What do the drums want to say today..

Spending 50% of my practice time reading charts, learning new beats and different styles is with out a doubt the opening up of new avenues of music that otherwise I would have never known about The rest of the time i enjoy what Billy Ward describes as "practice play" and coming up with your own itinerary on the drum set. He says it is a vital part of your development as a drummer breaking new ground and forging new beats and fills. This is good news for me since I spent a great deal of time when I started playing the drums practicing to my favorite recordings and trying to emulate my favorite drummers. One of my instructors refers to the concept of" practice play" as masturbating on the drums OK but still it is how one invents him or her self. I think the best way to develop your own sound and style my just opinion .