Muscle tension

[roknrolltkovr]

Hey everyone, I play in a small hardcore/metal band around here in Phoenix. During shows as soon as we start playing, my arms seem to kind of freeze up I guess you could say. For some reason I think its the adrenaline running through them that I don't normally have during practice. But its really starting to affect me because I can't play nearly as fast during live performances as I can during practice. I think it has a lot to do with my wrists too, they don't seem to be as movable while we play, like I can't rotate them as fast or as far as I normally can. It may also be that I tend to play harder live, just because of all the energy we put into our show. But when I do end up playing harder, my veins pop out like crazy and my arms seem to swell. So I really don't know whats going on or if theres anything I can do about it. If anybody's got any advice or suggestions or anything I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Andy

[Tedly Nightshade]

Not sure what to suggest, but you're on the right track- I used to find as a guitarist, if my picking hand tensed up at all, I was done in like 30 seconds, but if I kept it relaxed, I could go and go and go... and much more accurately too.

 

Perhaps Stone's Stick Control would be a good place to start- usually is- "repeat each exercise 20 times, and stop at the least hint of tension"- words of wisdom. It's very very hard to get loose once you tense up, so much better to just stay relaxed...

 

Not easy to tell another person how, though- some quick massage of one forearm with the other could help after that first song if you have tensed up. A very small amount of alcohol, applied internally, might help, but ultimately, it's a matter of keeping a cool head in a hot situation- good luck!

[offramp]

What I see is that you're ramping up too quickly at showtime, going from a reasonably rested state to manic activity in a very short period of time. When I knew I'd have a particularly high-energy show coming, I'd try to do some exercise for an hour or so before the show, get a little hyper, etc. It always helped me to keep the muscle tension to a minimum or eliminate it altogether; it also helped me move through the changes in the show a lot more easily.

In this regard, my role model was Stewart Copeland. Watch old video footage of the Police..in particular, "Message In A Bottle" (if I recall correctly), where Stew is hoppping around the dressing room like some sort of suger-laden 12-year-old, annoying Sting to no end.

[Lee Flier]

Sounds like you need to do some warm-up exercises before you play. Our drummer has had to start doing that because he had the same problem and eventually developed tendonitis of the elbow. Don't wait till things get to that point!

 

I'm sure there are books that have good warm-up exercises for drummers, or perhaps a drum instructor can help you. Our drummer went to a physical therapist and he's doing stretching first, then exercises with weighted drumsticks to warm up. Once the muscles are warm they will have less of a tendency to tense up.

[roknrolltkovr]

Thanks a lot guys for the great advice. Its funny you mention Stone's book Ted, I just started using that to warm up with about a week ago and I'm already starting to see improvements. And offramp, you got it exactly right. I have always stretched out a bit before we played, but only maybe a minutes worth or so, definitely not as much as I should be. And Lee, great idea with the physical therapist. I guess I'm in luck, my girlfriends dad's a PT and he's already helped me out with certain things a few times. Thanks again guys.

[D_dup3]

There are lots of exercises geared to the needs of particular activities that you could try but the best thing is to explore relaxation techniques & stretching exercises.

Whichever types will work best for you as an individual, with your particular physical & philosophic needs & attitudes, may vary but yoga, the Alexander technique, etc., are places to start.

Basically what you want to do is (1)eliminate whatever tensions, phisical or mental, that may be getting to you, even unconsciously, before performance & (2) get your limbs, wrists, etc., into a routine that keeps them from responding to playing or mental stress by tightening up.

 

To start, I'd suggest deep, even breathing practices that get you accustomed to steady, regular breathing under all conditions. It's more often than not the case that we respond, without even realizing it, to concentration by breathing in a shallow, irregular way & by tensing our bodies.

Next try whatever types of slow stretching routines with which you feel comfortable. Consider your body's muscles & develop a set of stretches that work on every group of muscles to slowly stretch them & hold them for one minute at first, gradually lengthening that time. Do these both starting from the body's core (your torso) & working outward through your arms & legs to wrists ankles, etc. & starting at your extremities & working back to the main body.

Do these before, during & after playing.

 

Another thing to consider is that you can often achieve a greater effect by not playing hard, a phrase you used. It's not the hard, muscular effort that gives intensity to the playing of great drummers but their ability to sort of "whip-crack" the stroke.

It may be beneficial to film yourself playing, too. That way you can explore whether you might've developed some techniques that limit the effectiveness of your playing. For instance, your forearm from the elbow down generally should stay straight; if your wrist is bending much it basiclly removes the power of your arm from the stroke. [That last is a tip I picked up from Dave Weckl]