first time posting. does anyone have a drumming face/habit? i tend to play with an underbite even though i dont normally have one. you think this is a bad habit? everytime i finish a session my jaw is sometimes sore. i try to not play like that but i find myself concentrating on keeping a normal straight face more than my actual playing and its noticeable. anyone? nice messageboard by the way. cheers

i tend to bite my top or bottom lip, its annoying really and i try not to do it coz i always have a line on my lip after i finish playing lol from when i've been biting it








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haha I have both your problems =D usually I have an underbite which looks horrible, people have kindly informed me of that so now I tend to bite my bottom lip or pout, both unflattering =D

WhiteOleander wrote:

haha I have both your problems =D usually I have an underbite which looks horrible, people have kindly informed me of that so now I tend to bite my bottom lip or pout, both unflattering =D

how annoying is it, ay? no1's sed anything to me about it tho. i tend to pull other faces too, like sticking my tongue out of one side of my mouth haha and also having a big smile while drumming sometimes hehe thts one of my favs








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Tama/Zildjian/Remo/Vater
www.myspace.com/scotthurford

Scott_Hurford wrote:

WhiteOleander wrote:

haha I have both your problems =D usually I have an underbite which looks horrible, people have kindly informed me of that so now I tend to bite my bottom lip or pout, both unflattering =D

how annoying is it, ay? no1's sed anything to me about it tho. i tend to pull other faces too, like sticking my tongue out of one side of my mouth haha and also having a big smile while drumming sometimes hehe thts one of my favs

haha atleast you look happy, iv heard that I look pissed or like im about to bite someones head off.. what can i say, i'm agressive

WhiteOleander wrote:

Scott_Hurford wrote:

WhiteOleander wrote:

haha I have both your problems =D usually I have an underbite which looks horrible, people have kindly informed me of that so now I tend to bite my bottom lip or pout, both unflattering =D

how annoying is it, ay? no1's sed anything to me about it tho. i tend to pull other faces too, like sticking my tongue out of one side of my mouth haha and also having a big smile while drumming sometimes hehe thts one of my favs

haha atleast you look happy, iv heard that I look pissed or like im about to bite someones head off.. what can i say, i'm agressive

haha i no a few ppl who look angry when they drum, its cool tho haha i guess some ppl get the anger out from hitting the skins








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Tama/Zildjian/Remo/Vater
www.myspace.com/scotthurford

yup, especially since I mostly play metal

Haha, good topic...

Every pic of me that i see playing a gig, my mouth is open..kinda like a fish gaping for air. I Look so retarded...its uncool... Check out the banner to see what i mean








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Ludwig Drums
Sabian Cymbals
Vater Sticks
Aquarian Heads.
All Good.

hahaha everybody has a "stupid" facial expression when they play
at shows or when i get into it i do this side head bang thing with my mouth open or ill press my lips together or bite the side of my lip








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Drum kit-pearl export select
Cymbals-sabian HH and aax
Pedal-single dw 5000
Heads
snare-evans genera hd dry
Toms-evans ec2 clear
Bass drum-Aquarian super kick 1 with evans pillow inside
Sticks-Vic Firth 5a

...I know I probably look a little overly-concentrated.

But I know I will never look as stupid as a singer trying to stay busy during a guitar lead.








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i dont have those. my guitarist tells me i dont move enough. tht i look bored. then again he wants me to be a clone of Lars Ulrich. and theres no way im gona air hump and try to look like i struggle to play my own songs. id rather look bored. when i play stuff i really enjoy or thats really technical. which same thing most of the time. i tend toget this spaced out look and just start movin with my sticks and feet. just kindaflow around and stuff. its wierd ha ha








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Get KRUNK...Its A Death Metal Thing.

Ahha, well I look like I'm in deep concentration,

I've herd you can get rid of drummer face by practicing in front of a mirror and correcting your face, and eventually you won't have it any more.

I haven't tried it but its worth a shot.








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my worst habit would be moving my other hand when it doesnt need to.(this finger problem I've had since I was a child) It looks weird, but it doesnt bother me, since I cant control it when I am holding a stick(sometimes)

for example: if I was to do a b, s, b, s my opposite hand would move the stick as if it was hitting the snare.

I do the classic slow headbang or head shake a little too much.

the one thing I think I do sometimes is a "blank stare"

I can play without doing anything, like If I was performing, I would just be normal with occasional headbang and other weird actions.








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Favorite Drummer: Jason Bittner

Currently in a band. Starting after High School

Yes mate im affraid most of us drummers make silly faces when we drum! Mine being a gurning face for when im in a nice groove or I just curl my lips in. I therefore look like a bit of an arse when im playing (probably), but we have to remember not to give a shit! I think the worse the face the better the player, Ha Ha!

p.s this is also my first time on this forum!

Mad_cow wrote:

Ahha, well I look like I'm in deep concentration,

I've herd you can get rid of drummer face by practicing in front of a mirror and correcting your face, and eventually you won't have it any more.

I haven't tried it but its worth a shot.

Yes,Steve Gadd says to do that.

90% of the time I look pissed-off...doesn't matter if I'm playing or not.








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Taye:Rock Pro Classic Rock 5 Piece
Sabian:Cymbals
Tama & Pearl:Hardware
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Vader:Fat Back 3A Sticks & Slick-Nuts

i don't ever make faces unless it's on purpose. like if we all seem to flow really good with each other i'll make a weird face at my guitarist or something. i do headbang some though! i love to headbang.








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"Within the chamber of my soul I find I don't know as much as most do, but I know my destiny." - ZAO

my drumming face people say i either look like im in extreme pain, in a car going really fast or having an orgasm. unfortunately i dont really have any mid action shots of my drumming coz they always come out blurrd........ when i dont have to focus so much and i can pay more attention on not pulling the faces i try to make a more agressive face. people so i look like im maybe miming the the sound of the cymbals with my mouth, like POW! for my china lol!!








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Hehehe...the "look of pain" is normal.

ross666dreamcatcher wrote:

my drumming face people say i either look like im in extreme pain, in a car going really fast or having an orgasm. unfortunately i dont really have any mid action shots of my drumming coz they always come out blurrd........ when i dont have to focus so much and i can pay more attention on not pulling the faces i try to make a more agressive face. people so i look like im maybe miming the the sound of the cymbals with my mouth, like POW! for my china lol!!

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It's "Lei" not "Lee"

PaulZILLA wrote:

i dont have those. my guitarist tells me i dont move enough. tht i look bored. then again he wants me to be a clone of Lars Ulrich. and theres no way im gona air hump and try to look like i struggle to play my own songs. id rather look bored. when i play stuff i really enjoy or thats really technical. which same thing most of the time. i tend toget this spaced out look and just start movin with my sticks and feet. just kindaflow around and stuff. its wierd ha ha

ahh that was and still is my biggest problem.. I look bored =( but hell you're right im not gonna bounce around asif i have a firecracker up my ass just to look like all those other 'overrated' drummers

When I started I made this face that earned me the nickname "fish" which has stuck for the last 5 years sorta stuck my bottom lip out (this was completely unintentional and sub concious) now i jus play head down and concentrate which means people only see my hair!!








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Pearl Drums
Sabian Cymbals
DW Pedals
Zildjian Sticks
Metal Brain

Iv'e got all the dumb faces too... but what bothers me more, is the tendency for my whole head to turn and face the hi hat as if drawn by a magnet..it's possible that my right ear is more dominant and I need to face it toward the crowd to get an even mix...

I don't think of myself as an unattractive individual, BUT in almost all pictures of me drumming I look like a total idiot. I've got all the weird faces mentioned so far. Fish face, mouth gaping, staring blankly at the hi-hat, etc. I also have a tendency to lean my head back and stare upward during little "breaks" in the song which is apparently very unflattering. I've been trying to work on the faces which has led me to stare blankly at other members of the band or smile cheesily into the crowd. I can't win.

I'm an unattractive individual.

Grey hair. Bad back. Overweight.

Oh yeah, the women are dripping off me.








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I don't know what I'm talking about!

"Don't play FOR people. Play WITH people."
- Papa Jo Jones

How about the poor paparazzi?

alexforwood wrote:

When I started I made this face that earned me the nickname "fish" which has stuck for the last 5 years sorta stuck my bottom lip out (this was completely unintentional and sub concious) now i jus play head down and concentrate which means people only see my hair!!

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It's "Lei" not "Lee"

Just curious....are you keen on getting good pics of yourself?

About the smile thing...you don't have to be cheesy and all that...how about just interacting with your fellow band mates? Share a joke? Or Those times when you need just a look to communicate.

Just act natural. The genuine look would just follow.

Leigh <--- Closet Photographer

Hooker wrote:

I don't think of myself as an unattractive individual, BUT in almost all pictures of me drumming I look like a total idiot. I've got all the weird faces mentioned so far. Fish face, mouth gaping, staring blankly at the hi-hat, etc. I also have a tendency to lean my head back and stare upward during little "breaks" in the song which is apparently very unflattering. I've been trying to work on the faces which has led me to stare blankly at other members of the band or smile cheesily into the crowd. I can't win.

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It's "Lei" not "Lee"

when i play really fast i normaly have an over bite and my jaw gets really sore afterwards. when im playing along to a song w/ head phones, stereo, or just in my head i normally sing along, or just relax my face. and sometimes when people watch me play they start making fun of me 'cuase my face kinda looks funky

I always get the shit eating grin or look pissed off. I have a friend that drools on himself when he plays.

When I first started with a marching band, I along with everyone else keept our mouths open and we looked like total idiots. However our playing made up for it

I have only *noticed* that it stopped this year, and is parcially because of this post. Now when I have a long and fast fill on the kit, I stick my togne out and bite it... there's always something new that happends for drummer faces/ habits; nothing to be ashamed off.

I believe the face most of you are referring to is the "pushing mud" face.





There's the "damn I'm rockin" face




The "blank stare like sleepwalking" face






I don't have a good "O-Face" face pic yet, I'll work on that. You guys gotta remember, music is ENTERTAINMENT. You are there to put on a show. You should try to entertain as much as possible, so if that means making parts look harder than they are, then do it. Buddy Rich was great at that. He did stuff that was so easy for him and he make the "pushing mud" face just for show. It works!

Cheapskate wrote:

Iv'e got all the dumb faces too... but what bothers me more, is the tendency for my whole head to turn and face the hi hat as if drawn by a magnet..it's possible that my right ear is more dominant and I need to face it toward the crowd to get an even mix...

Yeah I do that one too, especially on more difficult parts. I've even had other band members walk over to see what the hell I was staring at.

I go according to the song. If it's a kooky song like " No one Knows" I act like I'm drunk, If it's heavy stuff, I'm angry.
I have a few head bobs, twirls (even tho my hair is short now) and the ever popular Paul Stanley pout.
It's hard to get into the groove when the crowd is small, or when I am tired from my day job.I compensate for that by a bad habit of keeping my eyes closed while I play.








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www.myspace.com/boomtapcrash

DrewDeLaPoots wrote:

first time posting. does anyone have a drumming face/habit? i tend to play with an underbite even though i dont normally have one. you think this is a bad habit? everytime i finish a session my jaw is sometimes sore. i try to not play like that but i find myself concentrating on keeping a normal straight face more than my actual playing and its noticeable. anyone? nice messageboard by the way. cheers

Hey yeah i have a well as my instructor calls it "fish mouth" but if your jaw is sore that might not be good. I used to have a habit if that too. you might possibly want to try to relax when you are playing more, maybe use a little more wrist while playing. I do that now and despite the fact that now I have a "fish mouth" but it isnt that bad and I am playing better. so just something to look into. but hey if you are relaxed and having fun with this it doesnt really matter. I mean if you are intence while playing a show no one will care if you are biting your lip or have your mouth open because that is such a minor thing it is rarely noticeable

i used to have the screaming problem you can sometimes hear in live drum solos, or when your laying into a monster fill








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-Matt Kinel

Vintage Ludwig Stainless Steel Bonham Set
Paiste Giant Beats and 2002 Cymbals
Vintage Ludwig Hercules and Atlas Hardware
Speed King Pedal, Supraphonic Snare
Remo Heads, Coated

oh yeah, I forgot to say, if I dont hit the drum(usually bad placement on the rolls and depending on how fast I go) and it hits my knee, my face turns a bit red, kind of weird.

also, I have this weird habit of tossing my stick in the air a little bit make this "whoa" face and grab the stick and hit the cymbol with it.








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Favorite Drummer: Jason Bittner

Currently in a band. Starting after High School

Exactly.

demonicAngel wrote:

... there's always something new that happends for drummer faces/ habits; nothing to be ashamed off.

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It's "Lei" not "Lee"

haha the weirdest drummer i've ever seen is the drummer of a Belgian band called "Hitch". I felt bad because the crowd was pretty much laughing throughout the whole set at him...people actually though he was retarded oh well. and yes I pretty much just have my mouth kind of open, which looks pretty bad...either that or i'm frowning like a bitch, or the look of pain...but I have a weird habit with my left leg. I'm pretty much constantly doing this weird movement with my left foot, as if I was squishing a bug on the hi hat pedal. You'd think it would make you get out of time, but not at all...it just happens :p

haha my whole face gets into it, my eyes go wide and narrow, and my lips move from being normal, to almost just a straight line on my face. this goes back and forth between wide eye line mouthed, to a normal face the entire time i play, im not too worried about it..actually i dont care at all aha.

some people say i looked pissed off when i play, but i never feel like i look that way... ??? o well i guess it doesnt relly matter what you look, right... its more bout the sound!
peace out guys








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