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3. DO warm up before a show

"It absolutely helps," says Carlos. "You just can't walk into a venue, sit behind your drums and expect to play a great show. It'll never happen.

"For me, I just grab a pair of sticks and bang them on things or twirl them around. I practice on a pad or whatever's handy - drums with towels on them, anything I can. Ten minutes is generally all I need.

"Sometimes I just sit down, cross my legs and tap on my shoes. Othertimes, I bang on countertops or sofas - whatever works, you know?

"I remember hearing years ago that the drummers in Boston and REO Speedgwagon would travel with full kits that they would practice on backstage before gigs. I'm not saying that's excessive - if that does it for you, hey, that's cool. But I never felt the need to go that far.

"You have to get the limbs going, get your head in the right space. Everybody has their own level of practicing, My rule of thumb is quite simple: you know you're warmed up when you're warmed up."

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