arms hurt towards the end of playing a gig.

dave the rave

Junior Member
towards the end of a gig my arms begin to ache quite badly. particularly on fast songs. so i find myself having to back down to a slower tempo. ive been told off many people(who dont know me) that im a good drummer. but this persistant pain in the arms is causing me discomfort and frustration. i love drumming so i hope i dont have to give it up. if anyone could help that would be great. thanks.
 
I'd recommend trying to adjust your technique so that you're doing less work the whole time. Playing a bit lower and with more flow will make a big difference in endurance and flow. You'll notice that the death metal guys actually play pretty quietly in order to go that fast.
 
Could it be that you're tensing up when you play fast? At the very beginning I used to do this as well. It's a kind of natural reaction, but can go away with enough conscious thought and practice. Could also mean you need to change to a lighter stick as the night wears on...?
 
thanks guys ill give it a go. i do tense up actually like im, using my arms to drum instead of my wrists. but i cant break the habit :/ thanks though ill try those techniques :)
 
its pretty natural to happen... ive felt like ive got tennis elbow a few times from playing fast songs...

you just need to ajust your set list so you have slow songs (if there are any) where you think you'll need a break
 
We build set lists the same way. not only for my playing and rest areas, but for the singer too. I noticed that the frequency of shows and gigs makes a difference too...if it;s been a month since we;ve played, I start out the show with way too much and find myself aching by the end....like everything else, its just a matter of finding that balance that makes it worth seeing and hearing and sustainable to your playing.
 
You are probably using too much energy when you hit the drum, and of course we have all the adrenaline flowing etc so it makes it harder to relax. BUT try to learn and focus on the Moeller technique, it really gives you an amazing bang for the buck, energywise. I assume you are playing loud music...

Casper
 
Is it near your shoulders? Try stretching your front delts. They may be tightening up.

Is it your joints? I'd recommend taking fish oil supplements and rotating them a bit before gigs to loosen them up.

If it's your forearms you might want to try flexing them a bit before shows to try to loosen them up.
 
Hey man,

I would agree with those that have said you may be playing to tense. I suffered from the same thing on one of my bands songs for a while. I know I need to focus on being relaxed while playing. I try to picture my limbs moving like a whip or a octopus arms, really fluid. Like Bruce Lee said, "be like water."

For me I make sure that I'm breathing too. It's kinda hard to do, you're trying to remember the songs but at the same time you have to think about breathing and staying relaxed. It's almost like using two brains.

Try also to let the stick do most of the work, you just have to throw the stick against the head, it'll come back all by itself.

Good luck with problem though, remember just relax!
 
I used to play in hardcore punk bands and sometimes I was playing very fast indeed, throughout the entire gig. I would be tense throughout the entire set and in the end I had to stop playing because I has constant pain in my right wrist. I waited until it went away, which took longer than i would have liked, and then I relearned how to play with a better technique. Now I can play just as fast as I used to, but I am relaxed and, although I get tired, I get no pain.

Practice relaxing. It is the most important thing when you are drumming. Don't get into a position where you injure yourself as I did.
 
Back
Top