Corey James Gray

Two years old.

That’s when little man first touched the drum kit. Sitting on my lap riding the hi hat in the pocket.

My dad is a drummer and I got my first kit when I was three. The rhythm has been moving through generations.

Around 4.5 yrs old he tried again but the kit I have was too big and he could not reach the pedals.

Since then it has mostly been playing pan and hand drums.

Now at seven he is back on the kit. I gave him just a few tips.
About an 20 minutes of figuring out the foot pedals and here we are.

More practice.
More process.

More practice, More stumbles, More learning, More process, More Mastering.
Forever Student/Master

Although simple, this is one of my favorite baselines to play.

Emcees!
This is one of the more advanced Dragon Challenges I give clients.

40 minutes total:

Write — 25 minutes (as many bars as possible)
Any subject

Rehearse — 5 minutes (keep edits to a minimum)

Record — 10 minutes
No punching in. If you need to freestyle certain parts, let be what is.

Perfection isn’t the goal. This is practice.

Have fun and see where you are right now. It doesn’t need to be released or tied to anything.

Give yourself focused time to be completely free.
See what happens.

If you try it, tag me.
Or send it to my inbox. I’d love to hear it.
Instrumental on YouTube: Philly s**t by Young Chris

More process. More practice.

Every 3-5 years I find myself in some deep learning process with something new and wild challenging/exciting.
So, here we are again old friend…

Get Lost Suqa!
Flow State isn’t escape — It’s sexy recovery.
•
When you’re deeply engaged in something you love:
• your brain quiets its time tracking (CP time approved)
• cortisol drops (get low on these bishes)
• your nervous system shifts out of survival mode (what happens in Vagus…)
• reduction of stress miles on that ass

Then you can bat those bright eyes and get ready for some sexy time.

When’s the last time you locked in and forgot the clock?
•
*My locs were paid actors in this clip.

My li’l dude, now 7, is curious about my bass journey since I received it as a gift. Thanks Vic!

He asked what I do when I’m learning something that feels difficult, something I think I’m “bad at.”

We talked through that idea of “bad” first.

Then I told him he’s just like his mom and I.
I’ve seen how he shows up for himself when the learning gets tricky.

So this is what we practice.

We step in before confidence arrives.
We meet the messy parts with curiosity and find the fun inside them.
We always find the fun in it.

We embrace the early moments because even when Day 1 feels awkward and unfamiliar, it carries magic.
Those moments hold memories we end up laughing about later cus we really sucked. 😆 I didn’t really say that part, just making sure you’re paying attention.

I LOVE Day 1s because I know what Day 90 looks like. Like when we learned to ride that beautiful bike of yours. Shout to Uncle Cesl.

Everything we’ve mastered so far started with a Day 1.

I told him his father is great at falling, not failing.

“When I feel a fall coming I lean forward into the fall and tuck my head…
That’s just how I roll.”

All dad advice ends with an eye-roll-worthy dad joke.

All that to say. The Bass is fun. Shouts to . I’m still working on that fill.

What’s something new you’re learning right now?