Bad Days

Eizfrim

Junior Member
Hello guys form drummerworld, this is mu first topic/post on here :p!

Anyway... So I was just practicing playing to some songs a while ago and noticed that it just didn't feel right, playing my set felt really uncomfortable and because of it I couldn't play as well as I usually can, so has anything like this ever happened to any of you guys? And if so, how do you get over these "bad days"?
 
Ride it out, it's part of the thing. Sometimes just getting up and doing something else for a little while helps, or changing gears dramatically and playing something different. Maybe try to detach a little bit from the desire to be the Yngwie Malmsteen of the drums and just do your work. Usually I'll try to isolate the technical thing that's giving me problems and work on that. A lot of times nothing helps, you end a session where you couldn't get anything to happen at all, and the next day something shifts and you're playing better than ever. If you find that the bad days are coming more frequently than you'd like, I would take it as an indication to step up your level of commitment in a sustained way, and practice more.

Or you can just fix everything by visualizing this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3hBYTkI-sE
 
Bad Days will bring in Good Days, yours - on its way. Try a drum solo, to break the routine.
 
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Well they don't come that often, maybe once every couple of months, but they are annoying none the less, just wanted to see what you all did when this kind of thing happened to you.
 
Try to get some feedback from another musician you trust and have respect for. You may be surprised.

I don't know how many times I've come off the stage frustrated and had people tell me I sounded great. Other times I've thought someone else sounded great and they told me they were having a bad night.

I think it comes down to whether you are trying or just phoning it in. And how gross any mistakes you make are. Unless you are dropping clams all over, the audience doesn't know what you were going for, they only heard what came out. And if you put musical intent and energy into it, it probably sounded much better than you thought. Maybe not what you wanted, but still good music.

Of course if you're making lots of mistakes and not jelling, then it simply time for more practice and lowering your sights on the fancy chops parts. Play the songs simply with conviction and intent. Works for folks like Steve Jordan. The energy will come back to you from the band and audience. Then you will be in a better frame of mind to pull off the more involved stuff.
 
I hate those days but I m guessing it happens to most of us. For an example: the other night I was in one of those moods where I was dying to play but half of my kit was 40 minutes away at the guitarists house. I had to borrow money for gas and drive a total of an hour and a half, plus time loading up my stuff, unloading it and setting it back up. This turned out to be a 3 hour ordeal...

I m set up and ready to go so I sit down and pick up my sticks and just draw a blank.

Put em down and went to bed. Pissed off as well.

But 2 days later I got home from work tired as hell and jammed for almost 4 hours! I feel its a connection with your emotional state, energy level, motivation or lack thereof, and general surroundings. Which could be as simple as the time of day, or maybe more towards mental expectations. Its stop and go sometimes for me so I can relate in a way.
But its definitely a personal issue and I wouldnt get too worried about finding "THE" answer from anyone else.

Good luck though! : )
 
Hello guys form drummerworld, this is mu first topic/post on here :p!

Anyway... So I was just practicing playing to some songs a while ago and noticed that it just didn't feel right, playing my set felt really uncomfortable and because of it I couldn't play as well as I usually can, so has anything like this ever happened to any of you guys? And if so, how do you get over these "bad days"?
I feel your pain. I have had many days like this. More often in the last month or so actually...Some days I'll just feel totally awkward, uncomfortable and unproductive.
 
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