Head position

[tactikal]

I've got a few musician mates that either just stare off into the distance, or stare directly at your face.

When working on my drumming alone I find myself looking all around the room, sometimes at the ceiling... no particular direction though. When I'm jamming with others I generally either smile or have a concentrating look.

When I am having a hiphop jam (with me scratching records) I do indeed get that far-away look and freak people out by staring at them without any expression!! :laugh:

Very Random.
... also that mirror tip sounds good... would be nice to see if I can become more efficient with my movements.

[JohnnyConga]

I have always told my students to practice in front of a mirror to chek their posture and other things about themselves while playing....Remember you never know who is out there "watching you"....Johnny Conga....

[Amber]

Hi,

maybe this "turning the head" has also to do with remembering and the work of the brain. If you watch students you can often see their eyes going up while trying to remember what the have read.(visual remembering) As far as I know eyes tend to go to the left side when trying to construct auditive impressions and to the right side when remembering auditive impressions. And down to the left side when thinking about kinaesthetic impressions. And when you are very concentrated the head might follow the eyes movement. Just an idea but I watch myself often in doing so, looking down left and the head follows.

:p Amber

[Congadelica]

Amber ,
Your reply is probibly closest to what I was thinking . I know my ear are fine as I said I have regular audio checks at my place of work . When I listen to music I like to listen with both ears . but when Im playing I only listen in Mono , well with my right ear. Im sure there is a logical explanation for this .
Im less worried knowing that many other people do the same . interesting theroy Amber .

Ill buy myself a tall mirror to sit infornt of that should be interesting .

Marco

[JimG]

One of my many jobs.... is as a high school soccer coach and trainer. I am currently studying for my Strength and Conditioning Certificate. I am Not representing myself as a doctor or medical professional, but I do know a bit about training for dynamic activity...which drumming is. If you feel neck pain after practicing, you should do 3 things.... warm up the neck prior, stretch during and cool down after. just as you do with arms, wrists, fingers....

The stretching / warm up is the same for each of the 3 time periods. They are also good for anytime you have that neck pain for sleeping wrong or that upper back pain just inside your shoulder blade.

The trick is to perform these exercises slowly. While these are static stretches, the neck is a tricky area. You should NEVER twist or rotate your head rapidly. Keep your torso in a neutral position, that is straight up with nose forward and line of sight parallel to floor.

1. Gently pull head to L / R shoulder as far as you can until you have a good stretch and hold for 10 seconds. For right side, use right hand and place on left side of head (in the middle above the ear) and pull down directly toward shoulder, not forward or back. Pull as if you want your ear to touch your shoulder.opposite for left side. 3 times each side.

2. Gently pull head / jaw to chest. kinda tricky, but you'll fell the stretch when done correctly. For right side, place right hand at the back left corner of your head and pull so your jawbone is pulling parallel to your chest. hold for 10 seconds. You'll feel the stretch in the lower trapezoid and romboid muscle (inside of shoulder blade). opposite for left side and 3 times each side.

3. Gently lower your head until your chin touches your chest and hold for 10 seconds. important to do sitting or standing up straight with arms hanging to side.

Stretching the muscles of the neck bring blood flow and lubricate the muscles for activity. If someone can massage you neck, even better. Lastly, and I don't want to sell anything and don't remember the board policy, but if you're interested in a self massaging tool, you can message me.

Give these a try. I will add, that before, during and after any long session and especially when you may be sweating, drink water. Your muscles need the lubrication.

Cheers,
jim

[CongaTick]

Great advice and help Jim! That will be a nice starting point to help prevent neck and shoulder pain.

However, to refer to the the starting point of the thread, namely "head position while playing" --- those who have watched me play and even when not playing, swear that I have my head up my ass. I'm going to rig a mirror to check it out.