Alcohol and playing ability

[Sav'nBass]

I don't drink when I play now.. I still like my beer & wine.. but since I play mostly at church or church related events I do not drink when I play anymore. Back in the day though I used to drink when I gigged.. but I found that for me it was better to play sober... no drinking.. no smoking (back when I did smoke... )I made more mistakes and found that I focused less on the music and more on other things.. like that girl at the 3rd table etc..

 

[BassyBill]

Speaking as a middle aged guy, with all the personal experience that may be relevant to this thread - if you want to drink before you play music, fine. You may enjoy that, and if your audience does too, no problem.

But for the love of all that is decent, never kid yourself that drinking before you drive makes you drive better. It does not, ever. You may FEEL "more relaxed" or whatever, but in an emergency, you'd be those few fractions of a second slower to react, and that can make all the difference, often with tragic consequences. I think we all know this deep down, even if some folks would like to believe differently so much that they've managed to convince themselves otherwise.

 

[Toastfuzz]

Drinking, not so much, doesn't come into the picture and I'll have a few drinks without thinking about it but never get too bad.

However, thats probably because me and my band are connoisseurs of greener substances...which does preclude any jam, practice, or gig.

 

[tdogg]

im only 26, so i dont have the experience with this that alot of you do. i have been in progressive bands with very complicated music (think dream theatre) and drinking was NOT an option with that music. we really needed our wits about us.
now im in a band that plays classic rock and its a totally different story. if i cant play the bassline to a Tom Petty song after a couple beers, i have problems. a couple of the band members smoke a little (not tobacco...) at practice and i really dont mind. but if i was in a band with the more complicated music again, espially if i was running the show, the chemicals would be frowned upon.
note- DRINKING AND DRIVING IS AN ABSOLUTE NO NO. whether after a gig or practice or whenever, i will not accept this. like i said im only 26 and ive already lost too many friends to alchohol related accidents.

 

[Marley's Ghost]

I gave up the wacky tabacky a long time ago, and no one in my band partakes either. I've seen that cause problems, as the intensity of the effect seems to be highly variable these days.

 

[Ric5]

Alcohol and playing ability

The more you drink the worse you play ... If you get past the legal limit then you get busted driving home.

Alcoholism is a really bad taskmaster to serve. The end result is death and destruction.

That said I enjoy alcohol in small amounts. When I play I drink a water first then a beer then a water then a beer and than a water. That is enough to enjoy the beer but still be sober enough to play and drive.

 

[PBass101]

plus if you drink a lot, all the time, trying to play sober would be a BIG mistake.

...What?

 

[Joshua]

Bah.

Humbug.

 

[Josh Ryan]

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).

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.

Your post has been reported quite a few times, but it really speaks for itself so I'll just leave it and hope you never kill anyone on the road.

as for the original question, I might have a beer at a gig, I might have a beer at practice, but I never get drunk, and I always drive completely sober. How you feel vs. your reaction time, driving or playing, are not exactly a perfect ratio.