The Pocket

To be honest, I used to struggle to understand what musicians meant when they talked about playing in the pocket. To me, it just seemed like some vague term that people threw around, without really meaning anything. But after a long time of playing in working bands, covering a vast array of musical styles, I started to get a feel for what the pocket really was about. I think the problem was that so many musicians think of the pocket as some mysterious magical quality that some musicians just have. But things really clicked for me when I began to see the pocket as a tangible collection of interdependent, objective qualities which bring a groove to life.

Groove as a Magnetic Field

After working hard to understand the pocket, I started thinking about it functioning like a magnetic field, which pulls all the different musical instruments and parts into rhythmic alignment. This field of groove is like an invisible force which works as a unifying principle, not only bringing the musical structures into alignment, but also bringing people (the audience, and the band) into alignment within a mysterious shared experience which we all know and love. When a band has this level of groove, something indescribable takes place, and the audience is brought together in a way that transcends ordinary human experience.

And while the result of the pocket is indeed mysterious and magical, the formula for playing in the pocket is something that can be learned very quickly, with the right perspective, skillset, and guidance.

Once I developed this perspective on the magnetic qualities of a groove, I started thinking about why a powerful sense of groove is often so difficult to achieve. I reflected back on how I shied away from playing simple grooves when I was younger, because I didn’t understand how to bring them to life. I tended to fill up my playing with complicated patterns, not realizing that the secret to a powerful groove is in the subtle details, nuances of timing, and the hidden elements that turn a basic rhythmic pattern into something magnetic, dynamic, powerful, and alive. This is what makes people dance. When I really started to feel confident in my playing was when I realized that it takes more skill to make a simple groove sound good by applying the right feel, than to show off by playing fast licks and complicated patterns.

The Magnetic Groove Course

After developing my own perspective on groove, and how the play in the pocket, I started putting my ideas into written form. Then I started teaching my approach to drumming with one-on-one students, and eventually I wrote a book and created an online course to make these ideas available for any drummer with the willingness to learn. These teachings are for the drummer who wants to skip over the confusion of trying to learn the pocket on their own, and instead follow a direct method for developing a polished, professional feel on the drums.

My goal for the book and the video course is to break down these essentials of groove into a simple, easy-to-follow formula so that drummers like you can take your playing to the next level.

If you’re ready to unlock the power of groove and take your playing to the next level, click below to get started. Choose to learn by enrolling in my online course, complete with video and written lessons to make the learning process fun and easy. Or order the book, if you learn better by reading and practicing the concepts on your own. Or, combine them both.