Good days/bad days

Everyone knows we have them. Some days you sit behind the kit and inspired rhythms pour out. Sometimes it doesn't even feel as if the rhythm is coming from you but through you. These particular days your technique flows and it all grooves.

Other days it feels forced. Nothing flows and it is as if you're going to the well and coming up with little or no water. You reassess and look at your technique and set up etc yet it is very hard to snap from this state back to the beforementioned state whilst behind the drums.

My question is do you have a theory on what changes these states for you?

I've often thought it was maybe things like lack of sleep or distracting thoughts/situations. Yet as I've progressed on my drumming journey, I've learned that for me it doesn't seem to necessarily be affected by these expected things. I've played in amazing jams on no sleep. I've also felt great behind the drums when situations around me are not so good.

I think by its own nature it's quite intangible but I'm interested to see if you have certain things you do to get that drumming mojo back.

For me, if I take a break in playing for a while such as a few weeks, months etc... then I'm usually refreshed to return to the instrument. I also like to listen to something that I'm not that familiar with and listening to a really strong player can help to create some new ideas (new for me at least).

Let us know if you have an "ah-ha!" moment and what triggered it.

I've never known why good or bad days happen, be it in music or any other area of life. I suspect that, at least in part, bad days have to do with trying to force things and on good days I'm just letting things flow but I've never known how to control it.

If anyone has worked it out I'm all ears.

I've used a bad day to fuel a good day of heavy drums, and had good days where I'm just not 'feeling' it. I think every combination is possible. I am considering picking up The Zen of Tennis by Nancy Koran to assist with some consistency. I don't play tennis, but the book is highly recommended for changing your mindset when approaching a single activity.

Lately I'm reassuring myself that the bad days that can't be explained by tiredness, hangovers etc are days where my brain is really busy processing new things I've learned lately and that consequently in a few days time I'll be even better . . . tho soon after that onto a new plateau . . . repeat ad infinitum

Nature has rhythms, your body has rhythms, your emotions have rhythms, the moon and earth have rhythms that affect us.... Those "bad" days you describe may have something to do with a negative confluence of things that are greater than you that you don't have a lot of control over. When it happens to me, I just realize that it's not happening that day and I either play anyway but usually I just decide to take a powder.

I notice these "bad" days only when I practice alone. For some reason, I never had to deal with that at a gig. I'm thankful for that anyway.

On bad days I like to just play whats bugging me. Mostly I don't let them bug me. Tomorrow is another day and there is always new stuff to get frustrated at!

Sometimes its not me, its the band. If the bass player is having a bad day, then I'm not sitting in the groove and now I don't feel like its gelling. Sometimes I have a lot on my mind.

Our guitarist and band leader has had some medical issues over the last few months. When he isn't feeling well, it really affects the band's performance, including mine. I also noticed that when I am not feeling full of energy, my performance suffers. Two gigs ago, it was really hot and I started to lose my energy level towards the end of the night. At the last gig, I used a fan that kept me cool, and my energy level did not waiver, and my performance was much better.

inneedofgrace said:

Two gigs ago, it was really hot and I started to lose my energy level towards the end of the night. At the last gig, I used a fan that kept me cool, and my energy level did not waiver, and my performance was much better.

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I think the key word there is energy. I think the amount and type of energy you have at a certain time may determine how 'on' or 'off' you feel. I don't necessarily mean just a pure lack of energy, but sometimes a lack of that creative type energy you need to play well. I guess it's coming up with ways to change that energy without necessarily waiting until the next day.

For me it boils down to food and sleep. Night before a show I take some valerian root to sleep very well. about thirty minutes before showtime, I eat a nice big, calorie rich meal (preferably beef.) Drummers burn a lot of calories when playing and I know not eating has definitely caused me to have a bad night more than a few times. But I find for the most part that eating and sleeping well has definitely decreased the number of "bad days" here lately.

Pollyanna said:

I've never known why good or bad days happen, be it in music or any other area of life. I suspect that, at least in part, bad days have to do with trying to force things and on good days I'm just letting things flow but I've never known how to control it.

If anyone has worked it out I'm all ears.

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Your thought regarding goof days and bad days are very true. But this is the fact that either the days are good or bad nothing is in your hands,

Isn't that a LZ tune?

Scopata said:

When I listen to calmer slower music before I play drums I usually play a lot better then If I am listening to something with a fast aggressive tempo beforehand. I don't know why this is but thats how it works for me and may also work for you too. Hope it helps

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Thanks Scopata. I'll try that. I'm guessing it's about relaxation.