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Alcohol and playing ability

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#41
I'll never understand some people. If you didn't want to get the issue of you drinking so much in the discussion, why did you mention it in the first place. Better yet, why did you put in that phrase about you driving better while drinking? You KNEW someone was probably going to call you on that, and yet you mentioned it anyway.

As has been said, I think you got your answer already. There's not much point in trying to save this topic as it was already pretty much screwed after the very first post.
 
#43
A beer or shot before going on stage can be a calming thing. But being drunk really worsens your ability to do anything well. It only makes you feel like you're doing it better.

Our guitar player sometimes gets a little carried away with the alcohol and it makes him turn all sloppy. Makes us all look/sound bad.
 
#44
Queg said:
in fact, plenty of drunks can produce better pictures then my sober results. oddly enough, I still like to drink when I'm painting.
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Your logic is terrible. If John Entwistle and I did a test where we both played alongside each other, he'd be 1000x better than me. If we both got wasted, he'd still be 1000x better than me but we'd both suck 100x more than we would when we were sober. Just because he's still better than me doesn't mean its the alcohol that made him better. Think about what you're saying before you say it.
 
#47
michael_atw said:
Your logic is terrible. If John Entwistle and I did a test where we both played alongside each other, he'd be 1000x better than me. If we both got wasted, he'd still be 1000x better than me but we'd both suck 100x more than we would when we were sober. Just because he's still better than me doesn't mean its the alcohol that made him better. Think about what you're saying before you say it.
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Are you drunk?!

If not you should read twice!

"If John Entwistle was drunk and you were sober, he still would be better than." This way it would be an analogy to his example with the painting...:rollno:



damn alcohol-nazis...
 
#48
gregwatts2008 said:
Sounds like someone needs to be at an AA meeting, not a rehearsal and definitely not on the road.
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-1 :scowl: Remember the rules - respect your fellow TB'ers. Those kind of comments should go to the MADD website chat rooms.

Me - 2 or 3 beers at rehearsal. Two beers before the show, and 1 per set. I play better with a little buzz. Keeps me relaxed and never had a problem driving in the past 30+ years. Made it through 4 sobriety checkpoints in the past 10 years without a hitch. I am not a regular drinker - rarely drink at home.
 
#49
Mtheory said:
when we're playing at the bar a like a shot or two and a beer, it helps me with my stage presence, word is i'm shy.

if we are just jamming i like to supplement my creative side.... but so does the whole band.
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This, my singer is always complaining I dont move enough on stage cuz their old bassist jumped around like an idiot but sounded like shiite, I care too much about the sound to compromise it like that, I know some can move a ton and stil sound good but thats not me so I have 2 or 3 beers to loosen up a lil, if he cares more about the look than the sound then thats what i'll give him.

Rudreax said:
I'll never understand some people. If you didn't want to get the issue of you drinking so much in the discussion, why did you mention it in the first place. Better yet, why did you put in that phrase about you driving better while drinking? You KNEW someone was probably going to call you on that, and yet you mentioned it anyway.

As has been said, I think you got your answer already. There's not much point in trying to save this topic as it was already pretty much screwed after the very first post.
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I think its just a certain type of person who acts this way(alcoholics maybe, maybe not). I used to work with a guy who was $10000 in dept from lawyers fees for fighting off 2 DUI's and he still says he cant drive sober, it just takes all kinds I guess.
 
#50
we always tell the crowd at the first break "stick around and drink up, by the 3rd set we'll be awesome". so true...:hmm:

i drink whenever/whatever i want practice or show. otoh there's plenty of nights that i don't drink(easily less than half but still plenty) just like in real life. i say do whatever.
 
#55
Anything that requires rapid reaction times, like locking in with your drummer, hitting the key changes, or even driving come to that - you WILL do worse with drink inside you. Painting a picture, I would argue, you might do better - no reaction issues here, but maybe creativity increases - Van Gogh used to paint under the severe influence of Absinthe.
 
#57
I am really tired of all the "experts" who know what is best for everyone else. :rollno: Blood alcohol level is dependent on several factors - body mass, food in the stomach, metabolic rate, rate of ingestion, type of booze ingested, etc. Having a few drinks over a long period of time will not affect everyone's motor skills the same. Generalizations are bad, mkay?
 
#58
Back'N'Black said:
I only practise sober at home and with my first band at practise I only play drinking. I'm new at this but I'm sure you pro's get the picture (and my bandmates do more then drink:hmm:).

I'm 45 and an ol' pro at drinking, I do drive better for example with a few brews under my belt. For example in extreme winter conditions, I'm relaxed. Spare me the anti-drunk driving crap, thanks.

For the pro's, do you play sober or under the influence of alcohol or other things. I've never found alcohol to be a benefit in any other line of work.
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3 things:

1) I am a professional bass player. I used to think that having a few drinks made me play better, but I found that I was really lying to myself. That's not to say that I still won't, on occasion, have a drink or 2 before or during a show- but it's purely for my own enjoyment (it doesn't help me to "play better"). The idea that alcohol makes you play better is erroneous & the concept is used as a crutch to mask other issues, in my opinion.

2) Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. It causes your brain to respond slower & reduces reaction time. This is a scientific fact. Alcohol is not a stimulant.

3) The following sentence: "I do drive better for example with a few brews under my belt." is really easy to take offense from! I'm sure I'm not the only TB'er who has lost a friend to an alcohol-impaired driver. This is just insensitive, and again, see point #2 above...

If you want to claim that a few drinks "loosens you up" or reduces performance anxiety- I get it. No arguments there, although there are better ways to combat anxiety than substances that can impede your performance abilities. But countless musicians (including myself) have been down this road of circular logic, that alcohol "makes them play better", and came to the same conclusion- that it's bs.

Let's be honest? Is the 'buzz' actually making you play better, or just reducing anxiety?
 
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