Playing musically

Play less.
And forget about being amazing.



Know the tune.
Know the form of the tune, the roadmap of the arrangement, and be able to sing the melody. And know your generic forms: verse/chorus, and all the things that are likely to occur within it (intro, bridge, breakdown, interlude, coda, "outro", etc); in jazz



Use your ears.




Know the musical effect of the things you play or don't play on the drums.


Know what musical drumming sounds like.
Listen to a lot of Jim Keltner, Billy Higgins, Ringo Starr, Peter Erskine, Ben Riley- whoever fits your idea of a consummate "musical" drummer.


Don't play "drumistically."



Be well-versed in the Ted Reed-based method. 

As I've said many times before, this is the system of pr

Know how to shape a melody. 
You can work on this by playing a melodic instrument, by singing, or by playing concert snare drum. Jazz drummers also need to know specifically how to interpret the melody


Be aware of the harmony.

Hear the chord changes, and pay attention to the harmonic rhythm, notice when key changes happen.