Comfort Zone

"Life Starts at the end of your comfort zone." You might expect that phrase to come from a mountain climber or skydiver, but I recently read that line in a magazine for drummers and it struck me as an interesting philosophy. Maybe the line stood out for me because I have recently been tasked with playing a drum solo in the middle of one of our original tunes. I have not played a drum solo since the mid-nineties and certainly haven't put any thought into the concept lately.  I remember how it came about - it was during our weekly practice, I was just minding my own business, accompanying my bandmates, when Woody said: "Phil, you're putting a solo here!"  
When I regained consciousness, he hadn't changed his mind.  
We had a gig soon after and I had no time to prepare for an intimate moment with the crowd. I just threw in a few round-abouts on the toms and we kept it to 4 phrases. It just didn't seem right to me, but it was all I could muster and I was definitely out of my comfort zone. Over the course of the next few gigs I added a little more, but nothing that stated 'Drum Solo'. I still hadn't had a lot of time to think about the start, middle and end of it - or what I should do to make it a 'Drum Solo'. At our most recent show, Woody gave me 12 phrases to myself - unbeknownst to me - so I did my thing until I thought he was going to come back in, but... HE DIDN'T. After the show, my good friend Jeff (see previous post) said it looked like I ran out of ideas. When I watched the video later - that's exactly how it looked.  The only person to blame is myself. I was unprepared and the rest of the band was confident I would keep it going until they were ready to bring it back into the song.

Canada Day 2013 photo courtesy Stacey Bee

So now I am researching, pondering, and making notes of how I would like to express myself with a solo. I have watched Bill Bruford and Neil  Peart, read web articles about soloing and contemplated various patterns while driving to work. Omar Hakim likes to play in 6/8 time. Steve Smith and Dave Weckel, unbelievably fast with crazy changing time signatures. Maybe I'll try some 7 over 4 like Vinnie Colaiuta. That would certainly make me anxious and uncomfortable to play in front of a crowd, but I know how good it feels once I'm finished. One of the best feelings in life.

On the farm I occasionally find myself out of my comfort zone and in not-so-comfortable situations. Loading bulls on a trailer was a nerve-racking event the first few times, assisting births is NOT my cup of tea and hauling a load of hay down a steep hill always makes me grip the steering wheel extra tight. And although its not a life or death scenario to play a tricky drum part, I still feel anxious and get a  tingle from a little adrenaline release. 

All of those anxious moments have worked out well, making the experience something I can look back on, knowing I have become more comfortable with life. Even the situations that were closer to precarious have given me some humility and at the same time bravado.

I am looking forward to the band's debut EP release in the coming weeks, with the launch date and CD release party yet to be determined. Every song on it took me out of my comfort zone in various ways, while making me a better drummer. 
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