From a drummer's perspective.

[M.R. Ogle]

Tonight, I had an interesting musical conversation and learned a few things from a drummer.

We were playing, just jamming, and he was lamenting on how he was not quite still "set-in" and comfortable and relaxed playing the downstairs drum kit. I asked him what he meant, and he explained using some terminology that I found useful. He said:

" I've been playing on my other set, a much larger acoustic set, and I'm having trouble re-adjusting and setting my fulcrum points and sweep angles to this kit. I have to get all that worked out, as well as how I'm sitting on this drum throne, how my weight is evenly distributed to still allow free motion of both hands and both feet, how high I have to raise the sticks off the heads and how much force I have to use to get the "rebound" i want...I'm playing too tight and not able to relax yet until I get all the physical issues worked out."

Hmmm... that set off a light bulb in my head. Althoughour bass' strings are in one general plane, that's exactly the process we go through getting comfortable with a bass guitar... adjusting where your right hand "rests", where your forearm lays on the body of the bass, how high you adjust your strap, how your left hand supports the neck while still allowing as much freedom of movement, how the bass "hangs" and how thick it is away from your body... we're ALSO "re-setting our fulcrum points" to each new bass.

I guess that's why sometimes we just can't seem to get comfortable with some basses, it's a question of not being able to re-set and relax.

[Holloway]

Playing bass (and music through any medium, for that matter) is indeed as much a physical undertaking as mental and spiritual.

[Plays_For_Dog]

Sounds like a cool drummer with his sh*t together. Nothing is more enjoyable then jamming with a good drummer who isn't a freak show.

[M.R. Ogle]

Yeah, he's one of the FEW drummers I've played with who's very much a musician. I just never thought of the physics of playing and broke it all down that way.

[Fergie Fulton]

Drummers...this is how it starts. LOL

http://www.facebook.com/video/video....2992096&ref=mf

[picklebarrel]

Adjusting to different drum sets is always a pain. It's definitely a trade-off: playing on a house kit is awesome because you don't have to lug your kit around but you will not feel perfectly comfortable on the kit no matter what you do, especially when you don't have too much time to set up. In general, whenever I'm jamming or playing a show on a kit that isn't my own I automatically cut out some of the flashier fills and play more conservatively. It kind of sucks, particularly when auditioning for a band.

In any case, though, I guess it's hard to play on any instrument that isn't your own.