omg. i just forwarded that spitzerface emoticon to all my friends. priceless!


regarding tv practice--well, about the only thing i can do while practicing drums is chew gum. i need to focus, even if it's just doing endurance or strength stuff. i used to do single strokes while watching cnn, and found that i wasn't getting much out of either pursuit. i agree that it's more productive to gain something by just staying focused on one task.

i am like that with the purely physical stuff, too. i noticed everyone at the gym is either glued to the tv or tethered to their ipods. i need to hear and feel and see myself running to feel like i've made some inroads. i like to connect to what the physical activity is. i like to be conscious of what my body is doing in space.

but if chillin' in front of the tube works for you and helps you decompress, that's cool.


oh and kohei--the tv in the cab thing. i literally gasped when i saw one.

LL is that while your on your way to Montana to raise you up a crop of dental floss? 

Back a 100 years ago when I was learning to play guitar and also trying sing (poorly), I found playing in front of TV invaluable in the process of "splitting my brain" into 2 halves. This allowed me to play guitar on "autopilot" and be able to concentrate on vocals.
How does this relate to drumming?
It not only allowed me to do backround vocals, but I also believe it helped with independence where in I was able to have some limbs work on that same "autopilot" and be able to focus more on the other limbs to build that independence further.

It certainly will not work for everyone, since we are all different, but I truly believe it helped me.

Anyways...that's my $0.02.

~RHS
 

 
I'm against TV.
If it's worth turning on, if ever, it's when there's some good progamme, and then you want to watch it and do nothing else.
OK I understand you may turn down the volume and watch only pictures while practising, but don't e.g. commercials go on your nerves every now and then.

As for practising routines, I sometimes catch myself looking out of the window, or thinking about my problems; and I find this is not good either. I like it only when I can concentrate on what I'm doing. And if I want to split my brain in halves, I try to play triplets with one hand while the other limbs are playing the two four beat.