Posture - I was killing myself!

[windhorse]

I've been going to a deep tissue massage therapist for the past year, my neck and sholders have been way too tight.. When I started the therapy, I was almost unable to turn my head . Now, I have nearly complete motion.. But, I had to back off of playing the drum so much since drumming was causing the tightness. So, last night, after a particularly loose and healed neck and back day, I sat down to play a bit, and noticed the tighteness right away. My therapist is also a fellow drummer who noticed what was causing it. It was the way I was sitting! I didn't notice it, but when I sit I hunch forward slightly. After three or four years of doing this for hours at a time, my body had compensated for this slight misalignment by calling on the neck and shoulders more than needed.
So, the change I have to make is to sit with chest out, shoulders back, head up, butt squeezed, legs pressing down, Soaz tightened, arms hanging straight down, and the chair a tiny bit lower.
What a breakthrough! This is a life changing revelation!

Note, In case anyone else is suffering like I was, have someone critique whether your spine is a straight as possible when you play....

[JohnnyConga]

I always stress to my students that posture is very important in playing.. The drum should be just below your navel and your arms are 90 degrees and level. If you sit to low or too high it throws your posture off and will give you back problems eventually...I personally now play standing,because I play a lot of different instruments, with my band and others and is more comfortable now and I use differnt muscles standing...sitting you get more back support,(providing your sitting properly) and standing is more arm...I have now moved into my new home and have created my "attic studio" where in the next couple of weeks I will begin my new DVD I am calling "CongaRobics" with "JC" Johnny Conga...where I will explain thngs such as sitting and playing and standing and playing and a host of other things.. I expect the DVD to be almost 2 hours long, answering a lot of questions, and maybe raising some new ones....be patient please...I am still putting my house in order, then I will shoot it in my attic..it is coming!....peace...."JC" Johnny Conga...

[pidoca]

Gday Johnny, good to hear that you are putting together a dvd. cant wait for it to come out. Good luck with it.

God Bless
pidoca
http://www.cabritamusic.com

[ABAKUA]

then I will shoot it in my attic.

Can I get a copy before you shoot it? Please dont shoot it, I hate hearing about DVD's getting shot. Im not into DVD cruelty.

[JohnnyConga]

Abakua I will be gentle with the DVD I promise....."JC" Johnny Conga....

[yoni]

Ooh, I also must work on my posture, gets me all cramped up if I don't sit or stand straight. This may sound "new-agey" but I hear that good posture also lets the body recieve positive vibes and inspiration more easily than a bent spine. Hmmm.

[JohnnyConga]

Has anyone read the book "The Drummers Path" by Sule Greg Wilson?...he xplains the whole chakra thing and drumming, his personal story of drumming and growing up in NYC is almost identical to mine, we also played at different times with the same "dance companies", in NY....."JC" Johnny Conga....

[twiggd]

Hey JC,

Is your DVD aimed at the beginner or intermediate player??
Do you have any instructional video suggestions for intermediate players? Also, a long time in coming, Thank You!!!, for the OCHO cd suggestion. (I have been off line for quiet a while).
I had to go to Amoeba records in Hollywood to get it. I found whole bunch of other cd pics. Unfortunately, I will have to pack a heavier wallet next time I make the journey.

God Bless!!

David :laugh:

[JohnnyConga]

Hello Twiggd ...Thank u for asking....Now that I am finally moved into my new home and my "attic studio" is ready I plan on shooting the video there. It will start out with MY basic S.T.O.M.P "method".....Slap Tone Open/rest Muffle Palm exercises and then go from their into rhythms, "styles" theory la clave...and a lot more...even putting a head on a conga...will be shown....My DVD is/will be called "Conga-Robics" with "JC" Johnny Conga and I also xpect it to be about 2 hours long and "I WILL" show u how I got where I am with my playing, as no other Video/DVD from ANY other conga player has shown.......it's almost here!....."JC" Johnny Conga....

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... method.jpg

[ABAKUA]

Sounds good JC, you know Im down for a copy.

[JohnnyConga]

Tks Abakua...yea after this heavy weekend of 5 gigs back to back, I will start putting it together starting next week. It has taken time to just put a "table of contents" together, cause there is so much to learn and I want to show everything I know and I how I got there...hey I'm no Giovanni, that is not my "style" I'm ol skool from the 1st skool, so it will be very basic approaches with my particular technique(which is a combination of a lot of other drummers rolled into one, if that's possible..hahahaha)....so it will be a very challenging effort....."JC" Johnny Conga....

[Mr. NoChops]

Has anyone read the book "The Drummers Path" by Sule Greg Wilson?...he xplains the whole chakra thing and drumming, his personal story of drumming and growing up in NYC is almost identical to mine, we also played at different times with the same "dance companies", in NY....."JC" Johnny Conga....

I have and it's a great read. He also emphasizes how important breathing is.

Personally I've noticed that sometimes, especially when playing fast, I hold my breath. This will tense up my body and deprive me of needed oxygen. In order to play relaxed and groove, pay attention to your breathing. Keep it calm and deep.

Great book!