Posture: Need help!

[h3r3tic]

Posture is the main aspect for playing drums with endurance and with ease and confort. And it is something the only 2 years ago I've started to pay attention.
However, when I start to play on my drumset my posture is ok but when I'm playing double bass at high tempos or even playing blast-beats I suddendly change from good posture to hunchback :P lol

Please, help with this bad habbit.

Are there any tips or tricks to help stay always with a good posture on the drumset?
Hope to hear from you guys soon ;)

Thanks!

[ZildjianMan1023]

id try getting a bass pad.. setting up your double kick pedal on the pad and maybe sit on a chair and correct your posture away from your kit so you will pay more attention to it..


hope this helps

Dom

[fourstringdrums]

Start slow and when you reach the point where you start hunching over, slow down again until you straighten back up. Eventually you'll be able to get faster while hunching over less and less.

I have a problem with my right leg because of the spasticity and tightness in my leg. Sometimes I can play a pattern, even if it's a simple one, without involving my hands, and I'll be fine in regards to my leg. As soon as I add my hands, my leg starts tensing up and I lose control. When that happens, I stop my hands and just keep going with the bass. Then I'll add them and every time I start having the same problem, I stop the hands, or I'll sometimes keep the hands going and just cut the bass time in half. It slowly trains my leg muscles to work when I'm using other muscles. That's what's happening with you. Your body is over compensating to play the double bass because maybe your left leg isn't as strong, and you're hunching over. You have to go slow in introducing your left leg so you build up the separate muscles so the rest of your body doesn't feel the need to jump in and help.

I hope that makes sense *lol*

[grue]

try playing like animal from the muppets, a big full bodied moeller approach. i do this thing while practicing where, i keep my knees coming up as high as the tempo allows, i play a steady double bass beat/blast and work really big circles with my mid section.kinda like the ab doer. looks funny with the flailing arms and such, but it really has made my posture less of an issue. i also do this while slowly rocking back and forth as far as i can. if anyone is watching throwing in some incoherent babbling at the top of your lungs is a tested crowd pleaser.

[That Guy]

You have to force yourself to not hunch over. If possible, get a throne with a backrest and keep your back glued to it.

[Drum-Head]

My guess is that you are hunching over because you are tensing up, that being due to the fact that you do not really master these high speeds you speak of.

Take it a notch down and practice those blast beats and double kick licks at tempos that you are comfortable and relaxed - and thus having a good posture - at. As you get used to playing relaxed at those speeds, push the tempo up. Do that until you get to were you want to be.

I hope this helps in someway...


Regards,
Christopher.

[jonescrusher]

Force yourself to lean back when playing double kick. The tendency is to lean forward, particularly as you increase double pedal speed - go against this and lean back.. This improves balance, reduces tension and ultimately make you hold faster speeds for longer. As usual, i feel i need to make clear to you heretic that progress on techniques can take months and years, not days.

[Raymond Bloom]

You have to force yourself
so let the force be strong with you!


lol, couldn't resist...

well, when I have some kind of technique problems, I try to isolate the problem and practice with for example one hand only etc
play something very simple over double bass parts and concentrate on your feet technique, also, try to set up your drums in a different way, maybe your seat is too low? or too high? experiment with that a bit, too!

[Drum-Head]

You have to force yourself to not hunch over. If possible, get a throne with a backrest and keep your back glued to it.

With the exception of the Drum Frame, I don't recommend this. Having back problems myself and having seen a doctor (who is a drummer yay!) specialized in musicians, a backrest should only be a support of the lower back. One should not actually "lay" on it. Drumming is about balance, by totally leaning on a backrest you'll get the bad habit of depending on that kind of support to play on the kit. The day you won't have a rest, you will have a problem. Not to mention, fully leaning on a backrest can actually prevent your back from delivering the power to help you get around the kit, whilst a support can benefit you with the opposite.

[cnw60]

get a mirror and place it so you can see yourself from the side when you're playing.

It will take some time to retrain yourself, so don't get discouraged, just pay attention to it and think about your posture every chance you get.

[That Guy]

With the exception of the Drum Frame, I don't recommend this. Having back problems myself and having seen a doctor (who is a drummer yay!) specialized in musicians, a backrest should only be a support of the lower back. One should not actually "lay" on it. Drumming is about balance, by totally leaning on a backrest you'll get the bad habit of depending on that kind of support to play on the kit. The day you won't have a rest, you will have a problem. Not to mention, fully leaning on a backrest can actually prevent your back from delivering the power to help you get around the kit, whilst a support can benefit you with the opposite.

Thats interesting. You might be right.

[h3r3tic]

maybe your seat is too low? or too high? experiment with that a bit, too!

Absolutly not. My seat is at a confortable position which means I'm not lower than my knees nor too high.

I'm very confortable at the speeds that I'm currently at. This is just a bad habbit that I always had but only from 1 year or two that I've strated to pay attention. Since then I started to reduce this hunchback thing but when it comes to double bass stuff and blasts... I just start to lean forward.

But now I'm going to try to mentaly tell myself that when executing double bass or blasts to lean back ;)

[h3r3tic]

Once again, thank you all for your tips;)

Thank you for helping me!

[tak22thegoat]

Sit on the edge of your throne, that will make you sit on your spine, and not your butt. That is the first thing my drum teacher taught me. Sitting on your spine makes your butt and back less tense, and your body relaxed. Hope this helps. Tell me if it did help.

[eglantin]

Sit on the edge of your throne, that will make you sit on your spine, and not your butt. That is the first thing my drum teacher taught me. Sitting on your spine makes your butt and back less tense, and your body relaxed. Hope this helps. Tell me if it did help.

Listen to this man

Also, relax your shoulders of course

[Victor_se]

I realize that when i'm playing drums my posture is REALLY bad

and when i play long time periods my back really hurts...

any Tip, advice ???

Thanks


PS. sorry for my kinder garden draw but i'm really bad in paint :P

[Jeff Almeyda]

I realize that when i'm playing drums my posture is REALLY bad

and when i play long time periods my back really hurts...

any Tip, advice ???

Thanks


PS. sorry for my kinder garden draw but i'm really bad in paint :P

You must slow everything down and really concentrate on executing all moves from a correct position. Use a mirror and get yourself into a good position, with no slouching or anything. Practice from that position and "record" that feeling into your muscle memory.

There are no tricks to it, just concentration until it becomes natural. You may need to work on some flexibility and/or core (abs, low back) strength issues in order to speed up the process. I don't know what your physical condition is so you have to make that call yourself. Serious cases of bad posture may need to see a medical pro.

You are actually halfway there, you are aware of the issue, now you can correct it. Many people aren't even aware that their posture is off.

[Drum-Head]

Sit on the edge of your throne, that will make you sit on your spine, and not your butt. That is the first thing my drum teacher taught me. Sitting on your spine makes your butt and back less tense, and your body relaxed. Hope this helps. Tell me if it did help.


That's weird - I've always been told not to sit on the edge but to sit correctly with my butt on the throne. Sitting on the edge can, from what the doc told me, cause back problems in the long run. You also get better balance by sitting on the throne correctly. This confuses me a bit...

[tak22thegoat]

That's weird - I've always been told not to sit on the edge but to sit correctly with my butt on the throne. Sitting on the edge can, from what the doc told me, cause back problems in the long run. You also get better balance by sitting on the throne correctly. This confuses me a bit...

Hm thats weird, it shouldn't hurt your back, but cause less tension on your back.