Mental exercise for drumming

[Gep]

May mga gifted na musicians na walang instrumento sa bahay, pero pag pinatugtog mo, e sobrang galing talaga.

Sa tingin ko ito ang sikreto nila - mental exercise.

Isang classic example yung free throw shooters experiment dati. May dalawang grupo na pinapatira ng free throw shots, yung isang grupo ay binigyan ng training regimen, at yung isa naman ay binigyan ng instruction na mag-concentrate at mag-visualize lang na mashu-shoot nila ang bola. Ang kinalabasan, mas maraming napasok na tira ang "visualizers" kumpara sa mga "trainers".

Siguro sa drumming effective din ito, yung iisipin mo muna ang mga gagawin mo, pero walang motor movement na gagawin, kahit air drumming wala. Meditation kumbaga.

Pero sa tingin ko mas effective ang regimen na may oras para lang sa visualization at the same time ay oras para sa motor exercise.

Discuss. 

[drumster]

I believe mental exercise is important, even if one has an available drumkit to practice and play on regularly.  But for those who do not have a drumkit at home right now (like me), I believe this is essential.

Some people rely heavily on teachers and mentors to learn.  Some are more keen with books and notes.  In my case, I'm more of an audio-visual person.  I'm a self-taught drummer.  And since way back, I get to learn more and pick up new things and ideas through watching and listening to different drummers and music.  I also got into Modern Drummer and a few books.  But watching and listening is the most effective for me.

I guess I've been playing drums frequently and long enough, to the point where in many of the stuff that I can play have become second nature.  Muscle memory na rin, I guess.

Whenever I listen to music, whether it's a song that I'm learning or just listening for reference, entertainment, and inspiration, there would be moments when I would imagine that I'm the drummer for that certain song.  I put myself in that drummer's shoes.  And that's how the mental process begins for me.  It also helps me feel and understand the song.

When I listen to Rush, I imagine myself sitting behind Neil Peart's huge DW drumkit, and visualize somehow from his point of view how he nails down his challenging drum parts.  When I listen to Vinnie, I think of his 6-piece set-up with all his A.Custom cymbals.  When I listen to ?uestlove, I imagine his less-is-more minimalist drumkit set-up, and his thick, fat groove.

That's one way of how I do the mental exercise.  I guess I just happen to have a vivid imagination.  

[lil.drummerboy]

ganun ako nun wala ung kit sa bahay.. kasi sa pinsan ko talaga un.. sa tingin ko mental drumming na exercise ko nakikinig lang ng nakikinig sa music. tapos air druming...  nag iimagine lang palagi.. ako lang nag sisikap kahit walang mag turo.. hehe. pero mas maganda parin merong drums.

[kert]

OT ata to: pero air drumming helps

[daemonite]

mental exercise / air drumming is good lalo na kapag wala kang kit, or you're too far away from a kit. with the help of an mp3 player / ipod, you can actually practice your songs in air drums. just widern your imagination hehehehe....

[jpmb]

i agree with you daemonite...yeah mentaly healthy with our music is very important... ..air drumming helps and havin a play along is a must...im a very busy man also because of work but havin an mp3 player with me and a practrice pad dito sa office helps a lot make up for my drumming..cheers

[bangbus]

mental exercise / air drumming is good lalo na kapag wala kang kit, or you're too far away from a kit. with the help of an mp3 player / ipod, you can actually practice your songs in air drums. just widern your imagination hehehehe....

true.

and drummers like john blackwell jr say: if you can sing it, you can play it. (that is sing or blab the drum parts ha)

 

[toybitz]

mental exercise / air drumming is good lalo na kapag wala kang kit, or you're too far away from a kit. with the help of an mp3 player / ipod, you can actually practice your songs in air drums. just widern your imagination hehehehe....

true.

and drummers like john blackwell jr say: if you can sing it, you can play it. (that is sing or blab the drum parts ha)

 

I can sing it, but I can't play it. 

[bangbus]

mental exercise / air drumming is good lalo na kapag wala kang kit, or you're too far away from a kit. with the help of an mp3 player / ipod, you can actually practice your songs in air drums. just widern your imagination hehehehe....

true.

and drummers like john blackwell jr say: if you can sing it, you can play it. (that is sing or blab the drum parts ha)

 

I can sing it, but I can't play it. 

neither can i with respect to some songs. but i'll keep on trying.

[toybitz]

^ Now that's inspiring.

[lil.drummerboy]

air drumming lang palagi w/ mp3 player or discman. pag wala mahirap eh..

[pyong_2]

relax, meditate, focus, be positive....

[Godfred]

yes, effective cya mental exercise. pro dapat din cguro nasubukan m pumalo ng totoong drums with the setup the vinivisualized m. You are actually using photographics memory habang pinag-aaralan m ung mga palo m without the presence of drums.

[toybitz]

I was thinking bout this concept almost the whole night....

parang ang hirap gawin.  I was also thinking about the Basketball analogy...

There's a huge gap between mental and physical.

We are taught that muscles have memory, that's why practice is so important.  That repititive motion or exercise teaches will help our muscle remember.

So if I for example hear in my head a polyrhythm...left hand doing 8 note triplets and the right quarter note triplets..I'd have to practice that to be "on" the beat.

Kun sa basketball naman...if I start thinking I'll be able to shoot the ball having held the ball for the first time lets say in 3 weeks..how will my muscles react to the weight, height and distance?Instant?  hmmm...

kasi I stopped playing basket for 5 years yet I dream of playing again and getting back to my old self (I used to be an excellent shooter).  But a month ago, I've been struggling kaya panay pasa or saksak.  But lately, after setting time to practice, my wrists and arms are getting used to making that shot again.

[peeves24]

hmmm

mahirap mag mental exercise para sa mga IT/knowledge workers like me. pano na kung malaman ng prospective employer na panay ang gamit ko ng utak para mag mental exercise e di mababa yung offer na ibibigay nila sa kin kasi hindi na sya mint condition. used and abused na 

kung maghahanap kayo trabaho wag nyo gagamitin ang utak nyo, di naman yan tulad ng gitara na tumataas ang value habang ginagamit/naluluma 

















*sorry sa OT, lunch time, gutom lang ako at wala ako magawa

[skunkyfunk]

Mental drumming is the promise...
Playing is the fulfillment.

[toybitz]

Mental drumming is the promise...
Playing is the fulfillment.

what about drumming telekenetically? 

This so you could just send the doughnut na lang.

[hanibanch]

ako, since i don't have my own drumkit. parang ganun ang ginagawa ko. pag may pinag-aaralan kasi akong kanta, habang pinapakinggan ko siya e iniisip ko muna kung saang part ng drums galing ang tunog, kapag nalaman ko na iniimagine ko na kung paano tutugtugin, tapos palo sa unan or dun sa arm rest ng upuan namin sa sala. hehe.

pero syempre mas maganda kapag talagang may drumkit ka di ba. 

[lil.drummerboy]

yah tama.

[intake]

ano requirement sa mental exercise? lots of imagination, knowledge and passion?

[marko21]

ano requirement sa mental exercise? lots of imagination, knowledge and passion?

brain 

[lil.drummerboy]

yah kasama na patience, concentration, concentration at madami pa. hehehe

[intake]

ano requirement sa mental exercise? lots of imagination, knowledge and passion?

brain 

pati katawan?   

[niwrad_nagnap]

ung drummer namin walang drumset sa bahay pero pag pinaupo mo at pinapalo naku tutnganga ka......ung mga cover nga namin cd lang ang kailangan pagnagpraktis naku parang 22o.