...here are my 2 cents on this:
...the very first drum clinic that I went to was conducted by the Master himself, Steve Smith, in 2002. When I saw how he was moving around his lovely white pearl Sonor Kit
, "Effortlessly" without doing any weird movements or what not, I was like; Oh man! Wow! I want to look like that when I play. Then as he continued and I heard how he was pulling the sound out of his kit I was like; Oh snap! I want my drums to sound like that!
...then he hit all of the drummers in the crowd with this: "I recommend every drummer in this building to get with a teacher and learn your craft. If you've studied with a teacher, find a mentor. I'm older now and I still have mentors and teachers."
...I was like, "Whoa"! This guy is insane. What more could he want? But watching his playing and the way he applies Freddie Gruber's teachings to his playing is beautiful.
...We as drummers in general have to accept fundamentals but we need someone to teach us those fundamentals. If you want to learn, the material is there but you will need a teacher. If you don't, then you will struggle and keep on struggling until you figure it out.
Sidenote:
...I myself don't have a teacher yet, but I do have about 3 mentors who know what they're talking about and have the background to prove it.
