Does alcohol influence your playing?

[eric_B]

I don't want to make you think I'm gonna be the newest AA-member, but do you also play differently (read: worse) after drinking a few beers (or whatever)? I did a recording recently after a great bbq on a warm sunny day, with a lot of food and beer, wine and mix-drinks, and while replaying it directly after recording I heard I was very often off-beat. The strange thing is I thought it sounded good while playing it (wearing my headphones, so no excuse for bad sound).

So, what do you think about it: does alcohol influence your playing?

[SuperPuss]

I think it depends on the individual and their tolerance to alcohol. If I have a couple of drinks, I can play just fine. However, take it past a couple and it starts to negatively effect my timing and co-ordination.
For the record, I'm not much of a drinker. I'll sometimes have a couple of social drinks but that's typically about it. A rare exception was a couple of weeks ago at a gig. I wasn't driving and had free mixed drinks courtesy of the club owner (a good friend of mine) after the gig. I took it a little further than usual and when I got home I was still full of energy and got on my kit..... oh dear!!! Yes, I was more than a tad uncoordinated!!

[pchanning]

Personally, after about 3 pints I start slipping. Though, curiously, I do play well with a hangover. I end up doing different things and having sweated it all out I am ready to go back down the pub - could be worse

[Relayer]

I did the majority of my gigging in the 70's and 80's. Name the drug, and I can pretty much tell you what it's like to play under the influence of it. Alcohol is one of the worst. Like SP said, maybe one or two drinks and you'll be fine, but anything more than that and your reaction and execution time is severely impacted. I don't really drink anymore - only special occasions. Too busy to be impaired by booze. Now Weed on the other hand...

Cheers.

Steve

['lectric drumma]

I don't want to make you think I'm gonna be the newest AA-member, but do you also play differently (read: worse) after drinking a few beers (or whatever)? I did a recording recently after a great bbq on a warm sunny day, with a lot of food and beer, wine and mix-drinks, and while replaying it directly after recording I heard I was very often off-beat. The strange thing is I thought it sounded good while playing it (wearing my headphones, so no excuse for bad sound).

So, what do you think about it: does alcohol influence your playing?

[eric_B]

Well, I'm not very fond of Heineken (or Grolsch), I prefer Amstel. What you say is true: my girlfriend works at a party centre which has a lot of wedding, birthday and other parties with live bands. To make an estimate: I guess almost 9 out of 10 band members drink (lots of) beer. This must reflect on their playing. However, the guests are either too dumb, deaf or drunk to notice it and they are always telling the music was great.

[eric_B]

I did the majority of my gigging in the 70's and 80's. Name the drug, and I can pretty much tell you what it's like to play under the influence of it. Alcohol is one of the worst. Like SP said, maybe one or two drinks and you'll be fine, but anything more than that and your reaction and execution time is severely impacted. I don't really drink anymore - only special occasions. Too busy to be impaired by booze. Now Weed on the other hand...

Cheers.

Steve

Just curious (I never did any kind of drugs): does alcohol influence your ability to react negatively (...hmmm that can't be good English, eh? ...should have studied harder) more than drugs?

[Joe_K]

There is a thin line between just enough to loosen up and too much to play well.

For a 45 minute show, it was easy to just start drinking when I started playing, because it couldn't really effect me. But I also played a lot of 4 hour gigs last year, and you have to last. So I wouldn't touch a drop until the first set was over (so I'd have a completely unaltered perspective on the bands sound and playing). Then I'd take a pint on stage and drink it during the next set and repeat. If, during the 4th hour, I started to speed up on the drinks (and the beat), anyone left was WAY to drunk to care.

[JrummerJ]

I usually like to have a few before a show, and then maybe 1 per set. More than that and it can get ugly. I remember (barely) a night where a ton of our friends came out to see us and everyone was buying the band drinks. I looked back behind me at one point and I had 5 Jack and Cokes melting and getting watery. Well, since it is a shame to waste Jack, I would down a whole drink about every 3rd song. By the 4th set, it was ugly, limbs just wouldn't cooperate, expcially any double bass, even med slow stuff.

Anyway, I have repeated those kind of performances a couple times, mainly at the type gig where people say "all the food and beer you want"....Hard to say no to free beer It usually involved heat down here in TX and the stuff can sneak up on you. Luckily in all cases, I was still in far better shape than the guests and we still got rave reviews (tips).

J

[Daddy-O]

Short answer?

Yup. But only after reaching a blissful state where I believe my playing to be much better than it is. Scary.

[Bobvan]

Played live on mushrooms and really wasted another time a long time ago. On mushrooms did not not go too bad it was actually fun, but the other time I had to struggle to keep time not a good time @ all.

[John.b]

When I was gigging, a pint before starting I found benificial, then no more than two at the break. If you play hard you sweat most of it out anyway. Dont drink spirits though. These are a killer. Also keep a check on what the other guys are drinking and pull them up on it if you think thier playing is suffering.

A bit of weed is OK, but only one smoke. Save the rest for wind-down after.

[stickinthemud]

Just the right amount of alcohol can loosen me up and I feel like I play more fluidly (Herk! I made a funny!), but I have never had a recording that would give me an objective measure. It's probably a little more fun, I suppose.

[Renegator]

I don't want to make you think I'm gonna be the newest AA-member, but do you also play differently (read: worse) after drinking a few beers (or whatever)? I did a recording recently after a great bbq on a warm sunny day, with a lot of food and beer, wine and mix-drinks, and while replaying it directly after recording I heard I was very often off-beat. The strange thing is I thought it sounded good while playing it (wearing my headphones, so no excuse for bad sound).

So, what do you think about it: does alcohol influence your playing?

I think you answered your own question. Which I guess we are all prone to do. You nailed it, as did a few others. You sound worse but think you sound better.

For me, I like to conquer my nerves by developing my skill and by being familiar with the band and the music. I play clean and sober. In fact, I find that when I am really inspired, it beats any drink or drug out there.

Which is probably why drumming comes right after family and career for me.

[jrcel]

I'm not as think as you drunk I am. Yoda.