MusicRadar

View in gallery

Sit up properly

As drummers, we can appreciate the physical and mechanical (ergonomic) benefits of adopting a physically efficient sitting position. In respect of this, it's time to introduce you to some very important anatomical friends – the sitting bones! The sitting bones are the two round bones underneath you when you sit (surprise, surprise!).

The above image (as modelled by our small but perfectly formed skeleton), shows the position of the sitting bones, from behind. Try sitting on your hands, on your drum stool (seethe below image, as modelled by our large but perfectly formed drummer!), then move around a bit, and you'll feel your sitting bones.

Basically, you should be sitting on these bones at all times – that's what they're designed for!

With this in mind, it's a good time to mention the relationship between the body and gravity – a key Alexander Technique principle. This is best described by Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion, which tells us that "for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction".

In plain English, this means that the ground is coming back up to you and supporting you with a force equal to that of gravity. So, in plain drumming terms, by thinking about your sitting bones getting all that support from your drum stool, you can really let yourself use that upward support to give you a feeling of lightness, all the way up the spine.

Basically, the freer your spine is, the more stable your torso will be, allowing for more freedom and balance in your limbs, and providing unrestricted, tension-free movement for the purpose of technical execution.

Arm bone connected to the, back bone…

The really important thing to know about your arms is that they're an extension of your back, and this is a key consideration in Alexander Technique.

Physiologically, we have stabilising muscles and mobilising muscles. The stabilising muscles (core muscles) lie deep within, and effectively support, the trunk of the body. They generally attach to the spine, pelvis, and other muscles that support the scapulas (shoulder blades), thereby stabilising these areas to create a firm foundation for co-ordinated movement of the mobilising muscles, which move the arms and legs.

On to your Lats

Without getting into too much physiological detail, it's important to look at the

Latissimus Dorsi muscles (commonly referred to as the Lats), which effectively play a crucial role in the mobilisation of the upper limbs.

Have a look at the above image and you'll see the position of the Latissimus Dorsi muscle, which covers a large area of the back, along both sides of the spine, out and up, to where it inserts into the upper arms

In general, paying attention to the large and powerful muscles of the back can provide more physical efficiency, comfort and endurance when playing drums – take care of the stabilisers with correct postural habits and the mobilisers will take care of themselves.

Use your imagination

Now that you are aware of this connection, stop thinking about the arms finishing at the shoulder, and instead allow your mental image of your arms to extend around to your back.

Another important consideration regarding the arms is that they don't end at the shoulder in the front of the body either; they actually carry on right up to the collarbone, as you can see in the image below.

This alone is not as important as harnessing your back power, but an awareness of this will immediately give you a little more freedom of movement in the arms and shoulders.

Check it out for yourself: put your left hand firmly into the 'soap dish' shape of your right collarbone. Now raise your right arm upwards, as in the image below.

You will feel the movement in your collarbone. Any rigidity in the collarbone will restrict movement and, again, it pays to be aware of this physical connection when playing drums.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liked this? Then try:
17 seriously useful drum tuning tips
How to build your own studio in 11 easy steps
The 17 most outrageous drum kits on the internet

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter
The free MusicRadar newsletter serves up the week's biggest artist and product news stories alongside exclusive tuition and gear reviews. Sign up here!

Follow MusicRadar on Twitter
Get instant updates and bonus content plus chat with the team. Start here!

Around the web: