not worse nor better. I can 
agree with the skeptical melodic player, who claims that a 
drummer's job is a bit more simple. It is more simple in the 
sense that you are usually repeating a rhythmic pattern, as 
opposed to playing chord changes and melodies. This kind of 
simplicity could be compared to that of martial arts. In 
theory, the idea of striking or grappling with someone isn't 
especially complicated, but how many actually do it, and can 
do it well? 
Fighting is a very expressive form of movement. A 
well studied and skilled martial artist can fight with 
creativity and complexity, which can be compared to the 
creativity and complexity of soloing on the drums, or even 
painting a picture. Viewing this from the drummer's 
perspective, the elements of soloing on the drums can only 
truly be compared to fighting when you take into account 
competitive soloing at the top levels, which leads me to the 
example of the drum battle. During drum battles, such as 
Guitar Center drum off, drummers play solos that are 
adjudicated by a panel of judges, who only pass on 1 or 2 
drummers to the next round of each level of competition 
(depending on how far into the competition you are).  
There are many decently impressive chops on the drums 
that many drummers know and can get by with, but at this 
level of advanced competition, you will need more than just 
run of the mil chops to last. Due to this competitive nature of 
the drum off, I am inclined to compare it to martial arts, as 
drummers are facing off in tournament style fashion. The 
dominant drummer must use louder louds, softer softs, and 
cleaner strokes, just like the dominant boxer must throw 
quicker jabs, harder hooks, and more accurate punches. 
Many enter the competition, but only one can win, just like 
two men enter the ring, and only one can leave the victor. 
Most musicians will tell you that music isn't a competition. 
While I believe that to be the truth, I also think that there are 
many aspects of musicianship which are extremely 
competitive, and can lead to competition between musicians. 
Contrasting to the primitive, and violent aspect of 
soloing as martial arts, I will now speak on soloing as art. I 
feel that martial arts is an art form all its own, which is why I 
chose the title (martial) arts as soloing for this chapter. This 
creates a two in one yin-yang aspect to soloing; a dark side, 
and a light side. There is a primitive brutality to drumming, 
beating on the skins, and making loud noises. But then there 
is also a mystical, and expressive beauty to the ideas, which 
can be showcased through soloing. These aspects are 
expressed in their purest form during the drum solo, or the 
drum break/drum fill. In the moment of the drum solo, the 
audience is forced to recognize the drummer, as the reality 
for most people is that they are not focusing on what the 
drummer is playing during the majority of the band's set 
(depending on what band you are watching).  
The beat, as I have outlined in an earlier chapter, is 
designed to pull the listener into the song, so really if people 
aren't thinking about the drum beat or the drumming during 
the majority of the performance, then that means that the 
drummer is doing a fantastic job. Once it is time for a drum 
solo, or even just a drum break or short drum fill, the 
audience gets to see what the drummer is truly made of. 
Many drummers are able to have very busy and lucrative 
careers without having especially impressive chops, just like 
one could say that there are many competent fighters who 
aren't especially big or strong. To see a drummer with 
amazing chops solo, however, is universally awe inspiring, 
and do to the blatantly high levels of rhythmical technicality 
being showcased by the superior drummer, the execution of 
these high level chops demands some level of respect. 
A drummer's ability to solo, and play chops, depends on 
their ability to master and utilize rudiments. As I have 
outlined in the previous chapter, rudiments are the building 
blocks to drumming. Even if an uneducated, self taught 
drummer is able to solo without ever having learned to 
comprehend rudiments, they are still using rudiments in their 
playing whether they know it or not. Every time you hit the 
drum once you are playing a single, which is a piece of a 
single stroke roll. Every time you play two hits in a row with 
one hand you are playing a double. Most drum fills are just a 
series of single stroke rolls moved around the snare drum and 
toms, and a good portion of drum solos are the same way as 
well. More advanced fills will have flams, doubles, and 
accents, and will also utilize linear placement of the bass 
drum (linear placement meaning that no two drums hit at the 
same time). To achieve an advanced level of soloing and 
improvising on the drums, you must learn to express 
rhythmic ideas through your playing, and the use of 
rudiments.  
By expressing easily recognizable and unique ideas 
through your playing, you are tapping into the idea of 
soloing as art, and you are displaying your cleverness to the 
ear of the listener. Expressing a rhythmic idea could be as 
simple as playing a steady stream of 8​th​ note singles on the 
snare quietly the entire solo with only 3 accents played the 
entire time. A solo like this is likely to be more interesting 
than a random barrage of 16​th​ note triplet tom sweeps that 
leave the audience confused, annoyed, and cringing. It's 
about playing something with meaning, purpose, and a clear 
idea, so that this idea can be communicated to the listener, 
who will in turn appreciate the musician’s ability to 
communicate. By engaging the listener in this way, you are 
using soloing as art, and when you combine the chops of 
soloing as martial arts with the control of soloing as art, you 
might get to a level of playing similar to that of Tony 
Royster Jr., Ronald Bruner Jr., or Matt Garstka. 
 
15 
 
16 

CHAPTER 6 

The Ethics of 

Drumming 
     
An ethical drummer knows how to respectfully 
compliment the main aspects of a song. If the style is jazz, 
then the drummer can compliment the soloist by comping, or 
compliment the head of the song by strategically playing hits 
with the melody. If the style is pop, then the drummer will 
want to lay back as much as possible, and play a groove that 
sounds best looped underneath the vocal patterns of the song. 
The drummer adjusts to the needs of the song, and the good 
drummer plays in a way, which satisfies the other members 
of the band, and provides the best foundation for the song. A 
drummer who plays without respect will embarrass himself 
in front of the audience, for even the most casual of musical 
listeners can identify the unethical drummer from their 
tasteless playing. Common cases of unethical drumming 
include a drummer playing too many fills over a singer 
songwriter type of tune, or maybe over playing during 
someone else's solo in jazz. The ethical drummer aims to 
give the music space to breath, but at the same time plays 
with authority in a manner that isn't weak, or flimsy. Even 
though the drummer must play in order to serve the music, it 
is also important that the drummer is able to assert their own 
authority over the groove. 
Being ethical as a drummer does not mean that you 
allow other members of the band to take the reigns of the 
song and run things off course. It is the drummer's job to 
assert the tempo, which is reinforced by the bass player, who 
in turn helps translate the message of timing melodically to 
the rest of the band, and back to the drummer as well. An 
exceptional and ethical drummer leaves room for other 
members of the band to make small mistakes. When the 
drummer makes a significant mistake in timing, the structure 
of the song is likely to fall apart, as it is the drummer’s job to 
hold the band together. If a guitar player breaks a string, or 
has a sound issue, the drummer should be able to hold the 
timing of the song in place while measures are taken to fix 
the problem, and the guitar player should be able to re-enter 
back into the song with no issue. Such can not be said for the 
drummer. More often than not, if the drummer stops playing, 
then the song will stop shortly after. The drummer usually 
isn't the leader of the band, however, they are the leader of 
the timing, and more or less control the band's ability to 
continue playing a song. 
So what is there to be said about drumming as 
ethics, or the ethics of drumming that is of actual substance? 
Everything said so far on this subject is pretty straight 
forward. The drummer interacts with the band in an ethical 
manner, so that his or her drumming does not walk over, or 
over power the most important parts of the song. What is 
there to be understood about this relationship between a 
drummer and a band that can give you a deeper 
understanding of ethics? The drummer's ethic includes 
community, giving, sharing, taking responsibility, and 
leading without needing recognition. The drummer's job is 
not to be glorifying himself with his playing, but to take 
actions that are best for the community (band) as a whole. By 
giving your band a solid foundation, you are responsibly 
leading the way toward a successful performance, without 
needing any recognition in return. The ethical drummer 
should be fulfilled by his ability to improve the sound of his 
band, there should be no need to seek extra validation in a 
song by over playing, or showing off. There is a spiritual 
aspect to this idea of giving through drumming. If a drummer 
can fully immerse himself in this attitude of giving to the 
song without needing to boast, or play in a way which draws 
extra attention to himself, then he might find that it is a 
transformative experience. 
Considering the ethics of sharing as a drummer, a 
drummer cannot experience a song or a performance by 
himself, he must share it. A singer songwriter might go on 
tour on their own with just a microphone, and a guitar, 
obviously the drummer doesn't have this ability. For a 
drummer to be a part of the performance, they must share the 
experience with a group of musicians. This is a positive 
thing, and because of this musical exchange that must be 
shared between drummers and other musicians for the 
drummer to have a place, the drummer is forced to realize 
that the world doesn't revolve around them, and that by 
helping other people succeed, they too can find success, and 
happiness. Through and along side this experience of 
sharing, giving, and community as a drummer, the drummer 
also learns to take responsibility, and assume a leadership 
position. There are many dualities to drumming, and in terms 
of the drummers role in a band, they take a dual position as 
both worker, and leader. The drummer works to construct the 
foundation and bottom layer of the song, while asserting 
leadership in the song's tempo, and ability to continue. As I 
have said earlier, if the drummer stops playing, then the song 
stops, so when I say that the drummer controls the band's 
ability to continue playing, I mean that all of the musicians in 
the band are counting on the drummer to never stop playing. 
Can the glue which holds the band together really be 
considered to play a leading role as well? Only in respect to 
the fact that if the glue didn't exist, then the structure 
wouldn't exist either, so there would be nothing to lead. I 
suppose that this idea could be seen as a bit Marxist in 
nature. The drummer is like the working class, but the 
success of the bourgeoisie capitalist relies on the labor of the 
workforce. Interestingly enough, the relationship between 
band members could be seen as communal in nature. The 
group can only be as strong as the weakest link, so a 
professional band should see to it that everyone lives 
comfortably and eats well, regardless of their position in the 
pecking order. Let us now move on to the next topic, that of 
musical genre as religion.   
 
19 
 
CHAPTER 7 

Genre As 
Religion 
     
As introduced in the beginning of this book, traditional 
practice is the path toward what mystics consider 
enlightenment. For the purpose of this book and this chapter, 
I will be establishing the various musical genres as they 
relate to different traditional religions. Though I cannot align 
certain styles of music to specific religions (for example, 
polka being Hinduism, or heavy metal being Phoenician 
polytheism), what I can do is compare the concept of various 
religions being different options on a path toward spiritual 
awakening, to the concept of different styles of music being 
the options on a drummers path toward musical mastery.  
By strictly following the rules and guidelines laid out 
within any given tradition, the drummer or student learns to 
operate within a style of music in a similar fashion to the 
originators of the genera or tradition. A punk drummer 
chooses to play a beat up vintage drum-set with stickers all 
over it, because that's what his idols used to innovate the 
sound back in the day. A prog rock drummer plays a large 
double kick set with a sea of cymbals and toms, because that 
is what is appropriate to the progressive rock style, and what 
resonates with the traditions of past prog drummers. Heavy 
metal drummers aspire to play fast, and technical, and by 
learning to play with speed and power the metal drummer 
gains respect from other metal musicians within the tradition. 
Let me start off by introducing the concept of spiritual 
growth through tradition. 
As Richard Dawkins has so kindly pointed out, if 
you are born in India, you are likely to be a Hindu, if you are 
born in the USA, you are likely to be a Christian, and finally 
if you are born in Afghanistan, you are likely to be a Muslim. 
It is clear that the world is filled with many traditions both 
modern and ancient, and because of this, there is a great 
amount of skepticism from atheists regarding which religion 
is the “right” religion. From the standpoint of a perennial 
philosopher (which I no longer identify as), every legitimate 
tradition (legitimate meaning that it's roots are clear, and that 
the tradition has been widely known and practiced for 
thousands of years), can serve as a type of program that 
guides you toward spiritual salvation, and or 
liberation/enlightenment.  
Salvation is found through exoteric practice, namely 
Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam), and 
enlightenment is gained through ascetic practice, which is 
central to eastern traditions including Hinduism, and 
Buddhism. Salvation means different things to the followers 
of different faiths. In Hinduism, one can either ascend to 
Nirvana (salvation), or be reincarnated. The common 
Christian belief (which varies a bit depending on 
denomination), is that one can go to heaven (salvation), or to 
hell. Though the doctrines of Hinduism and Christianity 
differ greatly, it is interesting to note the similarity in the 
goal for salvation. Nirvana and Heaven are different things, 
yet at the same time they seem so similar. 
Enlightenment isn't something that can be 
guaranteed, and if achieved it's likely not something that can 
be taught. This idea of the mystic constantly praying, and 
practicing in order to achieve an inner alchemical wedding is 
an analogy which I feel does not pair with the dedicated 
drummer. The drummer can learn to excel in many styles, 
just like the philosopher is encouraged to study various 
forms of philosophy, and religion. Though the drummer can 
improve through great practice and study, at no point is there 
a great awakening in which the drummer floats off into 
infinite perfection (enlightenment). Mastery of an instrument 
requires constant work, and I can assure you at the very least 
that during this lifetime you will not have some sort of great 
awakening moment which brings you instant musical success 
(though if you do experience it, don’t write it off because of 
what I said). 
If any genre of music could be equated to 
philosophy, the style I would have to pick is jazz. Jazz covers 
such a broad spectrum of musical styles, that it is the most 
likely style of music for a musician to focus on when 
attending conservatory, especially for the drummer. Say that 
afro-cuban could be seen as Hinduism, or latin music can be 
seen as Islam. Latin, or afro-cuban jazz then, could be seen 
as Islamic or Hindu studies through the lens of philosophy. 
The jazz drummer seeks to constantly broaden the range of 
their musical vocabulary, and improve upon their ability to 
improvise, comp, and interoperate charts (read music). I 
don't mean to imply that jazz is superior to other styles of 
music, nor do I mean to imply that the beliefs of a 
philosopher are more true or valid than that of a Christian. 
My point is that jazz covers a lot of ground, and can 
encompass many other styles of music. 
Very wide brush strokes can be painted with this 
analogy, so in this paragraph I would like to attempt to 
summarize my point in as few words as possible. The 
spiritual seeker who aims to find truth in life must go on a 
perennial quest, this is similar to the new drummer who is 
still developing his taste in music. Perhaps the seeker decides 
that they find truth in the atheist perspective, and proceed to 
remove all religious related study from their life. This 
individual could be equated to a rock drummer, who enjoys 
jamming with his friends on weekends, but puts the majority 
of their efforts into other things.  
Then you have the seeker who pursues various avenues 
of study. They work through the ancient Hellenic mysteries, 
the Orphic myth, the works of Pythagoras, Plotinus, the 
metaphysics and theology of early church fathers, the works 
of medieval philosophers, as well as modern perennial 
philosophers, and then end up deciding that they find truth in 
the Orthodox Christian Church. The caliber of this spiritual 
quest can be equated to the rigorous study of a jazz drummer. 
The jazz drummer is likely to have a foundation in fusion, or 
perhaps funk, or gospel, but they know that to practice on a 
truly prestigious level, they need to put a considerable 
amount of focus into developing the vocabulary of jazz. 
Again, I do not wish to equate the “average Christian” with a 
simple hobbyist musician, but the way I see it, you can't 
expect to find truth without a great amount of study. For that 
reason, I have compared the more academic and studious 
genera of jazz, to the more well rounded, and scholarly study 
of philosophy (and theology), and the never ending search 
for spiritual truth. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHAPTER 8 

Rhythm As 
Metaphysics 
     
Before the drummer's playing can manifest into the 
world as sound, his or her rhythmic ideas must first develop 
in the mind as patterns. These rhythmic patterns, which form 
in the mind of the drummer, are purely metaphysical, and at 
first only exist as ideas. The drumming the listener hears is 
both a rhythm in itself, and a sound, while the rhythms that 
exist in the mind are only ideas, and it is from these ideas 
that the empirical sounds emanate. To further demonstrate 
this idea of preeminence, I will now talk briefly about the 
Kabbalah, and the tree of life. 
The tree of life is a roadmap which illustrates the 
various stages of emanation, bridging from the ain soph- the 
infinite un-manifested non-material void – to the physical 
realm of malkuth, which represents the entirety of empirical 
existence (all that we can know with our senses). The ain 
soph is not actually a part of the tree of life, rather it is the 
space you enter once you exit the tree through the final 
sphere of Kether. There are many other sources which the 
reader of this book can look to for a more in depth analysis 
of the tree of life, for now I wish to merely use it as an 
example of the emanation of ideas into physical reality. In 
total there are 10 spheres on the tree, ranging from Malkuth 
(the physical world) to Kether (the gateway between the tree 
of life, and pure uncreated being). Considering that there are 
10 spheres in total, the first being the physical, and the last 
being the gateway from the ain soph (uncreation), this means 
that there are 8 spheres in-between the physical, and the 
gateway (kether), and 9 spheres in-between the physical and 
uncreation (the ain soph). It is for this reason that I have 
introduced the Tree of Life as an example of eminence, for 
having 8-9 levels between the creation of an idea and the 
manifestation of that idea is every bit as comprehensive of an 
example as one could ask for. 
Drawing the comparison now between the tree of 
life, and rhythm as metaphysics, I should start by saying that 
there isn't a need for 9 stages in the rhythmic emanation 
process. Though it would be cool to draw a comparison 
between each sephirot (sphere on the tree of life) and each 
aspect of rhythmic emanation, there are simply not that many 
aspects of rhythmic emanation. Instead of using 10 spheres, I 
will consider only the middle pillar, being a grouping of four 
sephirot found in the middle section of the tree. This 
selection includes Malkuth (the physical world), Yesod 
(mind/the astral), Tipheret, (higher self), and Kether (pure 
being). In terms of rhythmic emanation, the four stages can 
be labeled rhythmic void (kether), rhythmic forms (tipheret), 
rhythmic visualization (yesod), and rhythmic execution 
(malkuth). The rhythmic void can be considered your raw 
subconscious pool of available rhythms, both of which you 
have heard before, and of which you have never heard or 
considered. The realm of rhythmic forms can be seen as your 
unconscious understanding of a rhythm that is about to enter 
into, and be analyzed by your conscious mind. The realm of 
rhythmic visualization represents the point when the rhythm 
has been decided and consciously acknowledged in your 
mind. Finally, the realm of rhythmic execution is the 
physical world, where the rhythmic patterns in your mind are 
executed as sounds. Now that i've given a brief overview of 
each realm, I would like to elaborate more on each stage of 
rhythmic emanation. 
The rhythmic void, which can be equivocated to 
Kether on the tree of life, is the most difficult concept to 
grasp of the four stages of rhythmic emanation. The best way 
to gain understanding of the rhythmic void, is to draw a 
comparison between it and the realm of rhythmic forms, as to 
make a clear distinction between the two. The realm of 
rhythmic forms consists of all rhythms that you have ever 
known, where as the rhythmic void contains all possible 
rhythms. A drummer is likely to tap into the rhythmic void 
when they improvise, particularly when they play a 
drum-solo. During a drum solo, the drummer might stretch 
beyond his known rhythmic capacity, playing a rhythmic 
idea, or composition that they have never heard, known, or 
considered before. For this to happen, rhythmic ideas from 
the rhythmic void must bleed into the realm of rhythmic 
forms. From there, that particular idea is loaded from the 
realm of rhythmic forms into the realm of rhythmic 
visualization, where for a brief moment the drummer 
becomes aware of this rhythm consciously, before playing it 
(which is the moment that the rhythm enters into the realm of 
rhythmic execution). 
Considering now the realm of rhythmic forms, this 
is the realm where your mind first begins to processes, and 
put together the rhythmic patterns. Though all possible 
rhythmic patterns exist in the rhythmic void, the rhythmic 
void doesn't actually exist in your mind. So if the realm of 
rhythmic forms exists in your mind, then what separates it 
from the realm of rhythmic visualization? The answer is 
awareness, and consciousness. The realm of rhythmic forms 
serves as a bridge between the rhythmic void, and the 
drummers conscious awareness of the rhythm they are about 
to play. The pieces of the rhythm are summoned from the 
rhythmic void- which exists outside of time and space -into 
the realm of rhythmic forms, where the idea which the 
drummer will play has been fully formed and decided, the 
drummer just hasn't realized it yet. 
The realm of rhythmic visualization is a step along 
the process of rhythmic emanation that needs little 
explanation, for it is simply the conscious mind of the 
drummer. At this stage, the drummer knows what he is going 
to play, but has yet to play it. The previous stage marks the 
moment that the rhythm enters your mind, and the stage 
before isn't so much a stage, as just a state of eternal being. 
What is relevant to the drummer's over all playing level is his 
or her ability to play the rhythms exactly as they are 
visualized in the realm of rhythmic visualization, and even 
beyond that the ability of the drummer to draw rhythms from 
the realm of rhythmic forms into their realm of rhythmic 
visualization without distorting the original rhythms.  
Each step the rhythm travels from uncreation into the 
physical world creates a chance for the rhythmic idea to 
become distorted. In order to combat this, the drummer must 
understand, and practice every pattern they learn with utmost 
attention to detail, for the accuracy of your mind's recording 
of the rhythm into the realm of rhythmic forms depends on 
your ability to learn them properly. If you learn a technique 
or pattern the wrong way, say to 90% accuracy, then if that 
pattern is distorted to 80% accuracy as it enters your 
conscious mind, and finally performed at 70% accuracy upon 
execution, you will obviously be playing that particular 
pattern at a very low level (drumming proficiency all comes 
down to rhythmic accuracy). 
 
26 
 
CHAPTER 9 

Time As 
Concentration 
       
Now that the short drum lesson is out of the way, we 
can refocus on the concept of time in a wider spectrum, but 
still in terms of music and drumming. As I have previously 
stated, in jazz, for a drummer playing time refers to playing 
the jazz ride beat, but when someone says “that drummer has 
phenomenal time!”, they are referring to something else 
entirely. Good time for a drummer means that they are able 
to play a song at the tempo it's meant to be played, and 
without ever speeding up or slowing down (at least not 
noticeably).  
This art of keeping solid time is one of the most (if not 
the most), important aspect, which separates drumming from 
the roles of other musical instruments. The drummer must 
perform a bit of a balancing act to maintain a solid tempo for 
the band, while the rest of the band is more free to focus on 
rhythm and melody (the bass player plays an important role 
in time keeping as well). The ability of a drummer to 
maintain solid time extends beyond the drummer's rhythmic 
knowledge, chops, soloing ability, and overall creativity. 
Without a solid tempo, all of these other aspects of 
drumming will not take you very far. The key to a drummer's 
mastery of time (as I'm sure you have probably guessed) is 
concentration. 
As an experienced drummer myself, I can attest for my 
occasional wandering mind resulting in me either slowing 
down during a fat laid back funk groove, or speeding off into 
hyperspace during an up tempo swing, or upbeat rock tune. I 
developed a greater understanding of time by practicing with 
my metronome, but in unconventional ways. When any 
musician practices with a metronome, usually the meter is in 
4/4, and one click plays for each quarter note. An example of 
unconventional metronome use would be having only one 
click play on beat 4 of the measure, or even having one 8​th 
note play on the last 8​th​ note of the measure (the and of 4). 
When practicing this way, there is more space in-between 
each click of the metronome, making it so that you have 
more time to speed up or slow down in-between each click. 
Chances are that if you had been practicing with a 
metronome the normal way before, you will notice yourself 
arriving late or early to each click with this new method, 
which will inevitably force you to work on your time, and 
rhythmic accuracy. 
 Now that I've about completely exhausted the drumming 
side of this metaphor, I would like tie in the time of 
drumming with the skill of concentration. Concentration is a 
true gift in this rapidly stirring world of television, movies, 
internet media, and all other modern forms of entertainment. 
The fact that you are reading this book right now means that 
you have a great deal more concentration than a decent 
proportion of the population who would never dream of 
reading a book in their spare time.  
Anything that is worth attaining in life requires 
concentration. To learn a skill, to improve upon a skill, to 
master an art-form, or technique, and even in general to get 
the things in life that you desire. Many philosophers, 
occultists, and other spiritual types have drawn direct 
comparisons to concentration, and the will, and the infamous 
occultist Aleister Crowley was known for directly comparing 
the will to magic. The bottom line is that in order to obtain 
the things that you desire in life, you will need to make a 
plan of action, and then you will need to execute that plan; 
formulating a solid plan requires a great deal of 
concentration. 
Imagine doing a series of studies, in which participants 
competed with each other in a wide array of tasks. Before the 
competitions begin, a series of tests are done in order to 
separate the participants into two groups, one group being 
high concentration, and the other low concentration. After 
gathering a large group of subjects who tested high 
concentration, and a group who tested low concentration, we 
would have them compete in puzzle games, sports, writing, 
memorization, improv acting, etc. Basically, the more tasks 
that we could have the opposing groups compete in, the more 
conclusive the data would be. My hypothesis obviously 
would be that the high concentration group would 
outperform the low concentration group universally across 
the map, to the point that high concentration people could be 
seen as superior. 
So hypothetically, what would the results of this study 
prove? If my hypothesis was proven to be correct, then it 
would prove that something as simple as concentration 
(which can be improved with simple focus exercises such as 
daily meditation, better diet, and by reading more) is more or 
less what dictates the food chain of humanity. He or she who 
concentrates, is more likely participate (in the big picture), 
meaning that concentration is a secret to success. 
 
 
 
CHAPTER 10 

The Temple Of 

Drums 
     

My use of the word temple in this short chapter refers to 

a place of solitude, self improvement, and self discovery. I 
think in the religious sense, the term temple still means much 
of the same thing, only that all of the self improvement and 
self discovery is found through fellowship, and a relationship 
with God. In terms of solitude, a temple is traditionally a 
place where people gather as a community, where as in the 
temple of drums you are practicing alone. The temple of 
drums, however, does not only refer to a drummer's practice 
space, but also a drummers experience rehearsing with a 
band, as well as performing. Through a drummer's practice, 
study, rehearsal, and performance, he or she experiences a 
temporary immersion into the aether, putting the drummer 
into a state of mind that can only be reached through select 
traditional practices. More or less, “the temple of drums” 
isn't confined to an empirical place or room where a 
drummer practices, it symbolizes a metaphysical space 
which exists in any place where a drummer grows musically. 
 Aether or ether is what could be considered the 5​th 
element (water, wind, fire, earth, aether). A human can only 
interact with the aether through thought, as it is a substance, 
which exists beyond the empirical realm. As stated in the 
previous chapter, mastery of one's ability to concentrate will 
lead to one's ability to master all other worldly pursuits. 
Those who have strong concentration, have a stronger 
connection to the aetheric realm. From a dualist perspective, 
the physical world that we can all know and sense would be 
the empirical realm, and the realm of soul and spirit is the 
aetheric realm, or aether. 
Using the wisdom from the previous chapters of this 
book, a drummer can learn to strengthen their concentration, 
and sharpen virtually all of their attributes through practice in 
the temple of drums. Through the ascetic aspects of 
drumming, the tasteful execution of the rudiments of 
wisdom, the (martial) art of soloing, and through the ethical 
and metaphysical aspects of playing and rhythm, a drummer 
can master their ability to concentrate, which will in turn 
strengthen their connection to the etheric realm, resulting in 
the manifestations of a stronger will. This entire process can 
be described as a drummers journey inwards, through 
practice in the temple of drums. From a Christian 
perspective, you could see your increase in concentration as 
a decimation of barriers between you and God. Do we 
control the aetheric realm, or does the aetheric realm interact 
with us? My personal views on these questions have changed 
over the course of writing this book, so I will leave that 
interpretation up to you, the drummer who seeks truth 
through consistent strides in musical development. 
Recognizing now, your drums as a temple, it is 
important to treat your drumming space with the respect a 
temple deserves. An aspiring drummer would be advised to 
keep their drumming space and the space around their drum 
set, and or rehearsal area clean and organized. Major claims 
were made in the previous paragraph regarding a drummer's 
ability to achieve mastery of their life through drumming; for 
this process to work properly, you can't have dirty socks and 
empty pizza boxes lying around all over the place. On top of 
this, a drummer should consider spicing up their space with 
candles, incense, posters, uplifting and inspiring quotes, 
poetry, as well as statues, trophies, even toys or any other 
memorabilia that inspires you as an artist, and a spiritual 
seeker. 
When spending time in your temple, it is wise not leave 
your negative thoughts outside. Turning off social media, 
cell phones, and removing all other distractions is well 
advised as well. If you have chores or any other important 
tasks that need to be done on a certain day, be sure to finish 
all of these things before your time spent in the temple of 
drums. Drumming can only become your temple if you allow 
it to, and only if you treat it as such. When your practice 
space looks like a temple, and when your behavior within 
your practice space reflects the appropriate behavior of a 
person attending a temple, your experience within the temple 
of drumming will have an opportunity to become something 
more than just a metaphor. Any disciplined practice can 
become your temple, obviously for the purpose of this book I 
have stuck to the metaphor of drumming, which I chose 
partially because I believe it to be easily relatable to many 
other things (as explained in the introductory chapters). 
 
 
CHAPTER 11 

Duality of Drums 
and Drumming 
     
Regarding the subject of drums and drumming, we will 
revisit the topic that has been touched on many times in this 
book already; the topic of dualism, (the material, and the 
non-material). The material realm consists of all that we can 
possibly experience using our senses, while the non-material 
realm consists of everything that exists beyond the material. 
Non-material consists of mind, spirit, soul, god, 
metaphysical beings (angels, demons, spirits), and all things 
which atheists believe do not exist. Proving the existence of 
the spirit, god, and angels or demons, would be quite a hefty 
and seemingly impossible task; let's take a moment to 
discuss the mind. The mind is something that we all know to 
exist, as our ability to think, reason, visualize, imagine, and 
innovate is constant proof of the human mind's capabilities.  
Psychologists, scientists, atheists, and many other 
empiricist intellectuals tend to reduce the human mind to a 
jumble of firing neurons, chemical reactions, and mechanical 
sequences, which make us only think (with what... our 
minds?) that we in fact have some sort of metaphysical 
sentience. 
Though I think revolutionary minds like Freud did a 
fantastic job at uncovering the sexual desires, and inner most 
primal ticks of human instinct, I don't think that psychology 
can explain someone like Plato, or a great artist like Da 
Vinci. All living creatures have the same primal instincts to 
mate, eat, fight, and survive, yet somehow human beings are 
the only creatures that can create test tube babies, the Mona 
Lisa, and the destruction of all organic life on the planet. The 
argument for the non-material is one that doesn't end, and 
just being honest likely won't end here in this paragraph of 
this chapter, so let's move on to the relationship of the 
material, and the non material, with drums and drumming. 
While drumming, the player acts as the mind of the 
drums. The drum-kit functions as the material outlet of the 
drummer's metaphysical rhythms (see rhythm as 
metaphysics). The drums by themselves cannot play, and the 
drummer without a drum-kit has no outlet for his drumming, 
thus the two have a symbiotic relationship. In the realm of 
material, or the realm of 'drums', there exists the drum-kit, 
and the many physical aspects which determine it's sound. 
This includes the tuning of the drums, the head selection, the 
drumstick selection, and finally the physical aspects of the 
drummer him or herself. Notice the name of the second 
realm is 'drumming', not 'drummer'. This is because both the 
realms of drums and drumming include the drummer; drums 
containing the drummer's physical body, and drumming 
containing the drummer's mind. The realm of drumming 
consists of the rhythms played by the drummer, but not the 
sounds produced by the rhythms. This is because sound 
exists in the material world, but numbers and rhythms 
(basically the same thing) do not. 
Understanding now the relationship between drums 
and drumming, we can learn to train ourselves in the most 
strategic manner, which sharpens our abilities to perform 
best in both realms. In order to master the realm of drums, a 
drummer must purchase a respectable drum kit. Though high 
end drum-sets go from anywhere from 4-10k (or more), an 
experienced drummer has no excuse for a poor sounding 
drum set. With proper head selection and intelligent tuning, a 
smart player can put together a great sounding kit for 
800-1000 bucks. Short cuts cannot be taken when purchasing 
cymbals, as they simply cannot be tuned. Buy a used bop kit 
for 300-500$, and spend an additional $500 on cymbals, and 
you have yourself a decent kit. Next, in the realm of drums 
we have the drummer. Regardless of the drummer's skill 
level, they must have a healthy functional body in order to 
perform to the best of their abilities on the drums. Most 
everything else that can be said about the realm of drums was 
described in the previous chapter 'The temple of drums'. Just 
to be clear, the temple of drums exists within the realm of 
drums, not the other way around. 
Now let's consider how the aspiring advanced 
drummer can train to master the realm of drumming. By 
integrating the philosophy from the previous chapters of this 
book, a drummer can improve their ability to succeed in the 
realm of drumming. By practicing drumming as asceticism, 
mastering the rudiments of wisdom, understanding the 
(martial) art of soloing, and implicating the ethics of 
drumming (all within the temple of drums), the drummer can 
learn to identify the various skills needed to operate within 
the drumming realm. These skills include the comprehension 
of metaphysical rhythms, and the ability to concentrate on 
time. The realm of 'drumming' consists of all aspects related 
to the drums that you cannot feel, see, hear, or sense in any 
way. When you listen to a drum solo, you are experiencing 
the world of drums, but the drummer is bringing you that 
experience from the world of drumming. Without the 
idealistic world of 'drumming' which plots the points, there 
would be no empirical execution, which we experience as 
sound in the world of 'drums'. Relating this to the chapter 
'Genera as Religion', there comes a time where the drummer 
must eventually choose a path. 
Though it is common for drummers to strive to be 
versatile and well rounded, at the end of the day you will end 
up playing with bands which determine the future drumming 
opportunities that you are applicable for. For example, if the 
most well rounded drummer on the planet decides to play in 
a brutal death metal band, they are likely to be labeled by 
those looking from the outside as a metal drummer. Though 
many musicians are more open minded, and wouldn't be so 
quick to make judgments, it is also well known that this is 
the way it is for the majority. In my opinion, the greatest 
drummers tend to have musical preferences, and usually fall 
into a select niche of genres that they enjoy playing the most. 
When you play for a band of any genre, you are making a 
commitment to that specific culture, and scene.  
People don't want to hear a reggae drummer talk about 
how they play in speed metal bands and drum and bass prog 
bands, they want to hear that they grew up on a beach in 
Jamaica listening to steel drum bands play all day long while 
drinking rum (joking of course). The point is, when a 
drummer makes a clear commitment to a genre of music, 
they are more likely to grow within that style, and learn that 
language on a deeper level. When considering your musical 
path as a drummer, you must consider both worlds. The latin 
jazz drummer should have cow bells and timbales on his kit 
to best adjust his world of 'drums' to his latin jazz sound. 
Considering the latin jazz drummer's world of 'drumming' 
now, he must simply learn to play like a latin jazz drummer. 
Next we will take a look at music as a representation of the 
world. 
 
36 
 
CHAPTER 12 

Music As The 
World 
     
In a world of music, the drummer plays a crucial role in 
creating the foundation of society; they are not, however, the 
center of attention. In general, the drummer's position in the 
world should be seen as an average and humble citizen, and 
for the purposes of self improvement, could be applied to 
anyone from any background. We are all in a similar boat 
regardless of social status, income levels, or over all success 
in life. The drummer puts his best into every session and gig, 
but doesn't expect a great deal of recognition in return. We 
all find ourselves in everyday situations where the lead 
vocalist is getting all of the attention while our painstaking 
dedication to the groove goes unnoticed.  
Taking notes from the Buddhist philosophy, it can be 
understood that the quickest path to happiness is to become 
unattached. When a drummer or any musician or artist can 
become unattached to the recognition, and or fame aspect of 
their craft, then they will learn to become fully fulfilled by 
their performance, and with their ability to play. Recognition 
can be achieved as a drummer, but the drummer must always 
be honest with themselves regarding their playing capability. 
For anyone to find their way in life, they must be able to 
accurately assess what strong attributes they bring to the 
table, and for the drummer, they must know where they need 
improvement, and where they shine. 
Harmonies and chords represent the laws of the world, 
and the melody represents individuals within the world at 
play within those laws. Obviously many of the melodic laws 
do not apply to a drummer, though the experienced 
percussionist is wise to learn them; this can be seen as 
education. The uneducated drummer can thrive, it has been 
done before, and it will be done many times over again, but 
the drummers who tend to rise to the top of the food-chain 
are those who understand song structure, chords, melody, 
harmony, counterpoint, scales, modes, modal interchange, 
ect.  
With this knowledge, a drummer can distinguish himself 
from the masses, and prove to higher ups that they know the 
laws of the land. Considering the 'higher ups', this would 
have to be represented by the leader of the band. If you play 
in a pit orchestra, the higher up would be your conductor. If 
you are the touring drummer for Katy Perry, than your higher 
up would be Katy Perry. Whoever calls the shots of any 
particular group will recognize a drummer who is able to 
keep solid time, can follow cues properly, and knows when 
to lay back and when to accentuate within a song. Seeing 
now that the drummer represents you, the conductor (group 
leader) represents your boss, then I suppose that means that 
each song would represent a given assignment or task, and 
your band or group would represent your job. So when 
exactly is the drummer not playing? 
The resting state of the drummer is arguably equally as 
important to the playing state. What you do when you are not 
playing may very well deter your ability to perform on the 
drums. The drummer's resting state can be seen as their 
hobbies, pastimes, and every day routine decisions such as 
diet, exercise and sleeping habits. Let's say that you have a 
full time touring gig, and you play a 45 minute set every 
night for 3 months straight. Clearly your job is to perform, so 
if you binge drink yourself into the hospital in your time 
away from the drums, then you will likely not be able to 
perform to your full capability during your show. Your 
resting state can be seen as a method of recharging, and 
restoring yourself. It can either be a powerful revitalizer, or a 
dead weight and drain on your body. 
Be aware of the moments in life when you are not 
'performing'. When you are watching television, when you 
are driving back and forth from work, brushing teeth, 
showering, walking the dog, and or doing any sort of daily 
menial task, stop to take a brief mental note “is this going to 
benefit me in the long run? Am I doing something that will 
move me closer towards my goals?”. I'm not saying that the 
professional drummer cannot have any time to relax and 
enjoy a beer or watch television, but there are many who are 
unaware of the moments in life that don't count towards their 
higher goals and needs, and unfortunately way too many 
people get stuck in this never ending cycle of comfort 
seeking behavior that does little more than waste time. Allow 
yourself a few short but enjoyable breaks during the day, and 
be sure to avoid any feelings of guilt or anxiety during that 
period. When you set aside time to relax, be sure not to 
spend that time stressing out over the future or the past. If 
you are the type of individual who isn't able to relax until 
everything is done, then don't even bother wasting time 
trying to relax while in a state of panic. Get your projects 
done, so that you can FULLY enjoy whatever activity you 
choose to fill your resting time. 
The world of music is in constant motion. You, the 
drummer, work together daily with your conglomerates 
(band mates), in order to produce value to society (songs, 
albums, performances). Many drummers find themselves 
practicing alone, yet to find a group to work with, or perhaps 
they are not yet ready. In order for the group to thrive, they 
must perform outstandingly within the limits of the law 
(chords, melody, rhythm, harmony). What can be said of the 
bigger picture, of 'music' as a whole? The fact is that it's even 
bigger than the world, it represents all which the human 
perception can ever hope to experience. In order to stem 
beyond this all encapsulating universe of music, the drummer 
must learn to achieve transcendence through performance, 
which I will discuss in the next chapter. 
 
 
CHAPTER 13 

Performance As 
Transcendence 
     
The final goal of the experienced drummer is to 
transcend into the non-material realm through performance. 
A good show makes all of the difference in life, and when 
executed flawlessly, and in the right setting, a successful 
performance can be seen as the end point of everything a 
musician works toward. To transcend into the non-material 
realm means to fulfill a higher purpose. By accomplishing 
the higher goals established by a spiritual calling, you are 
acknowledging the existence of a greater way, or a higher 
calling, and proving to yourself that it does in fact exist. 
Belief is a powerful thing, and for your non-material 
experience to be real, it is essential that you believe it to be 
real. During each step of your growth as a drummer, you 
must recognize the inner evolution that takes place during 
your learning process. 
At this point I want to make it clear that 
transcendence through this system of 'drumming as 
philosophy' doesn't have to be seen as a spiritual, or religious 
thing.  
I believe that a strict practicing Christian or Muslim 
could see the transcendence reached through this system as 
an attainment of the highest of earthly goals, meaning 
something of extreme importance, but not something truly 
holy, or religious. From an other perspective, an atheist could 
understand the transcendence reached through performance 
to mean the exact same thing, only that the non-material 
realm could be a hypothetical thing that exists purely as a 
means of self improvement. This system is compatible with 
religion, but not a religion itself. The non-material realm 
doesn't truly need to exist for you to benefit from it, and 
considering that it's non-material, it would be quite 
reasonable to argue for its non-existence. Even if nothing 
greater, higher, transcendent, or non-material exists, that 
doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive towards the higher 
ideals which these things offer to us. 
Clearly (at least I hope it's become clear by this 
point), I ​do​ believe in a transcendent realm, which I want to 
make clear as well. The situation as it stands is that a 
non-material realm cannot be disproved, or proved, so your 
stance on the matter would be similar to a stance one would 
take on god. Either you believe in it, you don't, or you 
consider each possibility. The point I wish to get across is 
that the IDEA of the non-material realm can offer strength 
and guidance to your life that you cannot find anywhere else. 
A drummer can either take the passive route, and see their 
craft as nothing more than a pass time, or the drums as 
nothing more than toys to tinker around with; or a drummer 
can simply acknowledge that there is a greater awakening 
and understanding of one's most inner intricacies that takes 
place through the spiritual quest of drumming. The skilled 
drummer's practice would need little changes to integrate this 
system, but it would require a great deal more attention, and 
understanding. 
Finally, it should be made known that you don't 
need to play drums to integrate this system. Your 
transcendence will be the same, but your performance will be 
different. If we take a compressed formula of the entire 
process of what we will call 'drumming as alchemy' 
(drumming as philosophy applied), then what we have is 
study, practice, and performance. First you must learn the 
techniques of the trade, and when possible learn from people 
who have mastered those techniques themselves. Next you 
must practice integrating these techniques, someplace quiet 
where you can focus, and will not be bothered for long hours 
(see The Temple of Drums). Finally, you must execute what 
you have learned and practiced in the real world. Show the 
people what you are made of, and more importantly, show 
yourself. Reaching transcendence through your performance 
simply means to fulfill your visualized goals to 100%. Your 
visualizations only exist in the non-material realm, and by 
completing your visualized goal in reality, you have 
manifested the non-material into the material realm. 
Perhaps it all sounds a bit overcomplicated. Why 
must the completion of your goal be seen as a collision of the 
non-material realm with the material realm, as a result of you 
being some sort of grand wizard? Because it makes the 
process more fun, and the more you succeed, the more it 
begins to feel real. The more the process begins to feel real, 
the more you start to ask yourself “why isn't this real?”. Just 
let it be what it is. The greatest artists have clearly derived 
much inspiration from things that can be considered beyond 
this world, and the same can be said for many of the worlds 
greatest innovators and inventors, many who in a way are 
also considered artists in their own right. The non-material is 
a palette that the artist paints from, only you cannot access 
this exquisite and diverse palette unless you believe that it 
exists. Similar to the mystical land of Fantasia from my 
favorite childhood film “The Neverending Story”, the 
non-material influence in your life will crumble into 
non-existence if you choose to ignore it, or not to believe in 
it. 
 
“​Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and 
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom 
of heaven.​” (Matthew 18:3).  
 
I think there are many levels of interpretation to this 
quote, as it has that sort of divine simplicity to it that can be 
applied to many things. For the purpose of this chapter, the 
kingdom of heaven can represent creativity, and becoming as 
little children can represent believing in the non-material. Is 
the Kingdom of Heaven not filled with all things good and 
divine? Creativity implies innovation, which means to create 
what has not yet been created. When searching for 
inspiration, the innovator stares into the abyss, the 
nothingness, hoping that at some moment, a grand idea will 
just pop into their mind. These grand ideas which have 
popped into the minds of the worlds greatest thinkers and 
innovators are gems from the non-material realm, and in 
order to harvest them for yourself, you must be open minded. 
At some point, many learn to understand the rationality of 
transcendence, but until then, you must have faith. 
 
42 
 
CHAPTER 14 

Conclusion 
     
In the temple of drums, the inspired percussionist can 
develop all aspects of their being. A student of the 
philosophy of drumming can expect to develop strong ethics, 
deep wisdom, and a great understanding of metaphysics and 
time, along with a deep comprehension of the dualist 
worldview. By understanding the metaphors and systems laid 
down in each chapter, you should be able to apply the 
mechanics of this system to anything. A dancer's drum set is 
the studio floor, and her sticks are her shoes. A programmer's 
temple is a computer, and a salesman's martial arts are his 
words.  
After over 15 years of time spent behind the drums I 
feel that it's a subject I have a broad understanding of, and in 
hopes of developing a deeper understanding of philosophy, I 
have attempted to relate my drumming experience to my 
knowledge of philosophy. A drummer reading this should 
take note not to over complicate their practice. The systems 
in this book can certainly be integrated with real drumming 
practice, but I don't want you to be stressing over martial 
arts, metaphysics, ethics, and duality while you are trying to 
play a show. A 'drummer', using the system in this book 
should take note to find some sort of a craft if you do not 
have one already.  
The idea is to develop a skill that will challenge you 
enough to keep you interested and motivated, but will be fun 
so that you stay engaged, and enjoy your practice. Some 
examples of this include lifting weights, learning martial arts, 
playing sports, writing, acting, yoga, painting/drawing, and 
hiking. The truth is, this is a very tiny selection of the various 
activities in the world, which can help you to grow and 
improve. Maybe this book has inspired you to pick up the 
drums, in which case you will have the greatest opportunity 
to integrate the system fully.  
I would encourage any reader to pick up a set of drums, 
or at least a set of bongos, a djembe, or even just a pair of 
drumsticks. Set aside just 5 to 10 minutes a day at first, and 
if you are so inclined to practice more, than do so. 
Sometimes jamming out to records on the drums after a long 
day is the perfect thing to clear your mind, just make sure not 
to drive the neighbors crazy (soundproofing, playing early, 
and electronic drums are all options). Whichever drum your 
life beats to, regardless of whether or not it is a real drum, or 
a theoretical drum, it is a drum that I encourage you to play 
loudly, and with nothing but the most exquisite feel and 
precision. 
 
God bless you 
 
-Jake 
 
fin