A few weeks back, I had a gig at a Rock club in NYC–called The Cake Shop—with MANCIE. We arrived early with our gear, loaded in, and then went around the corner to a bar to hang out and kill time until the show.
We had some nachos and I ordered a beer. Then I had a second beer. We went back to the Cake Shop and I was going to have a coffee, but I wound up getting an Irish Coffee instead–the bartender was so persuasive!
By this time, I was buzzed. And when we played our set, I hated how I felt. I was stiff, I was in my own head much of the time, and I played it safe…I didn’t go for things that I could have that might have enhanced the music.
When the set was over, I felt that I had merely gotten through it, rather than crushed it, which is how I like to feel.
The only reason for my feeling this way was the alcohol. So, I resolved…never again! I rarely have imbibed before a gig, and this experience reminded me why.
Drinking hurts your performance. Look at some of the effects that alcohol has on you:
- Decreased attention and alertness
- Slowed reactions
- Impaired coordination
- Reduced muscle strength
- Impairment of balance and movement
“But, it relaxes me.”
That’s the one thing that I’ve consistently heard in defense of drinking prior to a performance.
Aren’t there other ways to relax? I argue that there are.
If you are really serious about being a drummer, consider drinking coffee before your gig instead of a beer. You’ve worked hard to become a good drummer. Why rob yourself of a great performance by drinking before hand? After the gig is a different matter.
He first gained attention as one of the winners of Modern Drummer magazine's very first drum solo contest, judged by Rush's Neil Peart.
He's played with Oz Noy, Will Lee, Alison Krauss, Curtis Stigers, Emily Remler, Joel Hoekstra, GE Smith, Andy York, Marshall Crenshaw, Tony Shanahan, The Drifters, The Marvelettes, Big Brother and The Holding Company, and many other artists.
For more info: onlinesessiondrummer.com
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good post. when I was playing with my ex-band, I always drunk 1 or 2 glass of beers before gig. And It works. I can drink a lot in principle, so that amount of liquor made me relax. But I have no doubt that drinking until I can feel ‘Im druken’ is bad for drumming.
at least, whether professional drummer or not, every drummer who has mind to being professional have to control himself.
good article. Thank you
Cool site! Great transcriptions and exercises. Inspiring articles. Congrats!
Wow.
I remember I heard Mark Feldman’s solo many years ago in a Modern Drummer recording! It was a thin plastic disc.
I just noticed that MF is THAT drummer from THAT amazing solo.
(Just to say hello, now that I know who you are.)
Hi PC! Thanks for your kind words about the website and blog. And thanks also for your kind words about the Modern Drummer solo. It’s nice to know that the solo made an impression and I’ve been pleasantly surprised to hear comments like this from folks, like you, who remember it. Thanks again—it means a great deal to me to hear from you about this.
Regards,
Mark F.