{"id":38048,"date":"2020-01-16T13:06:10","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T21:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=38048"},"modified":"2020-01-16T13:06:13","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T21:06:13","slug":"neil-pearts-passing-drummers-passionate-quest-for-constant-improvement-a-model-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2020\/01\/neil-pearts-passing-drummers-passionate-quest-for-constant-improvement-a-model-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Neil Peart\u2019s Passing: Drummer\u2019s Passionate Quest for Constant Improvement a Model for All"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Last week, the music world was shocked and saddened by the passing of Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for the Canadian progressive rock group Rush. Peart died Jan.7 at the age of 67 following a three-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer. His illness was never disclosed to the public, as Peart was an intensely private man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peart joined Rush in 1974 and almost immediately made a profound impact through his introspective, literary lyrics and a fiercely-charging drumming style that was as imaginative and artistic as it was technically proficient. To generations of rock fans who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, Peart came to symbolize the pinnacle of his profession. His drum fills, especially on the band\u2019s signature hit \u201cTom Sawyer,\u201d made him a singularly unique player, as the band\u2019s sound was viewed as driven by the drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans and critics alike would argue the merits of any rock\nband\u2019s components\u2014vocals, lead guitars, bass\u2014and find it difficult to find\ncommon ground as to which performer was the top in his\/her field. No online\nlisticles could agree with one another on the top guitar player, arguing in\nfavor of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen or another virtuoso. Even\nfewer could pinpoint the best singer\u2014Roger Daltrey, Mick Jagger, Freddie\nMercury, Robert Plant\u2014without descending into an endless debate. But Peart, it\nseemed, stood head and shoulders above all, with apologies to Keith Moon and\nJohn Bonham. Ask 10 people to pick their top drummer, and at least half would\ncite the Professor, as Peart was known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, you ask, so what does this have to do with the office\ntechnology dealer space? Peart\u2019s quest for constant improvement is one of\ninspiration. I\u2019d like to share a quick story, as taken from the documentary \u201cRush:\nBeyond the Lighted Stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing a Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 1990s, with the band evolving its sound and\ncoming out of the era of synthesizers, Peart felt his playing had become\nsomewhat stiff. It was somewhat of a product of working with sequencers and\nclick tracks; perhaps Peart felt his style had become too mechanical. Mind you,\nhe was at that point considered the dean of rock drummers, with few equals and\ndefinitely none superior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did Peart resolve this issue? He studied under a mentor, jazz drummer and noted teacher Freddie Gruber. Drumming was not only about the strike on the drum head, they said, but the motion in-between. Gruber likened it to a dance: the action taking place is not on the floor but in the air. The two men sat behind kits, but it didn\u2019t involve playing. They talked mostly about motion. In the end, Peart changed his grip, used a different approach and, as a result, felt more relaxed and less stilted behind the drum kit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not a professional or even an amateur drummer, but the\nrevelation behind Peart\u2019s quest for self-improvement simply blew me away.\nStill, it makes perfect sense. The very best in a craft, whether it\u2019s musicians,\nwriters, painters or sculptors, need to constantly push themselves to find\nareas for growth. Granted, some of the changes Peart implemented were somewhat\nesoteric and mostly opaque to the average listener, who isn\u2019t attuned to\ntechnique or music theory. But it changed the way Peart thought about music,\nalong with his approach, which opened his world to even more possibilities to\nflourish and challenge himself in new and exciting ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is this any different from the world of business? It\u2019s\nnot, of course. Even if you are at the top of the heap in your field, that\nquest for constant improvement requires a firm commitment to keep moving\nforward. Whether its sales, management, technical or customer service, it\u2019s\nabout challenging the things you know or think to be true, and a willingness to\nadmit that your thinking or approach could be flawed or in need of a refresh. It\u2019s\nabout putting sacred cows out to pasture and asking yourself, \u201cHow can I raise\nmy game?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making the Old New Again<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peart sought out a different process to do something that\nhe\u2019d performed ad nauseam over (at that point) 20-odd years. And though he was\ndeemed the best in his profession virtually by acclaim\u2014he could\u2019ve ridden \u201cTom\nSawyer\u201d and \u201cYYZ\u201d into rock-and-roll folklore\u2014Peart sought out help and a new\nperspective. He wasn\u2019t content in resting on his reputation. The Professor\nsought out his better self, and that required going back to school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know the dealer game better than I know drumming, so I\u2019m\nnot going to preach next steps or suggest new offerings. This blog is all about\nrecognizing the benefits of another approach. We\u2019ve all been in a rut, feeling \u201cstiff\u201d\nor robotic in what we do. The needed changes, as in Peart\u2019s case, might be as\nopaque to your customers as it was to his fans. Whatever tweak you implement\nmight expand your base, reinvigorate your teams, allow you to implement a new\nprocess, or just try something different that had never occurred to you\npreviously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If constant improvement is good enough for arguably the\nworld\u2019s greatest drummer, it stands to reason we can all benefit from checks on\nour chops.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, the music world was shocked and saddened by the passing of Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for the Canadian progressive rock group Rush. Peart died Jan.7 at the age of 67 following a three-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer. His illness was never disclosed to the public, as Peart was an intensely private man. Peart joined Rush in 1974 and almost immediately made a profound impact through his introspective, literary lyrics and a fiercely-charging drumming style that was as imaginative and artistic as it was technically proficient. To generations of rock fans who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, Peart came to symbolize the pinnacle of his profession. His drum fills, especially on the band\u2019s signature hit \u201cTom Sawyer,\u201d made him a singularly unique player, as the band\u2019s sound was viewed as driven by the drums. Fans and critics alike would argue the merits of any rock band\u2019s components\u2014vocals, lead guitars, bass\u2014and find it difficult to find common ground as to which performer was the top in his\/her field. No online listicles could agree with one another on the top guitar player, arguing in favor of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen or another virtuoso. Even fewer could pinpoint the best singer\u2014Roger Daltrey, Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant\u2014without descending into an endless debate. But Peart, it seemed, stood head and shoulders above all, with apologies to Keith Moon and John Bonham. Ask 10 people to pick their top drummer, and at least half would cite the Professor, as Peart was known. OK, you ask, so what does this have to do with the office technology dealer space? Peart\u2019s quest for constant improvement is one of inspiration. I\u2019d like to share a quick story, as taken from the documentary \u201cRush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.\u201d Recognizing a Problem In the early 1990s, with the band evolving its sound and coming out of the era of synthesizers, Peart felt his playing had become somewhat stiff. It was somewhat of a product of working with sequencers and click tracks; perhaps Peart felt his style had become too mechanical. Mind you, he was at that point considered the dean of rock drummers, with few equals and definitely none superior. How did Peart resolve this issue? He studied under a mentor, jazz drummer and noted teacher Freddie Gruber. Drumming was not only about the strike on the drum head, they said, but the motion in-between. Gruber likened it to a dance: the action taking place is not on the floor but in the air. The two men sat behind kits, but it didn\u2019t involve playing. They talked mostly about motion. In the end, Peart changed his grip, used a different approach and, as a result, felt more relaxed and less stilted behind the drum kit. I\u2019m not a professional or even an amateur drummer, but the revelation behind Peart\u2019s quest for self-improvement simply blew me away. Still, it makes perfect sense. The very best in a craft, whether it\u2019s musicians, writers, painters or sculptors, need to constantly push themselves to find areas for growth. Granted, some of the changes Peart implemented were somewhat esoteric and mostly opaque to the average listener, who isn\u2019t attuned to technique or music theory. But it changed the way Peart thought about music, along with his approach, which opened his world to even more possibilities to flourish and challenge himself in new and exciting ways. How is this any different from the world of business? It\u2019s not, of course. Even if you are at the top of the heap in your field, that quest for constant improvement requires a firm commitment to keep moving forward. Whether its sales, management, technical or customer service, it\u2019s about challenging the things you know or think to be true, and a willingness to admit that your thinking or approach could be flawed or in need of a refresh. It\u2019s about putting sacred cows out to pasture and asking yourself, \u201cHow can I raise my game?\u201d Making the Old New Again Peart sought out a different process to do something that he\u2019d performed ad nauseam over (at that point) 20-odd years. And though he was deemed the best in his profession virtually by acclaim\u2014he could\u2019ve ridden \u201cTom Sawyer\u201d and \u201cYYZ\u201d into rock-and-roll folklore\u2014Peart sought out help and a new perspective. He wasn\u2019t content in resting on his reputation. The Professor sought out his better self, and that required going back to school. You know the dealer game better than I know drumming, so I\u2019m not going to preach next steps or suggest new offerings. This blog is all about recognizing the benefits of another approach. We\u2019ve all been in a rut, feeling \u201cstiff\u201d or robotic in what we do. The needed changes, as in Peart\u2019s case, might be as opaque to your customers as it was to his fans. Whatever tweak you implement might expand your base, reinvigorate your teams, allow you to implement a new process, or just try something different that had never occurred to you previously. If constant improvement is good enough for arguably the world\u2019s greatest drummer, it stands to reason we can all benefit from checks on our chops.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":38049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[3774],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38048"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38048"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38050,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38048\/revisions\/38050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}