Performing and Engery Levels

[rogue_drummer]

I need to throw this out there for consumption and advice.

Last Friday night my band played a show at a sports bar and grill. We played 3 sets - over 2 hours worth of material. This was only the second time we've played a live show. We were scheduled to start playing at 9 pm but got going around 9:30 due to sound problems.

After working my full time job in IT that Friday, I was pumped to be playing and looked forward to it. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep that well for 2 nights leading up to Friday, so I was not fully rested. And I didn't have any dinner before we played except for a bag of Fritos, which was my fault.

I drank a beer before we played to help sooth any nervous feeling I had.

We started playing and I got through the first set fine. We did the second set and I felt good and it went fine. Many people complimented us between sets. Ok, now the 3rd set begins and half way through I "hit the wall" so to speak. I was feeling very tired and my playing we probably medeocre, although I continued to get compliments.

My question: Apart from getting better rest and good sleep a few days prior to a late night gig, eating dinner before the show, what else or how else can I prepare so I don't hit the wall before the show is over. Our bass player says he sometimes has to drink a Red Bull between the next to last set and last set to get by.

Any other comments or suggestions?? Thanks a bunch!

[Thaard]

Regular sleeping, eat each 4th hour, train atleast 3 times a week is what I'm doing atm. Try to schedule your day, so you can concentrate on the drumming.

[dairyairman]

i know this is goofy, but i usually take a nap in the late afternoon or early evening before a show, if possible. sometimes these shows run very late and i don't get home til 3am or whatever. i'm not one of those people who can stay up all night with unlimited energy.

[JAKD-UP]

IMO you shouldn't have had the beer. Just 1 beer always makes me sleepy. I know you only did it for nerves but sometimes nerves can be a good thing. Instead of a Red Bull try a 5 hour energy. I've been using them and they are awesome!

[theaniba]

Avoid any fast sugar. It boosts your energy temporary and decreases very fast. I'm a long distance runner as well and drumming has similar needs. You normally need slow sugar (pasta, carbohydrates) to keep your system running. Before a mountain race, we eat pasta 3 hours before starting to have energy for the first few hours, and still be able to move. Fat and sugar will let you down.

[DrumEatDrum]

Eating right for sure.

Regular exercise helps. Sitting at a desk behind a computer can really wear down a persons energy level. I know I've had jobs where I literally had no reason to ever stand up. I'd make up excuses to just go for a walk around the office just to feel my legs.

And emergen-C helps, as it has vitamins and electrolytes without all the sugar of most sports drinks. I really wish I had discovered that one when I was gigging all the time.

[DrumEatDrum]

And if it became an on going problem, I'd think I'd put some granola or energy bars in my trap case for a snack in between sets.

[JAKD-UP]

[QUOTE=DrumEatDrum;632706]Eating right for sure.

Regular exercise helps. Sitting at a desk behind a computer can really wear down a persons energy level. I know I've had jobs where I literally had no reason to every stand up. I'd make up excuses to just go for a walk around the office just to feel my legs.

[QUOTE]

Boy I hear ya on that one. I hate sitting behind a desk all day. But unfortunately it's about one of the only things that is steady work.

[rogue_drummer]

Yeah, I believe I screwed myself up by not eating something for dinner. I was rushing to get there (as always) and thought I'd stop off at a fast food restaurant to get some burgers and fries. On the way home, I thought I'd stop by the bar to check on some things. Previously the owner told me I could use the house kit, which is a 5 piece Pearl Forum and trash can lids for cymbals, or I could bring my own. I opted to bring my own for the simple reason mine is actually in tune and I have much better cymbals. I wanted us to sound as good as possible, so I drove the 15 minutes back to my house to get my kit.

All was going according to plan until I drove by the McDonald's I remembered that was close by and the darn thing was closed for either remodeling or another restaurant was moving in. Either way, it was closed. I didn't want fast food Tacos, I can't stomach Jack in the Box, and the only other option close by was a pizza place.

My bandmates had already texted me saying they were on their way there, so I didn't want to be late. So....I'm thinking I can set up and run and get something before we play. No dice. There wasn't a place close enough to drive to on the other side of the bar and I didn't want to be away for too long.

I can chalk this up to experience. Although keeping energy bars in my bags and maybe a sports drink or two, and the vitamin C mix will go a long way.

And like a dummy, I thought I'd have time to get something to eat close by my house or close to the bar. There were a few fast food places around my house,but that meant I'd have to go in the opposite direction to get something. And I passed a lot of fast food places on my hour long drive home. Why didn't I stop then and just eat in the car on the drive home? Who knows!!?

Lesson learned!! EAT!

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

IMO you shouldn't have had the beer.

WHAT???????

No beer whilst playing?.....Nooooooo.....next you'll be telling me cigarettes are bad for me too!!!

[larryace]

Yea that's it, plain and simple, your body ran out of fuel. Easy fix, and yummy too!

[JAKD-UP]

WHAT???????

No beer whilst playing?.....Nooooooo.....next you'll be telling me cigarettes are bad for me too!!!

Can't tell ya that...I'm a smoker lol.

[denisri]

Hi
Regular work out..walking,running. I'm old...I walk three miles ever other day. I always take a nap before gigs and have a solid meal. I never drink alcohol at gigs its not good for my time!!!!!! Denis

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Eat a banana between sets. Will help bunchs.

[ChipJohns]

All great advice..

Yet, i bet most of us, except those of us who are in great shape, would crap out if we were in a similar situation as you found yourself.

Don't know how much you play, but, sometimes it's just a matter of building up the stamina that only playing can provide.. Also, you learn not to overdo it early on and reserve your energy for the later sets..

We use to do the Sheraton/Holiday Inn circuits when they use to have live bands. One weekend, after playing Tue thru Fri nights during the week.. We finished up our last set at like 1:30am Fri nite/sat morn. As usually being wired we didn't go to our rooms but sat at the bar for a while. Ended up talking with a few people until about 6am. We had a wedding we were playing at, same hotel, but in a different room on a different floor Saturday afternoon. This was back when bands carried all of their own equip, sound, lights, etc. We got set up by noon. played the wedding, then had to break down and move everything back downstairs to the night club. in between we got about 1 1/2 hours sleep. After playing Saturday night we were pretty tired.. (No drugs to induce not falling asleep.) Forunately we didn't have to pack up until Sunday Morning...

I was only 23 at the time... Today I have trouble staying awake past midnight..!

Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do... If you play twice a month, it will never fail that the bad night sleep will be the night before one of your gigs that month..

[toddy]

I try to power nap, and I also love energy drinks.
I also make sure to do a good warmup routine before playing to get loose.

[masonni]

Energy drinks will do the trick for a little while, but then you will crash hardcore, and you don't need to fall asleep driving home...

GATORADE

I always try to have a Gatorade on stage with me, keeps me hydrated and that's important because alchohol will dry your ass out fast.
That and I try not to eat greesy food before I play. Now playing in a bar doesn't always help, chicken fingers and wings are good bar food, but you have to fight the power.

Another REALLY helpful trick is to breathe.
I know it sounds odd, but a lot of people forget to breathe correctly while the play. Try to keep your breathing normal and steady. As a drummer you are essentially running a marathon on stage. So you need to breathe like you are in one. Don't take big gasping breaths, or hold your breath at any time. That will slow your body down and tire you out.

[mrchattr]

How long do you practice at a time? I don't mean band practice, unless you guys are super focused, and play continually, without talking, joking around, working on arrangements, working parts without drums (like vocals), etc. I mean sitting behind a kit and practicing like you gig.

Many drummers I know practice like an hour a day, and then expect to never feel fatigue when they play a three hour show. The fact is, you need to practice more than you play to keep your "base fitness," if you will, so that you won't have that problem again.

A quick example. I usually practice for anywhere from 4 to 7 hours a day, and then my gigs are around 3 hours. A few months ago, my band had a gig in Philly from 12 - 3, then a gig in my hometown (two hours out of Philly) from 10 - 1. I ate a 6" turkey sub at 11, after setting up for the first show. We played, then a girl came up and offered me a free massage (she was a professional who loved the band). I broke down and packed by 4, had a massage (which actually drains you physically) from 4:30 - 5:30, drove home, hit traffic, and had to go right to the gig. Got there at 8, we set up, soundchecked, etc, and then played from 10 to 1. I didn't have anything to eat but that 6" sub. When I got home, I was hungry and tired, but I nailed both shows...because my body is used to playing that much, or more, every day, regardless of conditions. All of this despite me being overweight, too...my body isn't in great shape, but my drum-body is!

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

How long do you practice at a time? I mean sitting behind a kit and practicing like you gig.

Many drummers I know practice like an hour a day, and then expect to never feel fatigue when they play a three hour show. The fact is, you need to practice more than you play to keep your "base fitness," if you will, so that you won't have that problem again.


Fabulous answer!!

4-7 hours is a mammoth effort Chattr.....hats off mate!! I've done 4 to 7 hour rehearsals before for sure, but seldom that long on my own once I was gigging.

Still, in principal I totally support your point. Drumming is a very physical task and we need to be conditioned for it. Much like a sportsman seeks 'match fitness', drummers have to be 'gig fit' and the way to achieve that is to practice as you would play live, more than you play live. At least until your body conditions itself to the job.

Like all physical excercise, you gotta train for the task at hand.

Great post.

[Pollyanna]

Yet, i bet most of us, except those of us who are in great shape, would crap out if we were in a similar situation as you found yourself.

You can say that again! I'd be stretchered off. Good onya Rogue for lasting as long as you did.

I play tennis for 2 to 4 hours every Saturday night unless there's a gig on. Since I don't like to play on a full stomach I always used to skip dinner. By the end of the night I'd be exhausted. I was running out of fuel.

Then I started having those V8 vegetable juices beforehand (do you have them in the US?). They're light enough not to weigh me down but provide lots of vitamins. I normally have a coffee partway through too. Problem solved!

Also agree with others about "match fitness". The more you do it, the easier it will be. I expect that's how those stars in the 60s and 70s who did a whole lot more than have a beer got through their long sets.

[Neil]

The covers band I play in has, for the most part, 2sets total running time up to 3hrs...not to mention encores! 'Play again monkey!!' there's only so many times I can play 'Million Miles away - offspring' before I keel over,

Anyway, I can't nap during the day and like you I have full time job in IT and although it's sat a desk configuration networks, it really saps my energy so I stick to drinking water at gigs and having a banana before playing and one during the 15 minute break. They're great for slow release energy and if you get a banana guard you can stick them in your cymbal bag and they won't get bruised or crushed!

Alcohol, although good for calming you down probably will hinder you in the long run.

[sticksnstonesrus]

Do you play 110% (full throttle) through each set? Picking a little from each post in this thread, I found that I just couldn't play extended sets like that when I came out of the gates at full bore. By the end of the first set (or half-way through even), I was starting to struggle. I learned to back off the hype of entering and opening the "show" huge and instead trying to keep the energy high, without actually being at 150%. It is definitely a matter of knowing yourself, knowing where 100% is, and practicing how to be ahead or behind that energy level in order to moderate and sustain for whatever length of playing time you need to achieve. I definitely noticed that playing at 75-80% still got the notes out fine, still maintained a great presence behind the kit, and I wasn't decimated after the last song.

Now that I'm a little older, I spend some more time trying to stay a little more fit (cardio and light weight training) as well as doing my best to stay balanced in practice (both self and band). This is definitely a discipline that has many facets. As much as any one component in drumming demands discipline, the balance in all of them, not extremes, will provide the best bed of longevity overall. A hard learned lesson for me.

[larryace]

This was back when bands carried all of their own equip, sound, lights, etc. .

I must be living in the past. Just kidding Chip, your post was great but I had to comment on this line ha ha.

I always have enough energy to make it through the set, in fact I'm the guy who wants to keep playing. (as long as people are listening) Now I don't know if I could say that if I played metal. My hat goes off to those guys for sheer energy output.

I think it's wise not to fall into the energy drink trap, excessive caffeine, sugar loaded anything (the worst) and any other magic formula. Whole, unprocessed foods (Meat, veggies, fruit) has all the energy your body needs. Also, what the heck is a banana guard? And where do you hire them? :)

[dairyairman]

my drum teacher plays a show about 5 or 6 nights a week, plus he has band practice for the three bands he's in, plus he practices on his own and give lessons (to me!)

he's very health conscious and is a big consumer of health food like some of you guys. but another thing he's very conscious of is drumming ergonomics and playing efficiency. he's got that stuff down to a science! his drum kit is set up perfectly to make it absolutely as easy as possible to play. you won't ever see him mounting his cymbals way up high, that's for sure! he also works on technique to make his actual playing very efficient. when i see him play a show he never moves his body much, and he's very fluid and relaxed in his motion. he never hits the drums harder than he needs to, but he does lay into them when the music calls for it. in other words, he's very good at getting the most sound out of his drums with the least effort. for him, that is like a physical necessity. it's what enables him to play as much as he does day in and day out.

[jon e rotten]

If you work a day job and then go directly to a gig, it's hard to stay 'up' for that last set, which in my case usually starts at about 12:30.

I don't suffer muscle fatigue or anything like that, I just get tired and start really loosing interest. I've been sipping on a 5 hour energy drink for the last few gigs and it's working great. Hopefully it's not too unhealthy.

[Neil]

Also, what the heck is a banana guard? And where do you hire them? :)

http://www.bananaguard.com/products :)

One of my more sensible purchases, does get some odd looks though...

[TTNW]

One thing that helps me break through the "Set 3 Wall" is that I am fortunate to be able to practice several times a week and on two or three sessions, I will practice at the same intensity that I perform. No breaks between songs, high energy, full concentration and I'll even pretend that I am in front of an audience.

After a couple of hours and of course, doing this week in and week out, performance level stamina increases. I realized that I used to never practice with the same intensity that I performed and getting used to expending that kind of energy was more than half the battle when it came to muscling through the last few songs without losing feel or falling apart.

[mcbike]

I heard on discovery channel once that we burn up to 600 calories an hour playing drums, not to mention what you burn loading in and setting up. So eating enough is probably the most important thing you can do.

Every couple of months I get a ridiculous schedule and get wiped out playing. this past summer I had a brutal schedule one saturday. I played a 45 minute set at an outdoor festival, there was backline, but I had to bring my snare, pedal, sticks, and cymbals, and I ended up having to carry them over a mile from my car to the stage. luckily this gig had catering so I ate all kinds of food, and it was also sponsored by vitamin water so I had a few of their drinks before the gig. The outdoor gig was ridiculous, I over played alot trying to put on a good show, and I was almost to the point of passing out. The bass player actually did pass out after the set from all the jumping around in the sun and it was probably 98 and he had been drinking all day.

anyways I could hang around becuase my other band was supposed to play an acoustic set at a radio station so I had to haul my gear back to my car a mile and I sped over to the radio station. (not to mention I was the first person there!)

Then that night I had a 4 hour gig in a bar. I was late and missed load out (thankfully) but I made it through the gig. The 3rd set was actually my favorite set because I could see the finish line.

[spantney]

I also work in IT and I must admit, since last year I have started running whenever I can (sometimes 3 times a week, sometimes twice, sometimes once and very occassionaly not at all). My fitness has gone through the roof but also I noticed I dont get as knackered during gigs and I'm quite an energetic player live. So I would recommend this to you. Also the running has helped build my leg muscles so I'm finding playing double bass a lot easier nowadays too.

I also eat well (I try and eat some veg and meat) a few hours before the gig, probably drink a small bottle of water between unloading/soundcheck time and then keep plenty of water on stage.

Very occassionly I start to flag near the end of the set (we have a 90 minute set), so I do keep an isotonic sports drink just to get me through the last couple of songs.

As mentioned before, I think a good sleep the night before a gig probably helps a lot to. Our bands rule of thumb is no alcohol 12 hrs before we play and I think that helps us keep ourselves on form as individuals and as a band also.

However, after we play an extremely good gig we do congratulate ourselves with a dirty kebab and a pint or 6 :P

[ChipJohns]

OFF TOPIC:
...I dont get as knackered during gigs...

I love you guys... Here in the US. If someone told me I was going to get knackered I'd probably respond with, " Um, I'm married!"

Sorry. I know this is off topic, but, that is a great word spantney ..! Adding it to my "Word-of-the-Day."

[Neil]

OFF TOPIC:
Quote:Originally Posted by spantney
...I dont get as knackered during gigs...

I love you guys... Here in the US. If someone told me I was going to get knackered I'd probably respond with, " Um, I'm married!"

My girlfriend is Romanian, first time I said that to her, she didn't have clue what was about to happen next! Funny how different countries or even different parts of the country have different set of vocabulary...

On topic:

Spantney mentioned no alcohol 12 hrs before a gig, I think this is a really good gentleman's agreement, the gig is only as good as the weakest performer so everyone needs to be on it.

[JPW]

Spantney mentioned no alcohol 12 hrs before a gig, I think this is a really good gentleman's agreement, the gig is only as good as the weakest performer so everyone needs to be on it.

My opinion is that if you can't drive a car you definitely can't play a drumset.

[nocTurnal]

My question: Apart from getting better rest and good sleep a few days prior to a late night gig, eating dinner before the show, what else or how else can I prepare so I don't hit the wall before the show is over. Our bass player says he sometimes has to drink a Red Bull between the next to last set and last set to get by.

Any other comments or suggestions?? Thanks a bunch!

For an energy boost, a supplement called ribose is supposed to help. I've never tried it myself, but I hear only good things about it. Apparently, it's worked wonders for many people with chronic fatigue. It looks like a safe and natural supplement.

[rogue_drummer]

Thanks! These answers helped a bunch. After the Friday night gig, we had a rehearsal Monday at the same place. The rehearsal lasted 3 hours because everyone was still pumped about the gig. As usual I was running late, but this time stopped off and got a burger and fries to wolf down before we started. Just having food in my system helped a bunch. Plus over the weekend I got some good sleep, so that helped. I got through the rehearsal fine.

After the gig Friday night our bass player was more stoked than ever and said he was fully committed to this band since he saw what we could do live with an audience in front of us. We still had a few cold ones, but once we did, our creativity came forth and we actually began on two new songs, one a cover and one original. And we're getting "our" unique sound nailed down. So we're all pumped and excited at the great progression we've made as a band. I'm personally grateful for all the wonderful advice presented here. I can now hang in there without feeling me age. Haha