Anyone else ever experience a "white-out"?

I'm curious to hear of any other drummer's personal experience of this phenomenon. It's happened to me three times over the years, and each time the essence was the same, so I'll only describe it once--


Back around 1982 I was on stage at a night-time jazz festival in Pittsburgh with David Amram, playing what would be described as a very spontaneous jam. Right in the middle of a tune, I mean to say-- nowhere in particular right in the middle of spontaneous improvisation, suddenly everything went white, and in an empirical sense I was no longer there. The music continued, I was still playing, but suddenly I was transcended to another place. And right at that exact moment, or more specifically, just a split second AFTER everything went white, the audience, and it was a large audience, burst into loud applause. I only had a dim awareness of this applause, because I was so immersed in the moment as to barely hear it in the background. But in later reviewing that moment by listening to a tape provided me by a local radio station that was recording the concert, I did identify that exact moment of the start of the white-out, but can only say that I vaguely remember coming back to this realm after perhaps about 20 or 30 seconds. Or perhaps it was only 15 seconds but only seemed longer.

I'd appreciate if other drummers who have experienced this would share.

[fmass92]

I get this all the time, and I just play in the garage by myself. It usually happens when I can finally nail a new song perfectly, especially if it's hard. I love when it happens =)

[alparrott]

As the old advertisement disclaimer goes, "experiences may vary".

I have several times experienced a sort of transcendental separation from my playing during extremely successful gigs. I can stop concentrating on playing the drums and just feel the musical experience. I can just enjoy the moment.

I very rarely am able to even see the crowd, because I am usually focused on what I'm doing or the other musicians. When everything is gelling like this, though, I can set that aside and see individual people in the audience, and it's really nice.

This is way easier to achieve with a group of very proficient musicians, especially if you have played together so often you kind of sense what they're going to do next. There's hundreds of variables, but I imagine this is what the greats experience nearly every time they play a gig...?

[DrumEatDrum]

Back in, well, a long time ago, when I was PIT, I was trying to learn latin.

I had never played latin before, but needed to be able to nail some given latin grooves to pass the tests.

So I programed the beats into my Alesis HR-16, and I'd play along, for hours, trying to get this stuff down.

One night of practice, I'm not sure what happened, but I "woke" up in my practice room, and I was still playing the beat on the drums.

It was odd. Did I really fall asleep playing? If I fell asleep, how was I still playing?

I don't know.


I passed the tests, but I still suck at latin.

Well, back when I used to practice 50 hours a week as a student in the military school I used to wake up all the time still playing paradiddles. I'm certainly not talking about that. And I'm not referring to the process of learning your particular part in a rehearsed rock song so well that you don't even have to think about it. That's fairly common. What I'm talking about extends even beyond the jazz thing of knowing your own instrument so well that during high level improvisation you can devote, shall we say, 90% of your listening to the other players while only thinking about your own playing to the level of 10%. That is in-the- moment, but it's still in a fully conscious moment. But it's only been three times, and I remember them distinctly, and only in the middle of spontaneous and creative in-the-moment improvisational conversation, when everyone involved was listening to everyone ELSE at the level of 100% almost as though we were actually playing each other's instruments, and the spirit of the music itself suddenly took over and it was even beyond, or transcendent of the very process of listening itself. Did that make sense?

[Pollyanna]

The $64,000 question is, how do you get into that state more often?

[Nickropolis]

I think this is your brain taking over your body sort of, not focusing on your eyes or ears or hands nearly as much as processing and laying all that stuff out. I've experienced this once but it wasn't in the context of drumming, my vision went almost pitch black and I lost sense of where I was and what I was doing but it was still happening with great accuracy and power. Came back about 30 seconds later I guess.

[Drums101]

That sounds like some of the craziest stuff i've ever heard.

[JPW]

Out of body experiences are quite common in intense musical situations especially when there's improvisation involved. Science can't explain it too well, yet. I don't think there's anything supernatural happening, just a natural high or something. But yes, they are there, and I have had some. I sometimes zone out when I practice too, but I think that's more like my brains logging out becouse lack of sensory input other than what I hear.

You know, music and especially drums have been used to indunce trance-like states of consciousness for thousands of years. So I bet it can happen randomly too, when one really becomes one with the music. Just don't think too much of it or you'll turn in to a hippie ;P ... just enjoy.

I already am a hippy. I got the opportunity to speak with Chester Thompson about this at one of his clinics years ago. He said that he experienced the same thing while making a recording, and that fortunately they didn't lose the track. He was of the opinion that it's something to avoid because while you're "gone" in the white-zone you might easily screw up. I'm not sure that I agree with him on that. But there's something to be said for playing consistently just a tad shy of that place.

[JPW]

Originally Posted by Flam_Taps

I already am a hippy. I got the opportunity to speak with Chester Thompson about this at one of his clinics years ago. He said that he experienced the same thing while making a recording, and that fortunately they didn't lose the track. He was of the opinion that it's something to avoid because while you're "gone" in the white-zone you might easily screw up. I'm not sure that I agree with him on that. But there's something to be said for playing consistently just a tad shy of that place.

Actually, I'm not afraid of screwing up _while_ at that zone. I think it's happening exactly because you are one with the rhythm. But I'm scared I will lose track of the song when I snap back to reality. Actually the "white-zone" always ends for me when I start to worry about not playing right. It's like lucid dreaming in that sense, hard to stay there. =S

[eamesuser]

It has happened to me before,I don't remember seeing white though.I started a blues band,and we really did it right,no more than 6 seconds between songs,segueways etc.This band had the best chemistry of any band I have been in,we went over well everyplace we played,there was one venue we used to play in that we always played really well in,and the crowd was really tapped into us,and sometimes I would look down at the set list to see what was next and could not remember playing the previous 4 songs,but I knew we were killing it and each time it happened the show was considered one of those can do no wrong/magic nights.I an not one of those metaphysical crystal booga booga type personalities but I really think that in this case that there is some sort of good energy exchange between the crowd / musicians at least,some kind of channeling going on.I have seen Stevie Ray Vaughn laying it down a few times and he was in the zone so much it looked like he was somewhere else.

[MikeM]

I've never had a white out, but one time during a well-rehearsed rock song me and my band were doing in front of like 14 people (most were friends of ours on the guest list), we all just found ourselves right in that little zone, you know?

Anyway, during a fairly spectacular and clever drum part of mine (if I do say so), I noticed that me and my drums just spontaneously started levitating! It was really weird because I thought I heard angels singing too. I looked out over the audience and could just make out the whites of their eyes as their heads spun on their shoulders and their mouths spewed projectile pea soup like grotesque little lawn sprinklers.

Of course, this freaked me out a little bit and the wave we were all riding on came crashing down. One of my cymbal stands broke on impact but once everyone kind of wiped themselves off, we finished up our set.

But yeah, the moment was lost after that.

Yeah, I saw that happen at a Sarah Palin tea-bagger rally once.

[larryace]

Wow. This is something I never heard or experienced before. I've gotten "high" from music where I felt like I was walking on air for a day afterwards, (not literally, in my head) but no white out. Cool.

[Steady Freddy]

Ah yes, the zone. That's when everything just clicks. It's like you're out of your body and watching yourself play. When it happens it's like everything is on auto pilot.

When it happens to the whole band there's nothing quite like it. A very powerful experience.

There used to be an acoustic group called Oregon which came out of the Indian tabla tradition. At their live concerts they'd perform seated on a large Persian rug, having a virtuoso improvisational conversation deep into that realm.

[Axe]

Mine was slightly different....happened 3 times, all on stage. Twice I was playing drums, once guitar. Mine was total out of body, because I was actually in front of myself watching me! It was only for 3 or 4 seconds, and it was the same each time-it was like I was in front of myself with a video camera, and I was walking towards myself, but evidently Id make a terrible cameraman because there was lots of side to side motion in those 3 or 4 seconds. Good times!

[theindian]

seems similar to the elusive musicgasm.

[Pollyanna]

Originally Posted by Flam_Taps

There used to be an acoustic group called Oregon which came out of the Indian tabla tradition. At their live concerts they'd perform seated on a large Persian rug, having a virtuoso improvisational conversation deep into that realm.

I remember seeing them. Ralph Towner on acoustic guitar and Colin Walcott on tabla, plus others. I think Colin W was the group leader. I walked out of that gig floating on air. Magical.

A friend who saw Bob Marley and The Wailers live reported a similar post-show feeling. And no, he didn't partake of the 'erb.

[jonescrusher]

So how does your 'white-zone' playing sound on playback?

[eddiehimself]

I think i got this once when i was singing and i managed to hit some really high notes, although maybe it was because i was about to pass out XD

[Spreggy]

If you can load or unload, go to the white zone. It's a way of life.

This is some crazy stuff you guys are talking about. If you're talking about out-of-body, then that can be duplicated in a lab setting quite consistently, and usually relates to stress, either mental of physical. For instance, when fighter pilots were first experimenting with high-G turns, they would commonly report out-of-body experiences, where they thought they were flying on the roof or out on the nose.

[MikeM]

Originally Posted by Spreggy

If you can load or unload, go to the white zone. It's a way of life.

This is some crazy stuff you guys are talking about...

Excellent reference! ...hey, I'll buy you a pizza!

[diosdude]

I had an out of body experience once playing, during my ex-guitarist's birthday party, the band went up to his cabin in Evergreen, Co. His fiance backed these awesome cookies that had an ahem.. special ingredient that kind of looked like sugar crystals. Anyway i ate 2 of those cookies and yeah, well about 7 or 8 songs into our impromptu "gig" i kind of just went on auto-pilot and watched myself play. Unfortunately, it was the only "gig" i've ever had that i was physically unable to finish. That's how they must have rolled out in the sixties and early seventies hehe...

[joeysnare]

almost every show ive ever played this has happend, i "wake up" covered in sweat and the show is over. but i guess my body knows what its doing cause i go back and watch the videos and everything seems fine .

[toddy]

that's never happened to me.. but it sounds amazing! good stuff.

[druid]

I've had this happen on gigs in the past and also once while recording a CD felt like I had blanked out but listening back my time was right on.....

it's a weird thing that I wonder might be connected with the ritual, rhythm and hypnotic effect drumming can induce?

[muckypops]

Music is magical. I know that sounds stupid but have any of you heard the term "music of the spheres"? I know Neil Peart referred to it in a song at least once. After I heard that I researched it and it turns out it refers to the "music" of the physical interaction between the planets, stars, everything.

Anyway, I'm not good at explanations (obviously) but to quote: "The phrase “music of the spheres” refers to the intertwined relationship between the structures of music and those of the physical world, and a conscious awareness of mystical or spiritual qualities being transmitted through composed sound."

I've experienced the white out thing a few times playing guitar. Being in "the zone" is cool as hell. Just ask Michael Jordan.

[larryace]

Originally Posted by jonescrusher

So how does your 'white-zone' playing sound on playback?

Ha ha ha great reality check.
I would think it's more or less at the pinnacle of that persons abilities, wherever that is.
As long as my car isn't in a no parking zone while I'm playing I'm cool.

[unfunkyfooted]

Originally Posted by Flam_Taps

I'm curious to hear of any other drummer's personal experience of this phenomenon. It's happened to me three times over the years, and each time the essence was the same, so I'll only describe it once--


Back around 1982 I was on stage at a night-time jazz festival in Pittsburgh with David Amram, playing what would be described as a very spontaneous jam. Right in the middle of a tune, I mean to say-- nowhere in particular right in the middle of spontaneous improvisation, suddenly everything went white, and in an empirical sense I was no longer there. The music continued, I was still playing, but suddenly I was transcended to another place. And right at that exact moment, or more specifically, just a split second AFTER everything went white, the audience, and it was a large audience, burst into loud applause. I only had a dim awareness of this applause, because I was so immersed in the moment as to barely hear it in the background. But in later reviewing that moment by listening to a tape provided me by a local radio station that was recording the concert, I did identify that exact moment of the start of the white-out, but can only say that I vaguely remember coming back to this realm after perhaps about 20 or 30 seconds. Or perhaps it was only 15 seconds but only seemed longer.

I'd appreciate if other drummers who have experienced this would share.

this is VERY interesting.

PLEASEEEEEEEEEE upload the track and tell us at what point the "white out" started and ended.

mine are of the "waking up" variety. i had one last week i woke up in the middle of a NASTY groove that i had been trying to nail [you know - wow i did it (once) / here it comes again, can i get it...yes !!!!!! / i wonder if that was just a "good day" fluke or.... okay here it comes again - and...../ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZone ]

how long was i out ? i don't know. i may have been video taping, but if so, i didn't mark the tape (saying to the camera "check out that lick later") or anything - in fact i seldom watch them back immediately AND had totally forgotten about that moment until you brought it up.

great topic.

PLEASEEEEEEE upload !!!!

[brotherbaker]

I've experienced this as well. I've nearly panicked when I 'snapped' out of it and had to catch my brain up to what was going on. It's probably where the saying comes from, "I play drums, but drums also play me."

[YourAverageDrummer]

It's happened to me after the band practices songs over and over. I'll be playing and then I just sort of start day dreaming or whatever. It's weird because I can see my arms moving, and I'm hitting everything right, but I've practiced so much that I don't need to pay attention. It's weird!

[Drifter in the Dark]

Originally Posted by MikeM

Excellent reference! ...hey, I'll buy you a pizza!

I would say "Let's talk about leather!" but this is a family forum! (And for the record, yes, it does look just like a Telefunken U-47!)

I've experienced a similar trance-like state before, mostly within the setting of a drum circle when I'm playing surdo (basically a big metal floor tom for those of you not familiar with samba terminology). When I lock into a rhythm and repeat it over and over, it seems that I become the eye of the storm, so to speak, and everybody else just falls into place around me. It's an experience that's better than any drug, although a cup of green tea beforehand can help boost my energy level since I'm playing almost non-stop for an hour and a half!

[rogue_drummer]

Usually white outs occur for me whenever I am with a beautiful creature known as a female and we are getting all nice and physical and just at that precise moment when.......er........wait.........this is a family forum, right??!! Oops. Nevermind.