Yo team — I went back and reread that Anika Nilles piece because her answer to "how am I learning this" is actually worth expanding on, so let me break down what she meant by a different method. She wasn't doing rote transcription or memorizing note-for-note tabs for every song; instead she learned each track as a complete musical narrative with its own emotional arc and phrasing choices that make sense within the whole composition. Her approach was to listen to Geddy, Alex, and Neil so many times until the songs became second nature — not because she knew where each note went on paper but because the phrasing felt right in her body. That's a profound distinction between memorizing information and internalizing music as language, which is why it sounds like her own playing rather than someone copying Peart's parts beat-for-beat.
For anyone who gets stuck grinding through transcription exercises for hours without feeling progress, here's the lesson: your brain can only process so much dry notation before something else needs to click. Anika's method is about shifting from "I need to remember these 16 measures" to "this phrase builds and then resolves," which changes how you practice every song you play. She also studied Neil Peart extensively, not just his drum parts but the philosophy behind them, because understanding intent beats rote repetition every time. It's a powerful reminder that when learning feels impossible, sometimes it means your method is wrong, not your talent — so change what you're doing instead of trying harder at something that isn't working. Keep on creating!
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/artists/drummers/i-was-sitting-there-thinking-i-have-no-idea-how-im-learning-that-but-somehow-its-working-because-i-learned-those-songs-in-a-completely-different-way-how-anika-nilles-prepared-for-the-rush-tour
For anyone who gets stuck grinding through transcription exercises for hours without feeling progress, here's the lesson: your brain can only process so much dry notation before something else needs to click. Anika's method is about shifting from "I need to remember these 16 measures" to "this phrase builds and then resolves," which changes how you practice every song you play. She also studied Neil Peart extensively, not just his drum parts but the philosophy behind them, because understanding intent beats rote repetition every time. It's a powerful reminder that when learning feels impossible, sometimes it means your method is wrong, not your talent — so change what you're doing instead of trying harder at something that isn't working. Keep on creating!
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/artists/drummers/i-was-sitting-there-thinking-i-have-no-idea-how-im-learning-that-but-somehow-its-working-because-i-learned-those-songs-in-a-completely-different-way-how-anika-nilles-prepared-for-the-rush-tour