Playing on an empty stomach

Erberderber

Senior Member
I had my lunch at 1pm today and I went to a 3 hour band rehearsal straight from work at 7pm without eating anything in between.

Well, I totally sucked this evening. Everything that usually comes naturally was such an effort. It was like I didn't have any muscle memory and had to remind my limbs what to do. I'm sure it's true for all of us that some days go better than others for no particular reason, but tonight it just felt my brain wasn't wired up properly.

Does anyone else here have a harder time if they play on an empty stomach?
 
For a rehearsal, I couldn't possibly care less. I'll eat a messy burrito and hit the drums.

For a show, I'm careful. Only healthy easy to digest foods and I don't tend to eat for at least 4 or 5 hours before a show. I usually find local food afterwards assuming it's a city with the late night food spots.
 
I can't play without fuel, either. Rock drumming, generally, is a great workout, burning anywhere from 200 to several hundred calories an hour (or more!), depending on what you're playing.

(I just pulled these numbers out of my ass, but I looked them up several years ago and think that's about right.)

If I'm hungry (if it's been more than a few hours since I've eaten), I can't think straight, let alone play drums with any kind of precision, timing, or coordination. There's a lot going on!
 
I play church services at 10 AM with 9 AM rehearsal, and I tend not to eat breakfasts, which I should quit doing. Very often my wife makes me a smoothie which certainly helps. I recommend having something onboard when exerting yourself physically (i.e. drumming), it makes it easier for certain.
 
Like all things, your body and brain need food and water to work at their most efficient.

Instead of going to band practice, if you had gone to a business meeting, you would have been in the same boat (most likely). Drums aren't the most physical task (you're not running a marathon) but they do require focus and coordination, which are the first things to go when hungry.

If I'm doing multiple gigs in a row and don't have many breaks or food, I'll bring some Cliff bars and water. Cliff bars are some sort of granola/protein bar thing that acts as a meal replacement and gives you protein and carbs so that you aren't running on empty.
 
I prefer to be slightly hungry when I play. Typical gig is for 9p.m. so I try to eat my one big meal for the day around 2 or 3. No later. The funny thing is is that I generally don't eat afterwards either, preferring to just go to bed.

Now guitar players.....geez...those guys can eat a football sized burrito and go play and SING with that in their belly's. It boggles my mind. And then they want to go for breakfast afterwards. No thanks.

I need to be pretty empty to play well and feel good.
 
I can't be without eating for too long generally, rehearsals and gigs are no different.
I don't like to play drums with a full stomach, but I always take some little
snacks with me actually wherever I go I think :). Apple, banana, cereal bar,
stuff like that. And my bottle of water always comes with me. Always.
 
When I play on my empty stomach, it produces a a lot of slapping sound and little in terms of musical notes. When my stomach is full, it produces a loud fundamental note and reverberates longer.

The down side is that I get gastro pains if I play too long on a full stomach, and my belly turns pink from all the slapping.
 
Your body needs fuel for any physical activity.

Always take food with me to any rehearsal, try and make it as light as possible to not feel bloated but you need the key ingredients.

Food containing carbs and water to hydrate work very well.

If it's an afternoon or morning rehearsal try loading your body in the morning too. Porridge works well for loading your body with energy early doors.
 
Drums aren't the most physical task (you're not running a marathon)

Maybe not the way you're doing it, but research disagrees.

"If you want to burn more calories in an hour than running, weight lifting or aerobics, pick up some drum sticks and pound out a beat. …

"When [Blondie's Clem] Burke drummed for one hour in concert, he burned between 400 and 600 calories. Compare this to running for an hour, which burns 472 calories, weight lifting at 315 calories or aerobics at 413 calories."

This wasn't a one-off, either — Burke's caloric expenditure was studied for eight years.
 
And this from another source.


Pound Away the Calories
The constant movement of your upper and lower body that is required to play the drums results in a steady burn of calories during the activity. According to data from CalorieLab, a person who weighs 185 pounds will burn about 252 calories during an hourlong drumming session.

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket or research project. This was one guy at a fixed weight, with a particular rate of metabolism, with no mention of diet. One could more easily burn carbs air a much higher rate.

In summary eat regularly, drumming or not.
 
When I was younger, not eating before a show or rehearsal was absolutely a non-issue. I went on a quick indie tour when I was 19, where we wouldn't eat for DAYS and it didn't mess with my performance at all (though I did lose about 15 pounds in 3 weeks, take that weightwatchers.) Now it's completely the opposite. Unless I eat some protein before, I turn into a sluggish, unfocused mess!
 
I used to play on an empty stomach but now it's either calf skin or goat skin. An empty stomach is so hard to come by these days.
 
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