Drummers spend time talking about gear, technique, and the perfect snare sound. Fair enough. But keeping a gig involves decisions made before the first count and after the last cymbal stops ringing.
Rich Redmond’s CRASH Course for Success addresses those habits. Known for his recording and touring work with Jason Aldean, Redmond brings a working musician’s perspective to personal and professional development. His framework centers on five principles: Commitment, Relationships, Attitude, Skill, and Hunger.
He shares the philosophy through speaking engagements and his book, CRASH Course for Success: Five Ways to Supercharge Your Personal and Professional Life. For Drumheads Media readers, the useful question is how those principles translate to life behind the kit.
Commitment starts before rehearsal
For a drummer, commitment looks like learning the arrangements, practicing difficult transitions, and arriving ready to play. It also means working on the parts you keep avoiding. Twenty focused minutes on your timing will do more for tomorrow’s rehearsal than another evening browsing cymbals. Consistency gives your bandmates something they need: confidence in your preparation.
Relationships deserve attention
A band is a group of people sharing space, pressure, and decisions. Listen when someone suggests a change. Answer messages. Respect the sound engineer and the person organizing the show. These are practical ways to apply the relationships principle. Follow through on small promises, too. Someone remembering you as dependable is a better starting point than someone remembering an unanswered text.
Attitude shows up under pressure
The monitor mix sounds wrong. Rehearsal runs late. A song gets changed minutes before the set. Your response affects everyone around you. Applying CRASH here means staying constructive, asking clearly for what you need, and handling frustration without making it the band’s problem. You still get to have standards. Express them in a way people are able to work with.
Skill needs a purpose
Technique matters, but give it a musical job. Record yourself playing a simple groove. Listen for rushed fills, uneven dynamics, and whether the chorus feels different from the verse. Practice with a click, then listen to how you support other musicians. Building skill means identifying a specific weakness and returning to it until the improvement is audible.
Hunger keeps you learning
For drummers, hunger might mean taking a lesson, exploring an unfamiliar style, or asking for honest feedback after a show. Choose something concrete. Learn a song outside your usual genre. Attend a local performance and pay attention to the drummer’s choices. Curiosity gives you fresh material to practice and fresh reasons to sit down at the kit.
CRASH offers five areas to examine in your own playing life. Start with the one needing the most attention, then choose an action you will repeat this week. You can read more about the CRASH program with Nick’s book here.
At Drumheads Media, those conversations belong alongside discussions of grooves and drum sounds. Preparation, communication, and musical judgment shape what happens when people play together. Redmond’s program provides a useful starting point for thinking about those habits, and taking them seriously before your next rehearsal, session, or show.
Check the links below to learn more about Rich, CRASH and overall drumming:
Rich on Good Morning America
Drumming in the Modern World