HELP/ADVISE hands get tired quickly!

A

andyinthecabaret

Junior Member
Ok, iv been playing drums for close to 7 years now.
im in two bands that actively play shows in austin texas.
one is posi-pop punk, the other straight metal.

the problem:
before its time to go on stage, i practice for at least 15 min. on a practice pad
and warm up my hands as much as possible.
but after like, 3 songs, my right hand starts to get tired, between my thumb and index finger.
then my left slowly follows suite.
i dont know wat the deal is, i guess i could be playing wrong?
iv been playing long enough to have built the endurance and strength in my hands
for this not to happen so i have to be doing something wrong.

i use vic firth 3A sticks.

any help/advise wud be most appreciated
if you need any other info just ask
thanks guys!



 
sounds like you are forcing things to happen. I know when you play a show you get excited and amped up. Its easy for your emotions to over come your physical stamina.
Try to practice in your down time playing things slowly and relaxed the more relaxed you are the sticks will start to do the work not you. A lesson or two can't hurt . maybe you devolped some bad habits. hope this helps
 
until about a year ago i used to have a big problem with that kind of thing. i'd be fine when practicing on my own, but at shows i'd get so sore and cramped up i could barely get through certain songs.

what was happening to me is i'd get so nervous and amped up about the show i'd play everything about twice as fast and twice as hard as i would in practice. i've since really focused on controlling my tempo and forcing myself to RELAX during shows. if i can relax, i don't speed up so much and i don't play with so much tension, which helps with the cramping and pain. the thing is, i have to make a focused, conscious effort to relax or i just naturally go wild. i have to be thinking about it all the time.
 
^What dairyman said.

If you play all tensed up, that will be a problem maker. I suggest stretching your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and legs before playing, and just focus on playing with your muscles as loose as possible. You may drop a drumstick or two starting out, but with some practice, you'll learn.
 
actually, a couple times i got so cramped i literally could not hang onto my sticks anymore and i DID drop them!
 
makes sense, when i get all amped up i play pretty hard and fast.
i'll definately work on trying to keep my body relaxed when im playing.

thanks guys, i think you pretty much nailed my problem lol
much appreciated :D
 
Are you tense? Are you stiff when you play? Do you bash?

If you're tense or stiff you need to relax and loosen up. Also, if you're relaxed then you're probably not in shape to do a long set. You just have to keep gigging and build up your strength.

As far as bashing goes, I don't care what anyone says, play the drums, don't beat them. If you're in a club then let the PA do the work for you. If not, make sure your drums are ringing and open and not sounding like cardboard.
 
One other thing to look at: Are you using the correct size stick? If your stick is too heavy, your hands will wear out more quickly. If it's too small, your hands will go numb trying to overgrip.

I tend to start out rock gigs on 747s (5A diameter), move to a 5B as the show wears on, and if my hands really start getting tired, switch to a larger diameter maple stick to finish off (lighter weight plus larger grip equals hand relief).
 
Oh man...

I see all this posts, and now i can figure out why my right hand gets tired after the 3rd, 4th song in a gig... :S

Cause I may play hard and faster.. As a matter of fact, when I feel insecure (because we are going to play a song we did not rehearse) I tend to play fast....

Man, I am going to try to get more relaxed from now on...

I got a tip long ago, did not take it, but I will start to apply it:, eat a banana, I heard that helps you with controlling yourself when you speak in public (same as playing in front of many people)
 
The same was happening to me - been self tought for 15 years, had my first proper lesson last week to tidy myself up - and found that its the fact that im not holding the sticks correctly that is causing the problem. I was holding them tight and rigid instead of letting them stay loose and do the work, taking the pressure off my hands and arm.

Check this site out - not as good as a lesson but explains a bit. I use the matched grip (since last week!)

http://www.rockdrummingsystem.com/underground/drum-articles/using-proper-stick-grips.php
 
mhanon13 said:
Oh man...
I got a tip long ago, did not take it, but I will start to apply it:, eat a banana, I heard that helps you with controlling yourself when you speak in public (same as playing in front of many people)
Click to expand...

It also has to do with potassium and its properties in helping muscle tissue, avoiding lactic acid buildup, etc. You can also make smoothies and blended fruit drinks to sip on prior to the gig, drink water and water/Gatorade mix during the show, and save the beer and spirits for after, so as to avoid quicker dehydration, cramping, and possibly incidentally bad playing. I really notice the difference.
 
One thing I do before a show is I grab my drum pad go away to a quet room or even out by my car. I start by playing slowly singles and doubles and work up the speed I try to make sure I feel my wrist forarms and fingers feel nice and warm. I do this for about 20 minutes before we go on. I also tap my feet and play quadruplits and sixteeth paterns while playing the pad. (if you are out by your car put a tip bucket by you haha).
one of my warm up exercises is RLRLRLRLRRLLRRLLRLRRLRLL go slowly and work up to speed and then start the same pattern with the left. keep your wrist streched and loose.
when I do that I can play those three hour gigs with no fatige. I played a show a couple of weeks ago it was outside and 50degrees out i did not warm up. I was holding those sticks like I was hanging on for my life what a horrible feeling i thaught somthing was going to break.
 
i personally have a small prob with stage fright it doesnt cause me to tense up but i will forget stuff anyways like alporrott said u should save the drinkn for after the show but.. i play a hundred times better if a i take a shot before i go on stage its just one drink so any buzz i might get i ussually sweat off half way through the first song and along with potassium before the show caffeine is also something that not only relaxes but also helps fight off the feeling of muscle fatigue this is my schedule before a show

gallon of water Gatorade mix the day of the show
bout 10 or more servings of carbs 2 hrs before i go on stage
MD 45 min before i go on stage
one shot of gin 5 min before i go on stage
a bottle of water on stage with me

i drink allot of water and my band cram practices the day of the show so i realize that a gallon is allot but yea just try to stay relax and good luck next time
 
it's funny to me when i listen to some of the older live recordings of my band back when i was playing like a madman. not only was i cramping up and barely able to get through the shows, but the music actually *sounds* tense, and it's all because of me. it's uncomfortable to listen to because it's so keyed up and nervous sounding. i'm sure the crowd must have picked up on that, but thank god they still kept coming to our shows. so that's another reason to relax at a live show.
 
If your hands are getting tired, your technique is wrong. Bananas aren't going to fix the problem. Find a teacher.
 
If your hands are tireing then its because your mind & hands are not coordinated. What you need to do is what every one teaches in the beginning. count strictly & practice slowly. When you reach the speed you start losing it back off a little bit. Let your mind catch up. You will find improvement every time you start practicing fresh again. Hands are not the problem. Your subconscious will drive everything you do when you have it down. That goes for every lick you ever do on the drums. It will make you good.
 
One reason for over-hitting and tightening up is not hearing yourself well enough on stage. Lotsa ways to fix it, from asking people to turn their amps down or away from you to getting a louder monitor mix. Soundpersons often complain that drummers hit too hard, and I like to explain to them that if drummers can hear themselves well, they won't hit so hard. Instead of turning a loud drummer down in the fronts, turn him up in his monitor. Often a guitarist goes from being a reasonable person in practice to the LOUDEST THING EVER at the gig, so let him or her know if you're getting blasted and can't hear the set.

And relax, relax, relax. If it hurts, you're doing it wrong. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top