The drummer’s number one enemy when grooving isn’t an inability to keep time (though that’s a big one too)… it’s the itch. It’s the feeling you get to break out (musically) when you are locked in the pocket. It’s like the musical equivalent of claustrophobia. Staying in a groove can make your musical universe seem very small. So you leave the pocket to come up for air… deep breath… and then you’re back in again. You did it even if the music would have been better served if you had just stayed in the pocket. Just like with an itch, scratching isn’t good for you but it satiates the itch for that instant that you give in… then it’s back again. Read the rest of this entry →