looking to the side as you play

[larryace]

I have a theory about why we drummers turn our heads to one side while we are playing. I believe that whatever side of the brain is being favored while playing, the head will turn either to that side or opposite that side. (not sure because the left half controls the right side of the body) I believe to achieve equalization of the 2 halves of the body, (one of my personal goals) it helps to look straight ahead, and for me it helps to keep my eyes open always and also it helps for me to focus my gaze on something at least 10 feet away, and slightly above me. I try to keep my focus away from my kit, and use my periphrial vision to keep tabs on my fellow musicians, and I attempt hear everything as if I am not playing but listening to the total net effect of the band. This has really helped my awareness in a major way.

[TheGroceryman]

hmm...interesting theory. i once heard that we do it based on which side is our dominant side. i always turn left, with my RIGHT ear being the "main" ear that is listening to everything. and i am right handed. who knows, maybe both are correct.

[Ironcobra]

I think you're on to something here. I turn to my left because I'm right handed, and my left eye is my dominant one. Actually, it's hard to interpret what these mean, you would have to do a survey to figure out a pattern. Something like this...

Left or Right handed when drumming:

Looks Left or Right while drumming:

Left or Right eye is dominant:

etc.

If you don't know how and would like to check which one of your eyes is dominant, here's how...

Hold your finger out in front of your eyes. Now shut one eye, then switch to the other eye(close one and open the other repeatedly). It will look like your finger is moving. Whichever eye shows the finger in the same position as when both eyes are open, is your dominant eye.

I don't know if this corresponds to whether you're right or left handed, or if this even applies to the idea of looking to one side, but it's worth a shot.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

...Or you have one ear better than another and turn to that side. Hearing loss happens in frequencies, and is independent of the particular ear. Turning the head may be a subconscious attempt at hearing particular note.

Additional reading...

http://www.tomatis.com/English/Articles/how_we_listen.html#The%20Learning%20Ear

[Jedo]

Yeah weird, i always look to the left when I'm practicing something tough or focusing hard.

[Joe P]

It has to do with which side of your brain you are [unconsciously] trying to access: left or right. One has to do with recollection (such as if you are trying to visualize the song structure or what is coming next) and one has to do with emotions/creativity (improvisational skills, among other things).

[blade123]

For me, I always tend to look down.

[rhythmjunkie]

Yeah, it's a bad habit and I really think it's something that needs to be broken. Look straight ahead, look at the audience, look at your drums. You have to be conscious if it, in my mind, and brake it.

Drummers as well as most musicians actively use both sides of their brain while they play, both the logical and emotional side. The corpus colosum (connecting fibers of the right and left hemispheres) of master musicians is way more developed and fibrous than your average non musician. These fibers are in greater number, naturally, in females compared to males. But I really think both sides of your brain are being utilized as a drummer.

[larryace]

Yea my point is that I used to look to the side while playing, and I made a conscious effort not to and for me it has helped tremendously. The bass player in my band has timing issues and he always stares at the neck of his bass, and I want to tell him to focus on something well away from himself. It helped my awareness which helped my playing. My point is, get out of your own head and listen to the total net effect of the music and how you fit in, it was just a real revelation for me. I started playing better almost instantly, without practice, just by adjusting my focus and really hearing what I was doing from a "distance", in relation to the context of the band.

[caddywumpus]

I thought that I looked to the left side because I was so used to reading and placing the music stand by the hi hats...

When I play live and I'm not reading charts, I'll look around to the other musicians for a sense of connection and "reading" them. Sometimes some serious grooves end up happening just from smiling and bobbing your heads. I hate playing live when the singer is glued to the mic, the guitarist is constantly staring at his fretboard, and the bass is fixated on the blonde number in the front row. At that point, I'm just playing along to a track it seems.

[hauk]

I look down, not left or right. For some reason it helps. I also like to close my eyes, but not all the time. Just when I'm really getting deeply into a groove, and only certain kinds.

[k3ng]

Interesting theory.

But I usually stare at where my imaginary double bass player is standing. And I often smile at the wall as if he pulled off some super cool bassline just then.

[mrchattr]

It's an interesting thought, but I don't agree with it.

For me, I never started looking over to the left until I started taking lessons while reading. That's where the music was, so that's where I looked. I learned a lot of my hardest passages sitting behind the drums, with my head turned to the left, reading the music that was there.

When I play live, I watch the audience, I look at my fellow musicians, etc...but when I'm pushing myself hard, or trying some brand new thing, I often find myself looking to the left, in the exact position I would be in to read the music on my imaginary stand.

[VedranS]

Sometimes, when I'm trying to be really groovy or something, and really trying to feel the beat and make it sound good, I'll close my right eye...couldn't tell ya what that means, if anything.
Also, I'll look to the left, but only when playing by myself and on my hihat. The only reason it happens is because my right hand is higher than my left and also my body will be turned slightly more to the left, so my head naturally "falls" somewhere in that direction. When I'm on my ride I'll usually stare somewhere ahead of the kit, toward an imaginary audience.

[mrchattr]

So I just mentioned this to a doctor friend of mine. He laughed.
His exact words:

"Dude. Seriously? Come on. If you sit down, and completely relax your body, then pull your right hand across your body, like playing hats, your head will naturally move in that direction as well." Oh? "Yeah. Because to move your arm efffectively across your body to play the hats, you have to turn your waist...VERY slightly, but in order to keep your back straight, and head aligned with your spine, your head will turn. Not as much as drummers often do, but enough where it makes more sense to face that way than forward."

[EvanMatthiesen]

I look down, not left or right. For some reason it helps. I also like to close my eyes, but not all the time. Just when I'm really getting deeply into a groove, and only certain kinds.
i used to do that for a while but one time i hit my face REAL hard with a stick.
i tend to look to the side alot too.

[Billy Brown]

When I play live and I'm not reading charts, I'll look around to the other musicians for a sense of connection and "reading" them. Sometimes some serious grooves end up happening just from smiling and bobbing your heads.

Totally. Always look and listen to everyone else.

I hate playing live when the singer is glued to the mic, the guitarist is constantly staring at his fretboard, and the bass is fixated on the blonde number in the front row. At that point, I'm just playing along to a track it seems.

And the audience is probably as bored as you are!!

[Fur drummer]

I sometimes look to the left where my hi-hat is because it feels comfortable and natural. When I do a solo, the part that starts with a nice soft roll on my snare and gradually builds, I have my head down and then look up as I start to play louder and faster. I do that for effect and because it feels more comfortable. I never really thought about why I did it before.

[Garvin]

I was actually talking about this at a gig this weekend... I remember reading something about how musicians, and I believe drummers specifically, turn their heads left almost as a reflex. It does indeed have something to do witht he way our brains access whatever it is we are doing. Left it is. I do it too... A lot.

[Drumsword]

I Used to look left a lot as well, But I did it because I was nervous when I first started playing and didn't want to look at anyone, so this was the obvious place to look.

As I gained confidence I began fishing for people in the audience to play off, people really into the music, girls checking out the goofy drummer..LOL But I finally got to the point where I didn't just stare left anymore unless I was reading something, drum chart, modern drummer magazine, etc..lol.

Now I look everywhere, and often I look to find the stick That bounced off my rim from a poorly executed flip..LOL

This reply has been approved by 9 out of 10 doctors ;)

[bobdadruma]

I look down, not left or right. For some reason it helps. I also like to close my eyes, but not all the time. Just when I'm really getting deeply into a groove, and only certain kinds. I'm with you on this one. When I look down and close my eyes I go into a trance and nothing distracts me. I find that I can hear better for some reason when my eyes are closed. I also only do it during deep grooves. When I play my hats I tend to look left. When I play my ride I tend to look strait ahead.

[Jam Master]

hmm...interesting theory. i once heard that we do it based on which side is our dominant side. i always turn left, with my RIGHT ear being the "main" ear that is listening to everything. and i am right handed. who knows, maybe both are correct.

Same here.

Yeah weird, i always look to the left when I'm practicing something tough or focusing hard.

*nods head* I feel like I go into "locked in" mode when I look to the left while learning a new pattern or rehearsing a complex beat.

[Drummer Karl]

I experienced that the look itself isn`t focused on something particular in the moment of playing and expressing yourself, other components seem to be active in this situation.

The look actually is very absent and more like a blank stare. Of course it is important to sense the environment anyway - speaking of other band members for example.

Still, what happens inside is so interesting. The blank look, turning to a side, gestures and facial expression.
Mostly drummers would probably turn to the side which is "dominant", whether it is the ear or one side of the brain. At this point I`d like to refer to Joe P`s statement.
I personally oftenly turn to the dominant side with that rather black stare and I have to declare that it is a natural and helpful process while playing, almost magic how it affects the playing.

Karl

[jjmason777]

I agree with Karl. It has to do with the brain/body hookup.
It it very similar to something I learned in school (many moons ago). Ask somebody to solve a math problem in their head, or to recall an event, and watch them look up with their eyes, to one side or the other. They are actually "looking" to the part of the brain that handles that function or memory. It's very interesting.

[drummingdunc]

So I just mentioned this to a doctor friend of mine. He laughed.
His exact words:

"Dude. Seriously? Come on. If you sit down, and completely relax your body, then pull your right hand across your body, like playing hats, your head will naturally move in that direction as well."

I'm a lefty and I play open handed, but still look left when I'm playing for some reason. Perhaps it is because that is where my music stand would be if I was reading. But when I'm playing the bell of the ride I look at the ride to make sure I hit it every time!

I remember being a punter at a gig and the drummer looked directly at me a lot. I don't have the balls to look at the audience when I'm playing. In fact a couple of people have said that I look quite bored when I'm playing, always looking at the floor etc. It's not a conscious thing, and I don't think it's because I'm focussing on the music, but it's definitely something else to work on. The 'performance' is important as well as the playing. Twirly sticks anyone...?

[diosdude]

I usually lock on to the prettiest girl in the room and just stare. Eventually she'll notice and it makes it easier to break the ice later. When i don't see anybody i'm interested in, i'm either closing my eyes or scanning ahead of the beat or fill to where my sticks are hitting next.

[boomstick]

So I just mentioned this to a doctor friend of mine. He laughed.
His exact words:

"Dude. Seriously? Come on. If you sit down, and completely relax your body, then pull your right hand across your body, like playing hats, your head will naturally move in that direction as well." Oh? "Yeah. Because to move your arm efffectively across your body to play the hats, you have to turn your waist...VERY slightly, but in order to keep your back straight, and head aligned with your spine, your head will turn. Not as much as drummers often do, but enough where it makes more sense to face that way than forward."
That's basically my thinking on the subject. Also, if I don't pay attention, my right arm sometimes starts to drift back to its natural position (back to the right) and I end up missing the hats as I'm playing. Sometimes this results in a dropped stick. So, I often look toward the hats to keep my right stick planted there.

[Bruce M. Thomson]

I started off turning my head to the left when I first started out mainly for comfort as I am very flat footed and have to set my Hi-Hat at a 90" angle, I move my head now when I am off of the hats and into the cymbals and the rest of the kit; so just when I'm riding the hats.

It also gives me the illusion that I am in more control

[zambizzi]

Weird. I look straight ahead or at different members of the band while playing. When practicing I tend to look at whatever side of the kit I'm working my groove on (right-side if on ride, left-side if groovin' on hats.)

For the most part though - straight ahead. That's why I built a music stand w/ a boom cymbal stand to go out in front of my kit.

[HeadRush]

in quiet times, I often look at the drum that I am using most (I.E. ride, has, floor tom, snare) but as I turn up the volume, I look straight out for the most part and sometimes straight up haha it's kind of hard to explain