The Drum Dojo...

In an effort to discover the correlation between music and martial arts, I've decided to embark on a personal journey that combines my two greatest loves in the world. What makes martial artists love to play music? Equally, what makes musicians want to practice martial arts? Here's what I discovered: I'm not the only one who ponders the same question. I recently came across a great blog from my friends at fretterverse.com that also attempts to dissect the similarities of musicians and martial artists. Dr. Matt Warnock wrote this wonderful piece called "The Music and Martial Arts Connection" and he determines that both arts possess the same degree of discipline: Art, Timing, Training & Revelations. Even though these concepts fall right on the money, for our purposes, I feel it's necessary to dive deeper. Music and martial arts are exactly what they claim themselves to be: art. When combined with consistent training and practice not only will you become nimble and faster, but the movements will become more fluid and executed with less distraction. Congruently, whether your instrument is your body or an extension of yourself, constant training enables the user to establish quicker and concreter results. Not only will on gain self confidence, the artist will also gain self awareness through setting boundaries and personal goals. As a martial artist, I'm learning to be patient with my progress. As a drummer I often felt frustrated that I couldn't break through the walls and get the fast feet I've always wanted. I'm finding, for me anyway, that martial arts calms my soul and clears my mind of all negativity, thus enabling to me perform better and with more focus. I believe wholeheartedly that music supplies much more than just the soundtrack to our lives. It expresses our deepest emotions in ways words can not. It provides another means of honest self expression. This leads me to believe that perhaps we all have our own soundtrack, that is, maybe there's a Rocky Balboa in all of us - complete with our own version of "Getting Stronger" and our own flight of stairs we dream of conquering. I want to trade stories with you: what song gets you going? What song gives you that extra wind to complete your training? So many factors contribute to maintaining motivation. Where does your motivation lie in training your instrument? Mine? Honestly, it depends on my mood. But if I had to pick an absolute favorite, I would pick The Who's "Love, Reigh O'er Me." It's perfect. It's so epic and soul bearing. As the song climaxes, you can practically feel the rain baptizing you as it falls on your face. It's almost like being born again into a whole new person, a better person, a fearless person. Here's a link to the good doctor's blog post: http://fretterverse.com/2010/08/13/the-musicmartial-arts-connection/