Wisdom needed on intensive drumming...

I have a feeling that some HOD memebers could give me some advice on this topic...

I'm about to embark on a month long gig, where I am to play 4 nights a week in a row, and 5 sets a night (almost 4 hours a night). The music is mostly pop/rock, so nothing too lite!

For someone who is used to playing ONE set, once or twice a month, this is a drastic and intense change! I find that I am getting pretty sweaty and tired after a few hours of rehersal, I can only imagine how this will effect me night after night.

Do you guys have any advice at all as to what I can do to prevent getting fatigued on and/or offstage?

I have not had the time to prepare as I wanted and leave on the 20th of this month.

I'd appreciate any advice from my fellow drummers out there! Thanks! [img]smile.gif[/img]

I hear ya brother!

I play in a covers band & our dates are typically 3-4 hours of hard playing most nights.

Drink heaps of water, ensure you warmup/down properly and that your flexibility is up to scratch. I am not a fit guy but I am reasonably flexibile and suppleness is a big plus. This can avoid nasty cramps, hand soreness and fatigue.
I am also a coffee addict (!) but will avoid it before a gig.

Also, I find that my technique has improved through making sure I am accurately hitting the drums in the CENTRE of each head, maximising the tone and minimising the effort. Letting the stick do the work in other words.

This avoids the 'bashing' habit that is easy to fall into but is actually detrimental to the song.

Good luck with your adventures!

phil

Hey Chris, glad to hear to are getting a steady gig! 4 nights a week and 4 hours is certainly alot, ( I hope they hook you up good )
I would say get to know your limit and conserve energy. By that I mean hold back when you know that you can be just as musical, but with less physical energy.
I'm no expert, but I think the gladstone technique will help you save a TON of energy! Alot of times when I play a show I tense up and waste energy by not letting the stick do rebound. But eventually I loosen up and come to my sense. It kind of gives me a "second wind". If only I could relax all the time.
And maybe eat your veggies too? Humbly, Nat

Just do it. 4 nights a week isn't that bad, and if you play with a relaxed style, you can still hit hard and not kill your hands.

Some tips:

If you're hitting hard, take some aspirin or tylenol BEFORE playing. Many athletes know this trick: take the painkiller BEFORE it hurts.

If you don't have one, invest in a heavy-duty, COMFORTABLE drum throne.

Make sure your gig clothes are comfortable. Have plenty of towels handy, and even changes of clothes if you're the sort to sweat through your clothes in one set.

If you play your pedals hard (I do), wear comfortable, well-padded shoes. I bruised the balls of both my feet during one Travers concert where I wore knee-high lace-up moccasins with thin leather soles. I could barely walk for days afterwards, all from one night of trying to look like a rock star!

I'm a recent convert to chiropractic - I'm finding I don't get nearly as fatigued as I used to since I started getting adjusted regularly.

Drumming is physical. But it won't kill you. Just use common sense, don't be afraid to bust a sweat, and have a good time. I bet you'll be astonished at how much stronger a player you are when this stint is over!


Mr. A.

Warm up before you play.

As was said, 4 nights is not bad.
I used to do 6-nighters and that
was hard.

My advice is:

1. No alcohol.

2. No drugs.

3. Drink lots of water.

4. Enough sleep.

5. Work the mix (like Andy said).
This is really important. The act-
ion is at the board. He'll make or
break you.

6. Play lighter and if performance
is a factor, heavier, ONLY at the
key times, coming back, afterwards.

7. Enjoy yourself. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[img]cool.gif[/img]

For endurance before the gig takes place:
Cycle--preferably on the road, not at a gym. Go for distance and endurance, not sprints. Cycling rules!

I agree totally, if you?re mic?d, the need to pound isn?t necessary. Learn to play with a light touch on your hats, allowing the stick to do the work during the verse before chorus.

Don?t beat yourself up when things flop. Learn and grow! Take notes, keep a journal?use a tape recorder if you are not a writer and review later. Having closure to your gigs seals the musical experience, sort of like a visualization exercise. Yeah?do that too!

Lastly, think Virgil! The guy?s an Olympic Athlete drummer of endurance.

Already lots of good advice.

Four nights a week, you can handle it no problem.

Peter nailed it. If you eat and rest appropriatly and don't party, you will build up strength and endurance quickly.

If you are prepared and know the material well then you can really focus on relaxing and sounding good while you play. Try to warm up before you play. Don't worry, you will learn to relax and pace yourself automaticaly... The road will force you to relax or else you will trash your hands or your back and be miserable for a month. [img]graemlins/cry_smile.gif[/img]


You will find that once you have been out there working consistantly in differnet enviroments, it will change your playing forever. Your ears will open up and your chops will take off. IMO, You will gain more in one month on the road then a whole year sitting at home on a practice kit.


I've done my share of touring in the past (got kids now) and playing 4 nights would have been a slow week. Try 3 months with 10-15 days straight, with doubles and even triples some days, traveling hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles between jobs.

The most important thing is to relax and enjoy...

Like the others said...rebound is really important. Get some good hearing protection and get a great monitor mix each night. You don't want to overplay just because of a poor mix and run the risk of an injury. If you find yourself tensing up try breathing deeply while playing and concentrate on staying loose. Make the drum kit your ally, (as Dave says) and make sure you're real comfortable and never over reaching for anything on the kit.

Oh yeah, and have fun!

Thanks to everyone so far for the great replies to my post! It's really nice to have this kind of insight from people who have "been there & done that"! I am going to have to print this out and take it for some inspiration and review. Hopefully I will have internet access there once in a while so I can keep in touch with HOD & give you some updates! I'm also going to try to record (audio and video) some of the gigs once we get rolling, in hopes to add them to my website. Thanks again! You guys rock!

Good advice thus far. Can't really expound, other than to also say, take a fan with you on the road. Like a Honeywell or Patton fan, as I used to play many outdoor gigs, & it will help to keep you from getting overly-heated.

Read all the posts again, ESPECIALLY PETE'S. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] Keep enough water handy at all times. Eat right OTR, & try not to eat your full meal within at least an hour to an hr & a half b4 the gig. Drink natural juices at breakfast or during the day b4hand, stretch [including your wrists, forearms, & legs], & warm-up on a pad at least 20-30 min b4hand AW. Take vitamins - B's, C, A, etc.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by peter c:
As was said, 4 nights is not bad.
I used to do 6-nighters and that
was hard.

My advice is:

1. No alcohol.

2. No drugs.

3. Drink lots of water.

4. Enough sleep.

5. Work the mix (like Andy said).
This is really important. The act-
ion is at the board. He'll make or
break you.

6. Play lighter and if performance
is a factor, heavier, ONLY at the
key times, coming back, afterwards.

7. Enjoy yourself. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[img]cool.gif[/img]

---

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. That's a tough one, since we have 3 days off in a row AND we will be in a bar for the 4 we play! [img]frown.gif[/img]

2. No problem, never been into that.

3. For sure!

4. Another tough one! I will try though! I'm sure i'll be exhausted after the first few nights.

5. Yeah, good point - I wonder what the board and PA's gonna be like... I am skeptical!

6. This is something I have been employing in rehersals, seems to conserve energy.

7. I'll make the best of it, should be fun!

THANKS PETE! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hi Chris,

I hear you!

That's a hell of a slog.

I'd personally recommend keep up some aerobic exercise. Not too much! Swimming excellent. Try and get into the swing of it before the big month starts.
Drink lots of water and eat some fruit. Try not eat too heavy - fish is great, and lots of vegies!
I know how you feel, and in spite of this i still smoke and like to relax with a nice brandy after gigs. But I'm not too well behaved!
You look like a young dude though - I'm sure you'll be okay.
Try and enjoy it too!!??? Playing dull but physically taxing music can really add to the drag. Try and stay inspired.

Hope this helps.

Best,

GH

Hello Chris.
Apart of the physicall aspects of your job, you can do other things too. You are going to have a steady place, and play the same songs many times, so easily you can record yourself many times( with a minidisc with a little condenser mic for example- something you can hear inmmediately with your headphones) and hear it in the room or wherever you want. Also you can see how different arrangements may fit in the same song, check your timming ( and correct it from night to night), hear your mates parts and yours and see how it works, etc, etc...
I hope it helps (if you haven?t considered it yet).
See you and good luck.
P.D.: ...and if you have a videocamera, you will "enjoy" too, watching your band LIVE!

are you goin up north? like yellowknife? i think you were planning on goin up there a while ago right?

if thats the case, partying will be the biggest obstical.

as far as doing marathon sets don't be afrad to let the p.a. do the work. you'll last longer and the soundman will like you more.

correct positioning of you're seat, and drums can be really benificial on a gig like this. poor body position for 4 hours a night 4/5 nights a week can be hazardous and over fatiguing over a month.

these kind of gigs can be great for really sorting that kind of thing out.

also a simple thing like eating decent foods, at the right times can make a big difference.

water intake and streching would be the other 2 things i would mention.


good luck


chris perra

Hey Chris,

That's great that you're going to do a gig like this. You've been given great advice so far and there's certainly nothing I could add to the already monstrous list. All I can say is this is going to do WONDERS for your playing. There's nothing like having to play long hours, night after night, to develop consistency! That's really the only way to get good at doing anything is just to DO IT, and do it a ton! A lot of times students (or fellow drummers) will ask me how to get better or more consistent with their playing, and the only real remedy is to just do it lots and lots. I think the rest will work itself out. You'll figure out how best to pace yourself through getting experience doing it. You'll learn quickly how well you can handle the gig after having a beer or two (for me personally, though I love to imbibe it just slows me down enough that I rarely drink on a gig, especially if I'm playing complex or hard-playing music). Just do it, and you'll get into the swing of it. Know what I'm sayin'?

I can guarantee you that your consistency will be dramatically improved at the end of the run! The only other thing--definitely take Brad's advice and WARM UP before you play (especially if it's a hard-playing gig). You'll always play better.

Best of luck!
-Tom

Fan.

Get a nice quiet fan. That will keep you cool and unsweaty.

Earplugs will keep your ears in check and also keep your energy high.

Ha! I forgot to mention "QUIET" when I mentioned to take a "fan," Flam! [img]cool.gif[/img]

Quiet!?!?

Hopefully our fans will be cheering loud and proud!

[img]tongue.gif[/img]


Thanks again for all the great advice, guys!


P.S. Chris, nice to hear from you again! I'm going up to Whitehorse. My guitarist (who did this gig last year) warned me about the partying too, since there is not much else to do up there! He said that there were few nights he went to sleep before 4am. I should be heading over to Toronto shortly after this gig, so let's keep in touch!

[img]smile.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 16, 2004 03:21 PM: Message edited by: CLWarunki ]</font>

I just got our setlist for the first few nights. Tell me what you think about it (good picks/bad picks). The ones marked "The Capitals" are originals. Don't worry about the names in brackets. I get exhausted just looking at this list!!! Anyhow, on with the show...

Set 1 (9:30-10:10):
Wonderwall - OASIS (Patrick)
Yellow - COLDPLAY (Andrew)
Gel - COLLECTIVE SOUL (Patrick)
Brother Down - SAM ROBERTS (Andrew)
Angel Of Harlem - U2 (Patrick)
Someday - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
Friday I'm In Love - THE CURE (Andrew)
Fall Down - TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (Patrick)

Set 2 (10:30-11:10):
I Feel You - DEPECHE MODE (Patrick)
Let Go And Try - ANDREW FULLER (Andrew)
Blitzkrieg Bop - THE RAMONES (Patrick)
Last Night - THE STROKES (Andrew)
The Other Girl - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
Dream All Day - THE POSIES (Andrew)
Creep - RADIOHEAD (Patrick)
Desire - U2 (Andrew)

Set 3 (11:30-12:10):
Fall Into Your Dreams - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
In The Meantime - SPACEHOG (Andrew)
Just What I Needed - THE CARS (Patrick)
Heaven Sent - INXS (Patrick)
Elderly Woman Behind A Counter In A Small Town - PEARL JAM (Patrick)
Dancin' With Myself - BILLY IDOL (Andrew)
Had The Chance - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
Hate To Say I Told You So - THE HIVES (Patrick)

Set 4 (12:30-1:10):
Circle Game - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
Throwing Passes - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
Are You Gonna Be My Girl - JET (Patrick)
Song 2 - BLUR (Andrew)
Tell Me Your Secrets - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
Day Tripper - THE BEATLES (Andrew)
Money City Maniacs - SLOAN (Andrew)
Fine - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
Ziggy Stardust - DAVID BOWIE (Patrick)

Set 5 (1:30-2:00):
Help! - THE BEATLES - (Andrew)
Ride - THE VINES (Patrick)
Orange Coloured Day - THE CAPITALS (Patrick)
Under Pressure - QUEEN & DAVID BOWIE (Patrick & Andrew)
Rockin' In The Free World - NEIL YOUNG (Patrick)
Living On A Prayer - BON JOVI (Patrick)
Lost Together - BLUE RODEO (Patrick)

That's quite a list...judging by the songs, it will probably be more sitting back in the pocket and grooving kind of music, as opposed to really intense playing...so I think you'll be fine in terms of making it through the set...just have fun with it!!!

Rockin in the free World.

I imagine you can go "Vinnie" on this one. Get your yaya's out on this one.

Make sure you have a nice comfortable throne that doesn't wobble. I had an older Roc-N-Soc that was a little wobbly where it connected to the main post. I had trouble with balance on that and traded it in for a Gibralter round throne with small dips where your legs go. It also connects to the post with a 2 bolt clamping system. No wobble at all! Also, think about getting a few towels to cover your throne while you play. When I was doing the 4 hour gigs, my rear end got very uncomfortable from sweating, and the towels tend to wick away the persperation. If you sweat a lot, don't wear jeans. The cotton just holds onto the water, and you'll really hate it in the "end". [img]wink.gif[/img]

Vitamins are alway good! I take a Super B Complex and Potassium every day, and I haven't had cramps or my hands hurting after the gig ever since. Don't forget to stretch before you begin and do some stretching at the end of each break before you get back up to play the next set. Depending on how long the breaks are, it's possible to cool down too much between sets.

A change of clothes is a must for halfway through the gig. For me, it's a bit of a second wind to have something dry to put on when I feel sweaty and drained.

Just my $.02 from my cover band days.

Good luck & have fun!

Mike

Yeah, "break a leg!" [NOT!] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Watch out for those evil seductive temptresses in those mini-skirts who play silly little games & want lotsa drinks...like I said, just watch for them! J/K Look, don't mess with! It'll only detract ya & distract your focus. Many have been there, done that, got the T, washed it, wore it out, re-washed it, turned it into a carwax rag...

& be sure to bust a sheist-load of Vinnie in "Living on a Pr/etzel," too [one of the most God-awful poser tunes ever written...but the young ladies sure loved it did'nt they?] [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 17, 2004 12:55 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>