Very 'timely' video to pop up on my feed; was working on this exact idea while trading 4s with myself and trying 'let' the feel stay the same, rather than 'forcing'it to feel the same.
This is a TOTAL revelation! I've always had problems feeling tense and anxious behind the drums. Especially, after years of Jim embarrassing me on stage etc. This is such a great idea! Thank you, Kevin!
I found that the people with whom I was playing had a huge impact on whether or not I was relaxed or tense. I did a lot of freelance work back in the day (I’m 67) and one bass player in particular really enjoyed messing with all of the drummer’s heads. If you let him, he’d throw all kinds of fork balls at you in an attempt to throw you off. It got to the point where I’d be stressing days in advance when I knew he’d be on the gig. It’s amazing how one person can have such an impact on whether or not you’re going to have a great or a bad night. I finally learned, through deep breathing and meditation, to completely put him out of my mind by changing my focus and I never turned fown a gig that he was on... Never let anyone mess with your head or you are done!
This made so much sense when you explained and demonstrated it. You made it very clear. I know it takes courage to do this type of a private exercise publicly. Thanks for being so vulnerable in sharing this Kevin. I tried it and it really helped me. This works for any instrument I think (even singing).
Definitely. I think this type of thing could be helpful for any instrument. In fact, I have a guitarist friend who has done a lot of this kind of practicing.
Interesting. I’ve been playing drums for over 4 decades and never heard anyone mention this exercise before. As I get older, I’ve grown more interested in figuring out how to make playing easier, instead of having to “muscle it out” as much. I’ve been recently using a different approach which is to play along to very simple rock songs as relaxed as possible. But I’ll try this too as a warm up and see how it goes. Thanks!
Super interesting, Kevin! Do you have any recommendations on how best to apply this as part of a consistent routine? By that I mean: How long do you do this in any one session? How often? Or is that really up to the individual and how confident they are in accessing that relaxed space at the instrument?
Paul Egron I think with something like this, it's probably best not be too regimented about it. Go by what feels good to you. When I first started doing this, I did it for hours each day. That may have been excessive, but this idea was so new to me that I really wanted to go deep with it. These days I don't do it that much, maybe five minutes every now and then, just to remember the feeling. It can be nice at the beginning of a practice session, to set the tone, and you can keep coming back to it whenever you feel you're getting tight or thinking too much. Everyone is different, so I would say just experiment. Play around with it and make it your own. Pay attention to how you feel. Let me know how it goes and if you have any other questions about it!
Indeed, because there's a whole other level of muscular development and sensibility achieved at a level of relaxation that becomes a foundation or an underpinning of much more strenuous playing and all playing of any kind. I think it's usually not until a drummer (not all) gets a bit older that they discover the blessing of relaxation.
@@kevindorn Got to meet JVO back in the day at a Stan Kenton clinic at Carnegie Mellon, He played Here's to that Rainy Day with just tenor drum mallets. Amazing.
Very 'timely' video to pop up on my feed; was working on this exact idea while trading 4s with myself and trying 'let' the feel stay the same, rather than 'forcing'it to feel the same.
John’s voice is making me relax, too relaxed🥱😑
🤣
This is a TOTAL revelation! I've always had problems feeling tense and anxious behind the drums. Especially, after years of Jim embarrassing me on stage etc. This is such a great idea! Thank you, Kevin!
Thanks, Mike! I've also always had problems with tensing up and I probably always will, but this has helped me a lot.
I found that the people with whom I was playing had a huge impact on whether or not I was relaxed or tense. I did a lot of freelance work back in the day (I’m 67) and one bass player in particular really enjoyed messing with all of the drummer’s heads. If you let him, he’d throw all kinds of fork balls at you in an attempt to throw you off. It got to the point where I’d be stressing days in advance when I knew he’d be on the gig. It’s amazing how one person can have such an impact on whether or not you’re going to have a great or a bad night. I finally learned, through deep breathing and meditation, to completely put him out of my mind by changing my focus and I never turned fown a gig that he was on... Never let anyone mess with your head or you are done!
@@tonyvincent9753 Excellent advice, Tony!
@@kevindorn I used to hit the drums 🥁 too hard but now I try to play relaxed.
My one lesson with The Baron was invaluable! Thanks for turning me on to him, Kevin.
Morgan Agren advocates this method big time
You get an A Plus for such an awesome lesson.
Thanks!
Great video, thanks for posting.That felt fantastic. Very much in alignment with the No Mind and Not Doing philosophy of Zen..
Yes! A lot of it is just getting out of our own way. Thanks for watching!
This made so much sense when you explained and demonstrated it. You made it very clear. I know it takes courage to do this type of a private exercise publicly. Thanks for being so vulnerable in sharing this Kevin. I tried it and it really helped me. This works for any instrument I think (even singing).
Thanks, Petra!
Interesting, I will try that. Thanks for suggesting this technique. 😊
@@pumpdumpster I hope you find it helpful!
If I can't relax, I can't play! Awesome video
Very cool exercise. I think this type of exercise would also be excellent for singers, as it’s all too easy to have tension there, too.
Definitely. I think this type of thing could be helpful for any instrument. In fact, I have a guitarist friend who has done a lot of this kind of practicing.
Tks Kevin I will definitely try this. Brooke
Hope you find it helpful!
Great lesson! I’ll try this out
Thanks!
Thanks for this, this is such a great exercise. It’s a helpful technique for guitar too!
Great point, it's not just for drums!
Thank you for your honest sharing, it helps a lot😌
Thanks for your kind comments!
Thanks, very interesting aproach, I´ll definately try that. Thanks for sharing. 👏 👏👏
This really, really worked for me! Thank you so much for sharing.
Fantastic!
Bravo, Kevin☮️
Excellent!
Hey Kevin, thanks for the relaxing at the drums video, it is something I always struggle with. I will give it a try.
Thanks, Lance! I struggle with it too, but this really helped me a lot.
Very interesting.
Amazing advice. Thank you!
cool!
Interesting. I’ve been playing drums for over 4 decades and never heard anyone mention this exercise before. As I get older, I’ve grown more interested in figuring out how to make playing easier, instead of having to “muscle it out” as much. I’ve been recently using a different approach which is to play along to very simple rock songs as relaxed as possible. But I’ll try this too as a warm up and see how it goes. Thanks!
Let me know how it goes!
Super interesting, Kevin!
Do you have any recommendations on how best to apply this as part of a consistent routine? By that I mean: How long do you do this in any one session? How often? Or is that really up to the individual and how confident they are in accessing that relaxed space at the instrument?
Paul Egron I think with something like this, it's probably best not be too regimented about it. Go by what feels good to you. When I first started doing this, I did it for hours each day. That may have been excessive, but this idea was so new to me that I really wanted to go deep with it. These days I don't do it that much, maybe five minutes every now and then, just to remember the feeling. It can be nice at the beginning of a practice session, to set the tone, and you can keep coming back to it whenever you feel you're getting tight or thinking too much. Everyone is different, so I would say just experiment. Play around with it and make it your own. Pay attention to how you feel.
Let me know how it goes and if you have any other questions about it!
Indeed, because there's a whole other level of muscular development and sensibility achieved at a level of relaxation that becomes a foundation or an underpinning of much more strenuous playing and all playing of any kind. I think it's usually not until a drummer (not all) gets a bit older that they discover the blessing of relaxation.
👍🏽🔥🔥👍🏽
Sounds like My Pal Foot Foot by The Shaggs
😂
@@kevindorn Got to meet JVO back in the day at a Stan Kenton clinic at Carnegie Mellon,
He played Here's to that Rainy Day with just tenor drum mallets.
Amazing.
@@cpu554 He was a great drummer and a great teacher!
🥁👍
Inspired aimlessness towards a greater aim.