or… What do you want to see on this Ballistic Drumming Site?

There I was with hundreds of drummer shooting for this “gig of a lifetime.” One by one, Brian (the guitarist for the band) sat a drummer down behind a kit as he gave you all but 2 minutes to tell him about yourself and play.

As I was on deck, sweating, nervous and unsure of how to handle this high pressure audition, I decided to make a good first impression by putting some reverse English on this audition.

So what did I do. I did the opposite of what all these other drummers were doing. Instead of telling Brian of all the great things I’ve done or trying to impress him with how important I was, I did the opposite and just listened.

That’s right, not one word about my skills. Brian played the track and I asked how he was able to stay so tight in the pocket? What was he looking for? What was his secret to writing this song with such a catchy phrase?

Listen, if you want a person to like you instantly – let him feel that you are favorably impressed with him. Be a good listener first – a good talker second.

Consider how you feel when you meet someone who starts right off buzzing into your ears. “I want to tell you how great my playing is”…. “Did you know I played with this band”… “Have you heard how I won the best drummer award”…

Are you impressed? No. You start to yawn. “Here we go again,” you say to yourself or under your breath, and sit back and be bored.

Spanish Proverb: A fish dies by an open mouth!

Don’t try to “out talk” the other person. Listen the whole time.

Joe “Ballistic” Stronsick

PS. And Yes, I got this gig without even playing and Brian and I became great friends.