RELAXATION

[Fran Merante]

Hello all!

I recently took the time to respond to a question in a different thread that someone had asked me about relaxation while playing.

I thought that I would post it under "Drum Technique" as well in case anyone was interested in the information!

Here ya go:

GREAT question!

Relaxation while playing is something that as been preached for a very long time now by the world of drumming's top educators. It is really one of the secrets of success behind the drum kit. However, it is also one of those things that is easier said than done. Our bodies have a natural tendency/instinct to tighten up whenever it is put in a situation to have to react quickly. Because of this, when we are put in a situation to play a fast tempo groove, fill, etc, the natural tendency is to tighten the grip, tighten the arms, tighten the legs/feet, hold the breath etc.

I usually begin my lessons with my students on the pad to warm up. We share a pad and they sit directly across from me. This puts me in a PERFECT position to assess their technique and their level of relaxation. I CONSTANTLY remind them to relax and to BREATHE. Breathing deeply evokes relaxation. I advise that pad work is not only for building speed, dexterity, endurance, etc, but also is the place where focus on relaxation should take place. I advise to constantly check their technique and their level of relaxation while at the pad. This way, relaxation will become second nature and will carry over to what they do behind the kit. The object is not to let your hands get in the way of what the sticks want to do naturally, BOUNCE. A tight grip or choke hold on the stick puts the ability of the stick to move quickly completely at the mercy of your arm and hand's ability to move quickly. It should be the reverse. The grip on the stick should involve the bare minimum amount of pressure needed to keep the stick in the position to play and remain under control. The sticks are doing the playing. Your hands are just providing enough interaction with them to control which notes you are going to allow the sticks to play/not play.

Imagine yourself completely drained of your energy. Arms/hands completely limp and loose, with sticks just barely being held in your hands. To play, use the bare minimum of energy it requires to get the notes out. If you find yourself dropping your sticks a lot, you are on the right track. This means your hands are still searching for the bare minimum amount of pressure to apply to the sticks to keep them under control.

This is much easier shown, than explained but I am doing my best to help you to understand.

If you work on the above at the pad on a consistent basis (EVERY DAY), it will carry over to the kit. You will find licks and grooves coming out effortlessly and really be taken back by the advancement of your playing.

If you need any further clarification on anything or have any further questions, I will be more than happy to help in any way I can!

Good luck!

[yesdog]

I have been playing drums for most of my life. I took lessons when i was 8 thru high school.
that was back in 1987. I always took lessons on and off for a technique check up and new ideas. I am currently taking lessons again. When I warm up I always start very very slow, I will start with some stretches and do double stroke rolls starting 90 bpm at a 1/4 note pace.
I focus on the sticks doing the work and staying relaxed. Then I will start to play doubles to closed and slow back down and speed up again. I go thru all of the rudiments in that fashion, start very slow get them up to speed and slow back down always staying relaxed. You would be amazed how much speed and control you can develop by playing slow relaxed. I find flam rudiments to be the most challenging. I completley 100% agree with you

[Boomka]

More great stuff, Fran.

A lesson I learned from some great teachers -- and which I do my best to impliment and pass on to my students -- is that the whole relaxation game is between the ears. It takes practice to learn to tell our own muscles to relax, and ultimately that's about cultivating a relaxed state of mind. It's more about a mental and emotional state than physical execution, which will follow when the former two elements are in place. Though there is a feedback loop.

So how to get there? Practically speaking, I think the most important thing is to start everything slowly and quietly. The teachers who helped put me on the right track had me do everything from single strokes on up, beginning at 40 BPM at low volumes. Steve Smith speaks about working through new movements very slowly and quietly, without worrying about the sound; just focussing on programming in the movements themselves free of any distraction or tension. Like Tai Chi, or Yoga.The key is to practice not being frantic. Most times, we practice too quickly, trying to force the "right" notes into place and beating ourselves up every time we don't manage it. A good friend of mine call this "the path of most resistance". Rather, as we ratchet the tempo up on a new movement, we should only take it to the threshold of becoming mentally (and thus physically) frantic and tense. As soon as you feel anything change, slow back down and get back to The Zone.

Tommy Igoe works on this stuff with his students, too. You can see in his latest video him constantly saying things like "who's afraid of a number (a tempo marking)" and "we're walking, not running." I think it's important to have these sorts of catchphrases that we repeat to ourselves when we first learn new things. Words that we can associate with the set of mental, emotional and physical "postures" we call "playing relaxed". I just say to myself, "easy". After awhile, the catchphrase (what the Eastern folks might call a mantra) helps me find that zone where I'm relaxed and not frantic. If I'm on stage and feel myself getting tight, I think "easy", remember to breathe again and imagine myself slipping into the state of mind associated with it. Next thing I know, I'm not imagining any more. It's like we have to create a thread of memory to the relaxed state of mind so we can call on it at will.

This stuff all has parallels in other kinds of physical training like Martial Arts, as well as psychological training like Neuro-Linguistic-Programming. In short, if you keep saying to yourself "damn, I can't play this, it's really hard, I'll never get it", you're going to tense up and wreck everything every time. By working up slowly and telling ourselves good things everytime we achieve a new tempo in a relaxed state, hopefully that'll follow us to the stage.

Unfortunately, there is no instant gratification with this approach. I've had to spend some time getting the demons out. And there's still a few hanging around. But they're much easier to deal with than they used to be.

Anyway, longwinded essay over...

[Fran Merante]

Originally Posted by Boomka

More great stuff, Fran.

Steve Smith speaks about working through new movements very slowly and quietly, without worrying about the sound; just focussing on programming in the movements themselves free of any distraction or tension. Like Tai Chi, or Yoga.
This stuff all has parallels in other kinds of physical training like Martial Arts

Boomka!! You are the BEST! Thanks for your add to this post.

I am trained in martial arts and a lot of how I approach playing the kit comes from the philosophies of that training! AMAZING that you brought that up!!

As always, GREAT to hear from you on this post. Your follow ups are ALWAYS a welcomed addition!

Fran Merante

[diffledoy]

Not drinking a lot of coffee will definitely help you relax too. Coffee+Drumming can=Trouble.

[yesdog]

Originally Posted by diffledoy

Not drinking a lot of coffee will definitely help you relax too. Coffee+Drumming can=Trouble.

So does beer and liquior.

[aydee]

Great post Fran. Question about the right foot- would you apply the arm/hands principle here?

Should the foot contact with the footboard be light and supple to allow the beater to move as un-restrictively as possible?

Any thoughts for a left foot that trying to keep a 16th note ostinato through a song, freezing up or tiring?

...

..

[Fran Merante]

Originally Posted by aydee

Great post Fran. Question about the right foot- would you apply the arm/hands principle here?

Should the foot contact with the footboard be light and supple to allow the beater to move as un-restrictively as possible?

Any thoughts for a left foot that trying to keep a 16th note ostinato through a song, freezing up or tiring?

...

..

AHHH the feet!! Probably should have mentioned that in my original post. Yes! I apply the principal of using the bare minimum of tension needed in the feet/legs to get out the notes I need to get out. I use a heel/toe technique for my doubles and have it to a point now where my right foot is so relaxed that it almost feels effortless to get the notes out. Check out my samba video on YOU TUBE to see my right foot technique. It is playing an uptempo samba pattern and I am maintaining the doubles required throughout the tune. Quality is a little poor but it is an older TUBE video.

Here is a link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjyeYdNkORU


Thanks for checking out my post!

Fran

[Ian Williams]

Swimming - can be an excellent muscle relaxer, in fact it is very healthy.

[sciomako]

Originally Posted by Fran Merante

I CONSTANTLY remind them to relax and to BREATHE. Breathing deeply evokes relaxation. I advise that pad work is not only for building speed, dexterity, endurance, etc, but also is the place where focus on relaxation should take place.

Hi Fran,

I read your writings (on VF) and your youtube vids with Tom Geisler before you showed up on DW. I enjoy them a lot. Your comment about practicing at the pad to learn to relax is insightful. I never thought that way.

A question on breathing. Do you breathe in time with the tempo? Besides, if I count out loud, how should I incorporate breathing?

Originally Posted by Boomka

More great stuff, Fran.

A lesson I learned from some great teachers -- and which I do my best to impliment and pass on to my students -- is that the whole relaxation game is between the ears. It takes practice to learn to tell our own muscles to relax, and ultimately that's about cultivating a relaxed state of mind. It's more about a mental and emotional state than physical execution, which will follow when the former two elements are in place. Though there is a feedback loop.

Boomka,

What I find tricky is to stay relax while maintaining an intense and aggressive groove. Any suggestion?

Originally Posted by diffledoy

Not drinking a lot of coffee will definitely help you relax too. Coffee+Drumming can=Trouble.

Indeed. The other day I had an espresso coffee before I sat in front of the practice pad. Suddenly, I couldn't execute the simplest single strokes at comfortable tempos. I couldn't control my hands... Very scary.

[Fran Merante]

Originally Posted by sciomako

Hi Fran,

I read your writings (on VF) and your youtube vids with Tom Geisler before you showed up on DW. I enjoy them a lot. Your comment about practicing at the pad to learn to relax is insightful. I never thought that way.

A question on breathing. Do you breathe in time with the tempo? Besides, if I count out loud, how should I incorporate breathing?

Just to reiterate what I had mentioned in the original post, breathing deeply is a great way to relax. Yes, you need to count out loud but when you find you are tightening up and need to relax, take a break from counting and breathe deeply IN TIME with your playing. By the way, that is a great question you asked about breathing in time. The fact that you bring that up means that you are really giving serious thought to what I am saying and are serious about using the methods I am describing and I sincerely appreciate the faith and trust you are putting into these methods to help you with your playing!! That being said, lets move onward! Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. All the while focus on the arms and hands playing as loose as possible without losing stick control. Once you get to a relaxed state, continue with your counting. That is the way I go about relaxation through breathing while working on the pad either by myself or with my students.

Again, that is a GREAT question and I appreciate you checking out my articles! Thanks very much for your interest in them!

Fran Merante

[sketchtrack]

I have the relaxed playing style down pretty well. My problem is being relaxed mentally. I notice my state of mind is really the biggest factor in my playing. An person nagging in an angry tone, for example will virtually destroy my relaxation mentally. Aside from just stress being detrimental, being in an extremely good mood makes me play like magic.

Maybe it's just the life I live? But I have a hard time getting myself in that magical zone where I want to be when I want to. On the plus side at gigs, I am usually there. When with good friends I am usually there. Sometimes I have to try and meditate or something to get the stress out.

Also, the best state of mind for me, is when I'm not trying to show off, not really worried about how I sound or impressing anyone, just having a good time and going with the flow.

[BassDriver]

After I relaxed my technique quite some time ago drumming was noticably comfortable, in my early days of drumming I would have blisters. It was a gradual process until I actually shifted more the balance of the stick on to the middle finger (a simple little change in the grip shape of the hand on the stick), after that the grip was relaxed but secure (just because I'm relaxed doesn't mean I drop the stick a lot).

After I did this I realised that Dave Weckl did the same change too quite a long time ago.

Think...sound going OUT from the drum...trying to get as much sound as possible in the air through using relaxed hits...

A Natural Evolution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUPu9yA_-7Q

[Pollyanna]

Great thread. Thanks.

It's probably too late for me after decades of playing through willpower unless I spend hours every day tapping quarters at 40bpm for years.

Not asking anyone to motivate me to devote the rest of my life towards achieving relaxed technique, just thinking that it would have been good to have known all this in the 70s ...

[Boomka]

Originally Posted by Pollyanna

Great thread. Thanks.

It's probably too late for me after decades of playing through willpower unless I spend hours every day tapping quarters at 40bpm for years.

Not asking anyone to motivate me to devote the rest of my life towards achieving relaxed technique, just thinking that it would have been good to have known all this in the 70s ...

It could take "years", but it won't all be at 40. Try even a little bit each day. Just working on the Table of Time at a slow tempo for 20-30 minutes a day with no distractions will reap rewards, in my experience.

[Pollyanna]

Originally Posted by Boomka

It could take "years", but it won't all be at 40. Try even a little bit each day. Just working on the Table of Time at a slow tempo for 20-30 minutes a day with no distractions will reap rewards, in my experience.

[larryace]

I've developed a concept that works for me...it's not relaxation per se, it's seperation.

Relaxation is key to seperation, so it still's in line with the topic.

I'll try and explain...

Previously my head and my body weren't "seperated". Whatever or however I felt, that's how I played.

Now, it's more like this...

Say you are in a classroom, taking notes.
Your eyes and brain are on the professor (the music) and your hands are scribbling notes without looking (playing the instrument). They are seperated.

That's how I approach gigs now. My eyes and brain and ears get the lions share of the brainpower, listening to the overall effect, getting the BIG picture, while my hands and feet are more or less on autopilot.

It's like I reallocated my brainpower from my emotional center to my intellectual center, that's the best way to describe it.
I no longer "get into" (and butchered) the music like I used to, I know how it's supposed to be played, so I just do my job like a cold blooded killer, without becoming emotionally involved with the song. The result is that it comes off like I am emotionally involved with the song. It's backwards.

My brain is in control, not my emotions. Huge difference in playback. Just huge.

Out of all the things I've done, recording gigs and listening back, and letting my brain, not emotions guide my playing, are the 2 things that have improved my playing the most.

[JPW]

Originally Posted by larryace

I've developed a concept that works for me...it's not relaxation per se, it's seperation.

Relaxation is key to seperation, so it still's in line with the topic.

I'll try and explain...

Previously my head and my body weren't "seperated". Whatever or however I felt, that's how I played.

Now, it's more like this...

Say you are in a classroom, taking notes.
Your eyes and brain are on the professor (the music) and your hands are scribbling notes without looking (playing the instrument). They are seperated.

That's how I approach gigs now. My eyes and brain and ears get the lions share of the brainpower, listening to the overall effect, getting the BIG picture, while my hands and feet are more or less on autopilot.

It's like I reallocated my brainpower from my emotional center to my intellectual center, that's the best way to describe it.
I no longer "get into" (and butchered) the music like I used to, I know how it's supposed to be played, so I just do my job like a cold blooded killer, without becoming emotionally involved with the song. The result is that it comes off like I am emotionally involved with the song. It's backwards.

My brain is in control, not my emotions. Huge difference in playback. Just huge.

Out of all the things I've done, recording gigs and listening back, and letting my brain, not emotions guide my playing, are the 2 things that have improved my playing the most.

Lol, I do exactly the opposite and I was doing the thing you are doing now. Huge difference indeed. =P Just goes to show, we have different ways and different contexts.

[Pollyanna]

Okay, I'd like to make sense of this.

First, Larry, it seems that what you're saying ties with with what Boomka said about relaxing mentally. Would it be fair to say you're talking about avoiding trying too hard? Seeing vids of you play, you strike me as being totally into it so the "cold blooded killer" line must be an exaggeration; it just seems that way as compared with your previous intensity.

JP, from your side what I'm hearing is you used to overthink it and now you are more inclined to just let things happen naturally as the music dictates?

My feeling is that it all starts in everyday life - to have a generally grounded, relaxed approach and attitude in all things, and for that to flow into the rest of your life. After all, if you're a super-intense person who has found a way to relax when playing music, that would seem a bit artificial to me. Same with being a chilled person who goes neurotic when faced with a "blank page".

Boomka, I stand at the foot of Relaxation Mountain, having circumnavigated it for 25 yrs ... guess the first thing is to aim for the foothills ... relaxed bounced quarters burying the click at 40bpm ...

[Migaluch]

This thread is awesome. I always have problems relaxing while playing so i will take all of this to account.

[larryace]

Originally Posted by JPW

Lol, I do exactly the opposite and I was doing the thing you are doing now. Huge difference indeed. =P Just goes to show, we have different ways and different contexts.

Ha ha! Alrighty then! It's all about finding what works for each individual, one size doesn't fit all.
Me, I got "into" the music just way too much. I had to pull back, gain control.
Maybe you were too controlled, and had to let go more. It's all about getting to the middle.

Originally Posted by Pollyanna

Okay, I'd like to make sense of this.
First, Larry, it seems that what you're saying ties with with what Boomka said about relaxing mentally. Would it be fair to say you're talking about avoiding trying too hard? Seeing vids of you play, you strike me as being totally into it so the "cold blooded killer" line must be an exaggeration; it just seems that way as compared with your previous intensity.

Not avoiding trying too hard at all Pol. Not it at all. Like a doctor operating, he is not thinking emotionally, he is emotionally uninvolved. That produces better results for me, a guy who was too boisterious by nature. Now JPW sounds like he is more in control than me and had to let go more, hence the opposite stories.

Pol you're right, outwardly I do appear like I'm "getting into it" and I definitely don't have the body language of a cold blooded killer, but in my head I am, compared with how I used to play, that is. My body language now is quite mild. My brain, not my emotions are much more in control now, compared to years past, even though it doesn't look it.

I used to go off in my own world. Not anymore. I try to remain as present and accounted for as I can, seeing and hearing as much as I can. Sure, the emotions surface, but they don't take over like before. Like I said, it's all about moving to that balanced middle ground. Not too controlled, not too emotional, just the right mix of emotion and control.

Kind of like the 3 little bears.

[zambizzi]

Definitely easier said than done. I work on this every single night, when I sit down at the kit. I've come up with a routine that works for me. I can't be at the same level of focus and relaxation every night...but more often than not these days, I'm relaxed "enough".

I followed Jojo's advice and I start off doing very slow single strokes at 25bpm. This allows me to meditate, while warming up. I try to clear my mind focus on letting the sticks do the work, and watch/feel what my hands are doing on each stroke. I do this for about 10 minutes.

Then I move on to free strokes and rudiments, slowly and a softly as possible. I find that if I can keep breathing, not SQUINT or tense up in other ways, then I'm usually as relaxed as possible for the rest of the practice session.

This is maybe 4-5 days out of the week. There always seems to be a day or two where I just can...not...relax. Coincidentally or not...those are usually the days where I've had way too little sleep and my ability to focus and keep breathing steadily are just very hard to come by.

[defregano]

thanks fran and boomka for the great posts. Breathing has been the main focus of my practice for the past week now. It seems to help quite a bit.

I wish i had put more focus on dave dicenso's answer when i emailed him about a year ago. I had read an interview where he stated that he had problems with tedonitis in the past. Seeing him in the modern drummer performance got me thinking that he must have some great insight into this issue because he played with such confidence and ease.

His response: "Practice breathing while playing". He didnt have much time to go into it but he said it would be difficult at first but to keep doing it and it will make everything much easier.

[JPW]

Originally Posted by larryace

Now JPW sounds like he is more in control than me and had to let go more, hence the opposite stories.

Yeah, that's exactly it. As you might have guessed I'm very analytical person and my improvisations used to sound too much like coordination exercises. Now I'm trying to put my whole being in to the experience and it seems it's making my playing better and more 'for the music' instead of 'amazing stuff for myself'.

[Volentry]

Originally Posted by larryace

I've developed a concept that works for me...it's not relaxation per se, it's seperation.

Relaxation is key to seperation, so it still's in line with the topic.

I'll try and explain...

Previously my head and my body weren't "seperated". Whatever or however I felt, that's how I played.

Now, it's more like this...

Say you are in a classroom, taking notes.
Your eyes and brain are on the professor (the music) and your hands are scribbling notes without looking (playing the instrument). They are seperated.

That's how I approach gigs now. My eyes and brain and ears get the lions share of the brainpower, listening to the overall effect, getting the BIG picture, while my hands and feet are more or less on autopilot.

It's like I reallocated my brainpower from my emotional center to my intellectual center, that's the best way to describe it.
I no longer "get into" (and butchered) the music like I used to, I know how it's supposed to be played, so I just do my job like a cold blooded killer, without becoming emotionally involved with the song. The result is that it comes off like I am emotionally involved with the song. It's backwards.

My brain is in control, not my emotions. Huge difference in playback. Just huge.

Out of all the things I've done, recording gigs and listening back, and letting my brain, not emotions guide my playing, are the 2 things that have improved my playing the most.

I have been doing the exact opposite myself! I tried this, and it really work wonders, in terms of consistency while playing, sound-wise and timing wise. It also helps me relax.

Great post here, a big thank you from me to you larryace!

[Matty G.]

Great thread and already a lot of great ideas. If I could share something, one time I took a lesson from Kenny Werner (jazz pianist, author of Effortless Mastery) he suggested a practice routine whereby you reach deeper and deeper levels of relaxation and awareness. This does not automatically lead to 'better playing' however, that's the catch :)

You see, as most of you on this thread know, a lot of drummers/musicians rely on tension in their muscles, breathing, or ambature to stay alert and 'get the music out.' While this can 'get the job done' it ensures that what is played will fall short of greatness and meaning and can be easily interrupted on the bandstand under pressure. This is the reason so many of us have trouble seeing the fruits of our practice in performance.

Think of the greats, like Steve Gadd. He looks more relaxed while he's playing than while he's talking. (And probably is.) Another guy to check out is Mel Lewis, who famously said, "Playing drums feels like taking a shit." Makes sense in a weird way, right? These people are dilated when they play. The opposite mental state of most musicians. The differences between us and them are not macro... they are micro... on the level of muscle memory and mental patterns.

So here's the routine: take a groove, any groove. You should start with something that is easy for you. Put the metronome in your ears. Think of a complete 8 bar cycle. Breath deep and completely relax and effortlessly try to play 2 bars. Then rest for 6. Now this can be a real trip because you might notice that those first 2 bars did not groove as hard as when you're in your normal 'slight-tension' state. Remember you don't automatically play better in this state. But what has happened is now you are at ground level zero, so to speak. Any flaw you notice can be worked on from this state and that will lead to better playing, deeper awareness, and more effortless execution.

Whatever you notice about your playing in this state should be viewed as dispassionate as taking inventory of what's in your kitchen... "I slowed down... My limbs didn't synchronize... My feet are sluggish..." Don't stress. And don't judge. The inner critic is part of this relaxation problem. You probably won't play as well as you normally do. Just keep with the 2 bars of playing, 6 bars of rest. More time resting than playing, all the while making small mental changes during those 6 bars of rest. You can go down to 1 bar playing and 7 bars rest. Hell, go to 1/2 a bar. Or break it down to hands only. Feet only. Right hand only. You're not in a hurry when you do this. The goal is to perfectly play this groove against the metronome with zero tension and as little effort as needed. It's an exercise that can get deeper and deeper with time.

When I first had this lesson, I probably practiced it for a week straight. Nothing else. On my first gig thereafter, it was as if grooves were falling out of my hands! I actually started laughing... it was such an amazing experience... for a little while. Then my body recovered back to it's slightly tense state. And 2 gigs later the feeling was gone completely. That's the way it works... you need to keep refreshing this idea and eventually after enough successes and failures the successes win out and it becomes part of you playing. Been about 2 years since that lesson. Have I got it down pat? Sort of 'yes', mostly 'no' :=) But it's always the goal and I've seen major improvement! I've also had the most success as a professional musician during that time. Coincidence? Maybe :) Best of luck!

[Pollyanna]

Originally Posted by Matty G.

When I first had this lesson, I probably practiced it for a week straight. Nothing else. On my first gig thereafter, it was as if grooves were falling out of my hands! I actually started laughing... it was such an amazing experience... for a little while. Then my body recovered back to it's slightly tense state.

Been about 2 years since that lesson. Have I got it down pat? Sort of 'yes', mostly 'no' :=) But it's always the goal and I've seen major improvement!

Really interesting post, Matty. Thanks.

I'm looking at those two statements - "On my first gig thereafter, it was as if grooves were falling out of my hands!" and "Have I got it down pat? Sort of 'yes', mostly 'no' :=)"

Just trying to tease out those two statements. Does this mean you played better early on during that first gig after doing the exercise than 2 years? If so, does that mean you no longer do that exercise?

Or is it that your standards have risen and your ear became more acute in those two years?

[Matty G.]

Originally Posted by Pollyanna

Really interesting post, Matty. Thanks.

I'm looking at those two statements - "On my first gig thereafter, it was as if grooves were falling out of my hands!" and "Have I got it down pat? Sort of 'yes', mostly 'no' :=)"

Just trying to tease out those two statements. Does this mean you played better early on during that first gig after doing the exercise than 2 years? If so, does that mean you no longer do that exercise?

Or is it that your standards have risen and your ear became more acute in those two years?

Ah well. I am definitely playing on a more relaxed/effortless level after doing the exercise for two years. No doubt about that. And yes, I definitely still do it!

It's just that that first gig was the most striking example of change I've ever experienced inside of a week. We all have those magic moments in the practice room or on the bandstand when things become really easy/effortless and we're grooving on a deeper level. And for me that night after practicing for a week was it. It didn't last forever, wearing off after a few gigs.

A big part of the reason for doing this exercise is that you are going painstakingly slow. This forces your practice to become more mindful. Playing 2 bars, resting 6! That's 3x more resting than playing! This means in an hour of practice your only doing 20 minutes of touching the instrument :) This was all I was allowing myself to do for a week. I was soooooo ready to play more than 2 bars! The act of playing on the bandstand that night was a RELEASE like I've never felt. You've probably felt this way after not picking up the sticks for a few days on vacation. Those first few notes following a break are always soooooo sastifying which produces a great, relaxed feeling in your body. But like the vacation itself, it wears off as the daily routine takes over.

But I've kept at it and since have been on a steady uphill progression. I'm no doubt more relaxed, efficient, and less self-critical about practicing now. I'm also more mindful, even when I have to 'cram practice' for a gig on short notice. I know that patience in the practice room, not giving into the urge to ramble leads to more meaningful playing when it counts.

The reason I said yes and no is that while this is the new standard, which I've begun to reach in certain areas, I've yet to apply this level of mastery and relaxation to EVERYTHING I play. That's a process that takes years, if not decades.

[Pollyanna]

Thanks Matty. What you said about release suggests that it would be a good way to prepare for gigs. Like gorging yourself after dieting ...

[judthryn]

Music is the best relaxation for stress and depression..