weed and you bass playing

[vvvmmm]

It's a nice variation, but like the dude said, you must craft yer buzz ...

That was the dude, right?

Who's asking?

 

[Sixgunn]

i appreciate your point of view. luckily, playing the bass guitar (subjective, situational and artistic) does not come with the same risk/responsibility as driving a vehicle. the point i am trying to make it that some people find that taking certain substances actually enhances their ability to play music, for the style/skill-level that suits their fancy. And others report physical and psychological challenges when taking certain substances, which can impair their ability to perform at the style/skill-level that suits their fancy. it's not our job to determine what works for others, especially if people can enjoy those substances in a legal and safe setting. And, from most of the responses on this thread, it seems that folks are able to self-regulate and understand their personal preferences.

Personally, i'd be significantly more impaired on stage by a pre-show chili dog than a toke or two form a doobie... it's all relative...

I understand your points. I wasn't trying to equate playing music or other benign activities with potentially hazardous things like driving, using heavy equipment/machinery or interpreting Sanskrit, lol. My point is, impairment is impairment (reduced function), no matter what you're doing. I know some think drugs and/or alcohol (alcohol is a drug too) enhance their abilities but as a lot of people here have stated, they are usually worse. For me, giving up on impairment years ago, has been awesome!

 

[jnuts1]

Nobody plays better high. I am sure many think they play better high. Most play worse. I know a few guys who keep a slight buzz going and they are fine. There are many more who take that extra hit and their timing and playing goes bye bye.

I suppose medically speaking meth and coke would be best. Then there is all that inconvenient death from stroke and a heart attack thing but who am I to judge. Caffeine for me thanks.

caffeine is a drug, so is Adderall and nicotine and those are all drugs that improve performance. I've never smoked cigs but i have taken Adderall twice in my life and only at super late night gigs and holy hell did I play. I felt really cracked out afterwards and didn't eat for 2 days on each occasion so that's a no from me dawg

 

[40Hz]

Here's the difference between weed and booze: after over 200,000 years of on and off use we have built in canaboid receptors in our brain cells and that's the avenue weed uses to effect you. Alcohol that came by accident with learning how to store grains in a hole in the ground 10,000 years ago, poisonously blocks oxygen from getting to your brain cells, so you are killing brain cells to get 'er done

Do you have any actual genuine scientific (as in: juried neurological, biological, or anthropological) research to back that up?

Because beyond the best estimates that Homo Sapiens first started appearing about 200,000 years ago, none of your argument is anything I’ve ever read anywhere.

BTW, alcohol doesn’t “kill brain cells.” It impairs the chemical signals between neurons resulting in the commonly observed symptoms of intoxication. Long term excess can also chemically damage the dendrites of neurons thereby resulting in chronic alcohol related medical conditions.

 

[40Hz]

I don't believe I said it was. That's up to others to decide.

And those they play with and for to decide if they find it acceptable.

Never met a musician who was a better musician for drinking or toking up. Although I’ve met many who thought they were.

 

[Lagado]

And those they play with and for to decide if they find it acceptable.

Never met a musician who was a better musician for drinking or toking up. Although I’ve met many who thought they were.

There is a time and a place for everything, as long as you know when that is.

For inspiration, I don't think the Beatles would have been quite the same if they had not met Bob Dylan in a hotel room in 1964.

 

[Diminishedfilth]

Never played high on weed, as my career field kinda ruled that out, not to mention the anxiety I used to get as a teenager. However, many, many years ago, I did get talked into an outdoor jam session, thought I could handle an LSD tab. I didn’t freak out, however, the latency between striking a note and when I actually heard it felt like it was about 2 seconds behind my fingers. I just thank God I didn’t have to go to the bathroom, that would’ve made a mess.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I like a good coffee buzz when I'm playing... duzzat count?

 

[Rip Van Dan]

If you use weed does it effect your bass playing in a positive or negative way?
For me it really helps when I am learning theory and practicing scales arpeggios etc. I am more into it and feel more aware of what is happening. But playing cover songs for some reason it messes me up. I forget certain parts, loose focus and generally do not play as good.
Just wondering how it effects you?

I've played the guitar and recorded it on an tape recorder while using pot in college. I thought it sounded really good until I played it back...it sucked!

When I was playing in a touring nightclub group '71 through '73, "us long-haired hippy-looking folks" were closely watched for drugs. So as a requirement to play in the group, no drugs were allowed because if one guy or girl got caught, everybody's income would disappear. And we were making good money back then.

I found out early on, while playing an NCO club on a military base, that excessive use of alcohol was definitely deleterious to my ability to play accurately too. Booze was cheap on base and I was fed 2 Jack on the rocks at the first break, 2 more at the second break and 2 more at the third break by some of the patrons (always ordered 2 drinks at a time for some reason). The 4th set was a real problem for me. I'll have a beer or maximum of 2 at a gig, but I learned to moderate my drinking because it endangered my job and my job was paying me quite well back then (equivalent to $3,000 to 4,000 per week in today's money).

I don't really like weed anyhow. It makes me cough, turns my eyes red immediately, and makes me stupid to boot. I'm past that stage now.

 

[Eric Swaim]

For all my friend that are police officers and play music, I have no idea what this guy is talking about.

 

[wraub]

Cannabinoid Receptors 101: Why Do We Have Them? - PlantedU

Cannabinoid - Wikipedia

Cannabinoid receptor - Wikipedia

Invalid Link Removed

Cannabinoid Receptors in the Human Brain: A Detailed Anatomical and Quantitative Autoradiographic Study in the Fetal, Neonatal and Adult Human Brain - PubMed

Invalid Link Removed

Do you have any actual genuine scientific (as in: juried neurological, biological, or anthropological) research to back that up?

Because beyond the best estimates that Homo Sapiens first started appearing about 200,000 years ago, none of your argument is anything I’ve ever read anywhere.

BTW, alcohol doesn’t “kill brain cells.” It impairs the chemical signals between neurons resulting in the commonly observed symptoms of intoxication. Long term excess can also chemically damage the dendrites of neurons thereby resulting in chronic alcohol related medical conditions.

 

[Dincrest]

Intoxicants of any variety were always for after the show/practice, and only if I didn't have to drive home the next day. Multi-day camping festival gigs were nice like that. Like everyone else, I've played a show or two intoxicated and those were always trainwrecks.

I generally stay away from the ganja, though. That stuff gave me the munchies something fierce and since I used to be disgustingly overweight, I refuse to partake in a substance that could make me fat again.

The "quarantine fifteen" is real and though I do home workouts for 45-60 minutes a day, I'm getting too tender in the tummy and can't wait till my gym reopens and I can do some serious weightlifting again. And I look forward to some serious road cycling when my club meets again.

So no ganja or beer for me in the future. I used to love craft beer, but not any more. That stuff weighs me down like a boulder. My indulgence? A nice snifter of brandy/cognac on a Friday night. That's all I need or want. Maybe substitute that with a nice bourbon if I'm in the mood for something different. Always neat, of course.

 

[Hambone70]

No one likes to hear it but unimpaired life is the best life.

Depends on the quality of your unimpaired life.

 

[Rib 13]

Almost every 420 band member I've known in my years all think weed either (A) doesn't affect them or (B) makes them play better..... When I'm the only sober guy in the group, I can attest that neither is true: Drummers tend to ( ironically) speed up while guitar players make every song, including pop songs, sound like Purple Haze.......

 

[Cut the middle]

I'm just plain bad on any drug, be it alcohol or whatever. I "think" that I sound fabulous when I'm high, but on playback when I'm sober it is glaringly obvious that I was in fact NOT.
Some folks can play while high & sound great, but it's because they're really good players with great muscle-memory.

X2. Thought I was groovin' til I noticed the other members giving each other side glances. Timing was my issue.

 

[pcake]

i stopped smoking long before i played bass, but i wasn't able to read a book when i smoked weed - i'd lose track and start all over again and again, so i doubt it would enhance my playing in any way.

 

[brianrost]

Negative only.

 

[mobeme23]

I understand your points. I wasn't trying to equate playing music or other benign activities with potentially hazardous things like driving, using heavy equipment/machinery or interpreting Sanskrit, lol. My point is, impairment is impairment (reduced function), no matter what you're doing. I know some think drugs and/or alcohol (alcohol is a drug too) enhance their abilities but as a lot of people here have stated, they are usually worse. For me, giving up on impairment years ago, has been awesome!

i'm glad that you found a headspace that you enjoy!

 

[shaggy45]

I will say that it’s amazing for lifting weights. That was one of my favorite things to do. The ultimate supplement.

 

[Sixgunn]

Depends on the quality of your unimpaired life.

Generally, if your unimpaired life is bad, your impaired life will be worse. Think about it. If one needs drugs and/or alcohol to make their life good, I'd say they have a problem.