adhd and drumming

i was wondering how many people on this forum have adhd? i have adhd and all my life drumming has kinda come natural to me, ive read lots of places that many of the drummings greats also have adhd, i use to think of it as a disadvantage, but have awakened a year a ago or so and realized adhd is the best gift god could have given me, a drummer. and that its a way of thinking, and a way of life. can anyone relate? or have thoughts on the subject?

I have been told I have ADD....I don't know...I do know I have a hard time staying focused while playing a song and my mind would wonder. So, sometimes I get lost...or my timing gets messed up...Or I twirl my sticks too many times....or I think of the chick in the audience instead of what the hell I am supposed to be doing...

It can be a problem...

How many ADD kids does it take to change a light bulb?






Wanna ride bikes??????????????


Couldn't resist

well he said adHd not add, but anyway....

I had a good friend who had ADHD and was also a drummer. He probably had the best stage presence of all the drummers around at the time. So i definitely think that was a part of it. I say take what you were given and run with it.

I've got ADD and I play mostly jazz... which is a probably a good thing because it is a style somewhat more conducive to a more "stream of consciousness" style of playing

when it comes to drumming, i think it makes it difficult for me to relax and just stick to a groove.
i'm definitely struggling with the idea of "pocket" right now.

I find myself constantly trying to make everything fresh and new and spontaneous. I never script out my fills or anything like that. Everything is always improvised. i suspect to keep myself entertained.

I realize this is not necessarily a bad thing all the time... but eventually i run out of creative tools and sometimes push myself past the limits of my coordination, timing, and the stylistic constraints of the song i'm playing...

this does not happen often in performance situations but i'm sure it is still incredibly unsettling to the people i play with for them to hear me risk the failure of a song for an interesting syncopated fill or set-up

whenever this happens it becomes clear that i'm not always "playing for the music", but also to entertain myself and stretch my mind to a certain degree.

I am often reminded that i have make sure that what i'm playing is clear and coherent enough to help the other musicians i'm playing with and not just an abstract syncopation that might not mean anything to anyone but myself.

These are just some thoughts...

oh, and i'm 17...

Not trying to thread jack here but what is the difference between ADD and ADHD? just wondering. cheers.

I show all of the signs of adhd but have never been diagnosed and it really does effect my drumming mostly in a positive way. But I understand that it's a problem in some ways such as sticking to a single groove.

There's some chav in our school who i think must have ADHD and he plays the drums. My mate is in a band as well (not a drummer or anything) and his little brother has ADHD. He needs medication. Maybe i should suggest he take up the drums?

eddiehimself said:

There's some chav in our school who i think must have ADHD and he plays the drums. My mate is in a band as well (not a drummer or anything) and his little brother has ADHD. He needs medication. Maybe i should suggest he take up the drums?

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that would be an amazing suggestion!
drumming is one of the best things you can do to heighten your focus skills (any instrument for that matter)
but drumming would be a wonderful prescription.... well maybe not for the kid's parents haha

HeadRush said:

that would be an amazing suggestion!
drumming is one of the best things you can do to heighten your focus skills (any instrument for that matter)
but drumming would be a wonderful prescription.... well maybe not for the kid's parents haha

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I can't see his parents going for it to be honest. Mind you my mate did previously play the clarinet, can't be much worse i'd imagine!

eddiehimself said:

I can't see his parents going for it to be honest. Mind you my mate did previously play the clarinet, can't be much worse i'd imagine!

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well also drumming is a much more expensive hobby then clarinet I believe
and percussion does seem to wear on parents more then most instruments
maybe guitar?
mind you, guitar seems to require a little more concentration then drumming at first and is a little more difficult to pick up at the beginning.