Where are you and where is your mind?

Duck Tape

Duck Tape

Platinum Member
My mind has been playing tricks on me again and I've discovered another dimension to practice and playing that I'd never really considered.

So, I play very differently in different environments. At home where no one hears me I can shred. If I'm out playing with people, I'm a minimalist, scared to take risks, if I'm jamming with an amateur I might be dominant, if I'm playing with a pro, I might react more than instigate. If the camera is rolling I really censor myself (unfortunately).

But what if I was able to toggle these different mind sets wherever I happen to be? Or what if it didn't affect me at all?

Example: I started learning covers for a new band I've joined.. I was already in a very casual covers project - I noticed the setlists had a few songs in common. When I played these songs with the casual cover band I was very relaxed, expressive and flexed my chops for a bit of fun.. When I started practicing the same songs for the new, more professional covers band (just on my own) I pictured myself playing in a club, it felt more serious and so I started sounding more like a drum machine. I was scared to get it wrong. This is in the same room, same kit.

And I went to a jam night the other night and the very talented musicians there asked me to do a solo in one of the songs, thankfully I did okay. Today I was soloing to the click and I realized that in my mind I was back at the jam night and I was pretending the same people with their expectations were watching and I needed to wear my 'jam night' hat.

I bet there are guys that sound the same in different situations too but I underestimated the power this has over me and I wonder if it can be harnessed or if I can somehow benefit from factoring this in.

Not sure how else I can build on the idea but I thought someone could share some ideas.

Hopefully this doesn't come off as drivel but I hope someone relates.
 
I am in Arkansas and my mind is in the gutter!

Seriously, I know what you are talking about. I prefer to play in a low light, almost dark room. I let my ears and mind do the work as opposed to having my eyes get in the way. When it is dark, I just feel more comfortable playing than when it is light. I don't know if it is because a well lit room offers more distractions, but when it is dark in the room I just feel more at ease playing.

Normally I can't stand a dark room, but when playing it just seems more relaxing or something. It is easier on my mind, almost like I feel less analytical about myself and just play.
 
Dark room? Could be sensory focus. It's easier to focus on an auditory stimulus if it's not competing with other inputs. For critical listening I always prefer a darkened room.
 
Dre25 said:
At home where no one hears me I can shred. If I'm out playing with people, I'm a minimalist, scared to take risks, if I'm jamming with an amateur I might be dominant, if I'm playing with a pro, I might react more than instigate. If the camera is rolling I really censor myself (unfortunately).

I'm scared to take risks even when no one else is around ha ha

But what if I was able to toggle these different mind sets wherever I happen to be? Or what if it didn't affect me at all?

Having it not affect you at all sounds like the best way to be, at least on paper.

...When I started practicing the same songs for the new, more professional covers band (just on my own) I pictured myself playing in a club, it felt more serious and so I started sounding more like a drum machine. I was scared to get it wrong. This is in the same room, same kit.

That mindset never worked for me either, picturing myself playing a gig. That involves my conscious, ego laden mind... which a counter productive headspace for me to play from. I need to let all that go to really stand a chance of doing what I hope to. A clear, quiet mind, where it's pure music, is the place I try and get to.
Click to expand...

Comments in blue, that's right blue.
 
I recognise all that. Dre. Personally, I'm happiest playing music with peers and friends. I don't tend to take playing risks with them either, only really when noodling at home or in free form jams, or sometimes when one of the band wants me to stretch out more.

Dre, have you seen this site? Numberless recommended it on the forum one time, and it's good: http://www.bulletproofmusician.com
 
My level of risk taking depends on the situation I'm in. However, I'm probably always taking some sort of risk in every musical situation I'm playing in. The risk may no be noticeable to anyone other than myself, but I'm still stretching to some degree.

In general, I never shred in the practice room. With the allotted time I have for personal practice, I use the time to work on concepts that I'm interested in developing most. I do give myself the chance to do an occasional creative brain dump, but that never lasts too long.

The style of music I'm performing also has an impact on the risk taking. Playing in the jazz trio I'm in demands that I stretch - like it or not. It's 100% improvisation though following a form/chart. No matter what though, that situation requires I leave it all there when I'm done. The other two musicians are in the same boat. Then again, it's what the music calls for.

If I'm playing any other style, I stretch as well just in a very different manner. I never play a song the same way twice so I guess in that regard, I'm always taking some element of risk.

Regardless, no matter what I'm doing, I always try to adjust to the context of the music and never overplay.
 
Hi Dre,


I recognise that. As you said it's your brain playing tricks on you. Most people have this in any kind of situation performing in front of others, even more so when the others are experts.

I don't have much gigging experience but I used to play improvised theatre for many years. Same issue. And there are several ways to take it away. One is to have a beer or a couple to "free your mind" (no wonder why so many people including pros do this) but you don't want to be out of the pocket.

A better one is a warm-up, not so much a warm-up for your hands but a mental warm-up. We used to warm up for at least half an hour, doing this kind of things: http://improvencyclopedia.org/categories//Warm-up.html
This may seem nonsensical but they do take the internal limitations away. If you can get your band to take a while to do this before the gig, the first song will be an explosion and not just a warm up song.

(Funnily the effect continues about half an hour to an hour after the show. Improv theatre players that come off stage after the show all seem to run at 20 000 Volts and do and say the weirdest things without any limits. If you catch a female player in this state, anything can happen but that's a whole other story…)
 
I find I play my best when I take risks and sort of let everything happen, if one knows what I mean. This is the easiest when I practise at home, where I can just sort of absorb the music and be a part of it. Playing with other people on stage, afraid of making mistakes (guess that's just the nerves..) I play very stiffly and maybe not for the best of the music. But when I let go, it's not like I'm overplaying, everthing's just right. That's most after I've been playing for hours.
 
I do understand.

This is where I was trying to get to with my post in the joe vs pro thread. So much of drumming is mental.

And even though I know this, I still struggle to get past that hurdle myself.
 
Imagine this- There's a 4x12 plank of wood about 20 feet long on the ground. It's very sturdy and solid and won't break.

You can walk on it, dance across it, do handstands, etc. It's very easy and effortless to create some form of expression on this plank as it sits on the ground, level and flat.

Now raise it up 10 feet in the air and enact the same activities. The plank of wood has not changed. Now take it up 100 feet. Still, the plank of wood is still 4x12 and your routine is still unchanged but all of a sudden the shift in mindset has. "What if I fall?" As the plank gets higher the possibility of distraction by the surrounding elements (such as height from the ground) begins to tug at your conscious mind and is actually more of a detriment to your performance than the plank is. What happened to the friendly plank on the ground? It's now a scary thing up high in the air! Yet still, the plank remains.

So that's what happens with our mindset as we change scenarios playing music with others. And that's also the beauty and excitement of being a drummer/musician/artist/creator.
 
WhoIsTony? said:
read Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner

he has interesting things to say about this
Click to expand...

He does. Getting into the notion of your aims as a musician. It's the superficial stuff that gets in the way.

When I was on a health retreat a year or so ago they gave us some resources in a folder to read when we got home. Amongst the stuff was a small sign with a message that's helped me since, "Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are".

Edit: perfect analogy, Bill-R.
 
Playing with others is an act of giving and receiving. You have to blend, you have to make some holes for the music to fall through, you have to compromise, you have to be malleable, flexible, the list goes on...

Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner is an excellent read.

I also derived great insight by reading Victor Wooten's The Lesson.

I'm sure there are more excellent titles out there!

Any suggestions?
 
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