ColdFusion
Active Member
Rhetorical question (mostly). Does anybody here use alcohol to relax and loosen up the chops before jamming or performing?
For a long time as an "intermediate" player I surely appreciated the advantage of a little fire-water to loosen the knots in the stomach and help me to live in the moment a little better.
Because my practice routine is rather rigorous, I have long since given up even casual drinking. I think the tipping point for me was realizing that alcohol was not a very cool superpower. More of a crutch really.
I can report that building musical skills in a natural, patient, sober state is much more satisfying in the long term.
In fact my own experience seems to suggest that the tendency for a drummer to drink just before playing indicates big deficits in that player's experience and/or skillset (and obviously their confidence).
I feel like this might be an issue for some people. For me, it felt rather liberating to get to the point where I could just relax and acheive maximum drummer buzz...without the booze.
For a long time as an "intermediate" player I surely appreciated the advantage of a little fire-water to loosen the knots in the stomach and help me to live in the moment a little better.
Because my practice routine is rather rigorous, I have long since given up even casual drinking. I think the tipping point for me was realizing that alcohol was not a very cool superpower. More of a crutch really.
I can report that building musical skills in a natural, patient, sober state is much more satisfying in the long term.
In fact my own experience seems to suggest that the tendency for a drummer to drink just before playing indicates big deficits in that player's experience and/or skillset (and obviously their confidence).
I feel like this might be an issue for some people. For me, it felt rather liberating to get to the point where I could just relax and acheive maximum drummer buzz...without the booze.