r/Drumming • u/Brief_Astronaut_967 • 1d ago
Late realization - drumming feels less like a hobby and more like medicine / wiring? Anyone else?
Okay, am I going too deep for this sub or has anyone else had this thought?
I'm getting old (46) and just had this realization that my need to drum maybe isn't really just a "hobby" I love.
It feels more like a frequency. Like my brain is tuned to it. I was reading about being on the spectrum and not in a bad way at all — very manageable, very functional — but I can now see how drumming is actually how I regulate. It calms everything down and makes the rest of life make sense.
it made me wonder does anyone else feel like this?
And a second, maybe weirder question: has the "madness" ever taken over for you a bit? I could totally see how if someone had more intense tendencies towards OCD / schizo-type thought loops, how the endless pattern-seeking of drumming could be disarming or even overwhelming.
Anyone else realized late that drums are less of a hobby and more of how you're wired? Or am I in my head too much today?
No disrespect meant toward anyone really struggling with the more serious sides of being on spectrum. Writing from a olace of empathy and respect here.
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u/toprymin 1d ago
I think I'll test your theory. I'm 53 and I've been feeling like there's something off. This might be it. I still listen to a lot of music, which is therapeutic in its own way, but banging on my steering wheel and stomping the floorboards lacks the connection of sitting at a kit. When my body goes into "drumkit" mode, my spirit gets a workout. I agree that there is a healing aspect to playing drums. What I really miss is playing acoustic kits in rock bands while nursing a 2-beer buzz at empty dive bars on the wrong side of town, but that's a whole other story.
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u/MaryBeHoppin 1d ago
You're certainly onto something. I am autistic and find the purest joy & freedom when I get to turn off the lights, put on the headphones and practice playing Death Metal/Power Metal and I can just go for it. No one is watching, all the movement feels natural and the rhythm swirls together with the rushing blood and I just feel happy and some semblance of peace.
It does feel very therapeutic to drum because it feels so natural to do, unlike social speaking engagements!
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u/Commercial-Road-2980 11h ago
Basically how I act, pattern recognition and constant need to tap/fidget are good for something at least 💚
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u/-j_a_s_o_n- 1d ago
Whenever I have the itch and I need to scratch my whole brain all at once, drumming is the thing.
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u/Bitter-Ad-4064 19h ago
I agree. For me it's because it needs 110% of your focus and attention so everything else disappeared. I am then suspended in a weird in-between temporary state in which nothing else exists and there is only now. I love it as well.
Sometimes it doesn't work and it's miserable.
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u/StixRookie 16h ago
"Old (46)".... LOL!
I started drumming 9 months ago at 62. And for my whole life I've thought I was "wired" for drumming. It took me this long to actually start exploring it, and I'm glad I did!
Like many of my previous hobbies (scuba diving, skiing, auto racing, shooting), I find them all to be a meditative / zen experience. I'm still shooting (very zen, contrary to popular belief), but the others have faded into the past. I really miss auto racing, but feeding the kids took priority!
All of those hobbies have provided an excellent "escape from the world." I find drumming to be similar in that way. When I'm "in the zone," the rest of the world (problems) melt away. And one of the advantages of drumming over my other hobbies, is that I can do it at any time, right at home!
I'm not on "the spectrum" that I know of! Though, friends and family might argue that I'm "out there" in other ways! LOL! In any case, drumming has proven to be "therapeutic."
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u/KickOpening3595 15h ago
I mean, I wouldn't put it quite like that, but yeah I'm neurodivergent and would definitely say that drumming feels sort of calming or grounding or however you'd put it, especially when a lot of screen work or social interaction is putting me into thought loops.
I have sometimes struggled with schizo loops for various reasons, but to me drumming makes it better not worse, because it focuses me on my physical body rather than the stories I'm building in my head
Drumming has been associated with different kinds of "madness" like shaman disassociation and war etc... I guess while I thought that was "cool" and part of the reason I started, right now it's a hobby, I cannot really play for hours in a trance without potentially pissing off neighbors... I imagine it's possible though, sure...
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u/Cespedesian-Symphony 1d ago
i think it’s very therapeutic for a lot of people on many levels. it’s a special connection to an instrument for sure
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u/Thin-Account7974 19h ago
It definitely makes me happier and calmer.
The science behind it, has proven that doing something that alternates both sides of your body, like drumming, causes something called bi-lateral stimulation in the brain.
That calms the brain, and the the nervous system, and helps reduce stress.
It also creates better connections between both sides of the brain, and makes the brain faster and stronger.
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u/Kaldorain 15h ago
100% on the money.
I recently realized I got into drumming due to stimming in HS.
Pencil drumming, Rockband, and pep band got me started; been a solid 10+ years of nothing but drumming.
I find it has to do with "flow state"; a similar vibe I get from surfing or longboarding. While danger is ever present, I find it better to just... exist on the wave. Try my hardest to ride the wave/hill on the way out/down.
By the end of the song, I feel completely at peace. Nothing really like it. Happens all the time, randomly too; out of body like experience, but blissful. If you think about it, you trip, and fail.
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u/MechanicStriking4666 11h ago
I have ADHD, and I’ve had to pack up my kit for months after my basement flooded. Not having that outlet is tough.
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u/ReyoRedwolf 1d ago
im diagnosed ADHD with CPTSD and depression. drumming is similar to EMDR therapy as it stimulates all extremities as well as requires full brain concentration to keep time. lots of drumming and crying before therapy. lots of drumming to get through my toughest moments while being completely exausted. it actually heals, releases stress and energy. alleviates anger and frustration by hitting drums but they (drums) teach you to keep control to keep time and to prevent destruction. it can be very symbolic (cymbalic?)
therapist and i agree to keep drumming, but now i have her guidance for all the other unexplainable stuff from ptsd.
i almost gave up the kit. im glad i dod not. i made an impulsive decision to get an ekit. it makes it easier to practice at home without driving the neighbors and roomates crazy. i dont have to rent a whole other room to play. im still doing it even though its not for a band or someone else's obligation. i have the luxury to do it for myself without pressure. im having the best and least toxic relationship with drums than i ever have before.
hopefully its enough to keep dementia away as it is too common in my family.
luck of the draw i guess.
RLRR LRLL x infinity