Only (my) drumming weirdness?

Bozozoid

Platinum Member
Maybe I've got a chemical imbalance but if I'm wearing sunglasses while performing outdoors it hinders concentration. If chewing gum or I have a toothpick my concentration is noticeably increased. Please tell me you have some form of oddness as well.
 
Maybe I've got a chemical imbalance but if I'm wearing sunglasses while performing outdoors it hinders concentration. If chewing gum or I have a toothpick my concentration is noticeably increased. Please tell me you have some form of oddness as well.
You ARE NOT alone my son 😂.

Have you read all the odd and WEIRD things posted by all of us on this forum ? I guess that’s why we’re drummers?

I’m weird , therefore I drum !
Or is it ….
I drum , therefore I’m weird!
🤔🤔🤔
 
I have never been drunk/stoned/high
I don't like Bonham
I only own 2 kits, and don't spend money collecting drum gear, even though it is my profession
I HAVE to arrive at a gig space first, and be set up before the rest of the band if possible, or I feel "off" the whole show
I prefer to practice alone versus performing live
I can only play barefoot
I never have my drums in the stage monitors if I have the choice
I prefer to play later shows...if I am done playing by 11pm, I feel like I did not play a legit show
 
Maybe I've got a chemical imbalance but if I'm wearing sunglasses while performing outdoors it hinders concentration. If chewing gum or I have a toothpick my concentration is noticeably increased. Please tell me you have some form of oddness as well.
I don't have any oddness like that! Lol

I guess my oddness is mostly internal. For example, I get tremendously stressed traveling to new places, and I worry incessantly about loading in and finding parking, etc. Stupid stuff, when I say it out loud. But once I'm set up and ready for the gig to start, I'm in my zone.
 
I don't have any oddness like that! Lol

I guess my oddness is mostly internal. For example, I get tremendously stressed traveling to new places, and I worry incessantly about loading in and finding parking, etc. Stupid stuff, when I say it out loud. But once I'm set up and ready for the gig to start, I'm in my zone.

same here!!! To the point that I will study the surrounding area weeks in advance, and find/memorize alternate routes to get around. Will plan load in/out routes from the truck....I have played in waaayyyy too many shady areas to go into a situation unaware

I also do the same thing for vacations and other trips
 
I’m the complete opposite. Sunglasses OK, stuff in my mouth not OK.
 
I close my eyes when learning a new part. Only after I have it down reasonably well can I play it with open eyes.

I have no desire to play in a band.
 
This is an odd question. You know I can't think of anything odd ever happening to me or about me in any way. I'm the epitome of normal and like the UnCola unOdd. And yep it sounds like a chemical imbalance within your brain.
You know the treatment is you need more chemicals in your brain right? Have you tried chewing gum with a toothpick in your mouth while playing with sunglasses on to see the outcome of the mix? It might be as simple as that-which is a lot cheaper than all the chemicals I needed to balance my brain.
You know it is strange but I don't like being late-so therefore I'm always early. For anything.
I prefer playing barefoot too.
I only wish I'd never smoke or drank or stayed high for a decade or so.
I jut my jaw when I'm in zone because it helps me hear better for some reason-Not a pleasant look sheez.
I don't pay attention to lyrics to songs-never have. The voices and harmonization is just another instrument in mix-what they are saying who knows.
I don't like reading music and I don't consciously memorize songs-I listen to them till my brain can't get them out of my mind and I hear them in my head like it's playing. Then I play along-and no matter where a conductor might tell the band or orchestra what measure to go to in rehearsal I'm always on cure with band-though I have no music and only the memory of song. My Rainman moment I guess LOL.
 
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I probably do some weird things and I don't know it. I remember being told I wore a very serious expression when playing when I was younger, but I was a different person, I'm not sure if I still have that pensive look or not. I do close my eyes a fair amount, which I think might be my way of re-focusing my attention, or at least to keep it from wandering toward visual distractions.

I think sunglasses are fun. Gum, maybe. Toothpick no.
 
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I always assumed this "weird" stuff was just me being a creature of habit that has formed over the years.

1. Gum!!!! For some reason I am off for the entire set/night if I forget it.

2. I can't mix sticks from different sets. Not for some legitimate reason about sonic matching or whatever, it just distracts me too much. I do keep extra sticks in a stick holder for those occasional stick mishaps, but as soon as possible, I gather the dropped stick and put the spare back.

3. Nobody except our sound guy is allowed to help me load in/out. I am very particular about the order of how my equipment is moved as it has always been part of a mental checklist. The rest of the band would just grab stuff and put it down near my truck and I can't function well like that. :eek:
 
If chewing gum or I have a toothpick my concentration is noticeably increased.
I remember noticing when in my early 20s, that when battling NYC traffic (which I had to do a few times per year), I'd chew the hell out of my tongue. Many years later, I found out why that was (and how Michael Jordan and I have yet more in common than simply both being magnificent physical specimens):

A while back, Wonderboy’s OT gave me a booklet to read about something called “Suck-Swallow-Breathe Synchrony.” At first glance, I wouldn’t have expected it to revitalize the study of math in my home, but that is exactly what has happened.

The booklet describes how the coordinating of these three actions—sucking, swallowing, and breathing—is the brain’s first major task after a baby is born. Successful “SSB Synchrony” lays the groundwork for umpteen other developmental milestones down the road. The entire discussion was fascinating, but what really jumped out at me was the description of how, later in life, the brain uses SSB synchrony as a tension reliever or to help focus on other tasks. This is why Michael Jordan sticks out his tongue when he’s playing basketball. This is why people chew on pens, mints, and fingernails. This (I now realize) is why I seem to be incapable of writing a novel without consuming vast quantities of gummy bears or gumballs. I always thought it had to do with being a sugar junkie. I now understand that it’s about the chewing—it helps my brain to concentrate on the work.

Adults, the booklet explained, quite unconsciously avail themselves of the concentration aid provided by oral stimulation. I am reminded of the editorial meetings of my past: almost everyone at the table had something to sip, munch, or chew. Kids gnaw pencils in school, but gum isn’t usually allowed, for obvious and logical reasons. But our OT told about how she used to work in a school for the deaf, and when she convinced the parents to allow the kids access to pretzels and gummy worms while they did their schoolwork, productivity skyrocketed. A child who would normally have spent 45 minutes struggling through a page of math was now finishing his work in 10 minutes.

(I first read that piece a long time ago, so it's possible subsequent research has disproved it. But I found it fascinating and it's always stuck with me.)
 
Maybe I've got a chemical imbalance but if I'm wearing sunglasses while performing outdoors it hinders concentration. If chewing gum or I have a toothpick my concentration is noticeably increased. Please tell me you have some form of oddness as well.
When I'm playing indoors I have a colored light that blinks and if I stare at that my concentration is perfect and I feel very relaxed... I feel you buddy!
 
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Maybe I've got a chemical imbalance but if I'm wearing sunglasses while performing outdoors it hinders concentration. If chewing gum or I have a toothpick my concentration is noticeably increased. Please tell me you have some form of oddness as well.
I play my best when chewing gum. Dunno why exactly...I think it keeps my brain from over focusing and tripping me up.
 
When I was in my teens and early 20s, I'd frequently practice with the lights off in my room with no windows. I was convinced I was finding a path to mastering my instrument. Like a swordsman who fights and wins while blindfolded.
 
Interesting. When I try to consciously focus, I'll overthink and flub something. The gum only works when I know the music inside and out, so it allows me to let go and just play.
 
It’s a secret…(ssssh..).I drool sometimes while playing hard.
I’ve been told I can have a weird look and mouth hanging open when in the zone behind the kit , but no drool. The only person I ever saw drool was my late guitarist brother. When he was in the zone the look was so intense and he’d be drooling for a few seconds before even realizing it . If he wasn’t so good and awesome to watch play it would have been gross 😂.
 
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